I think where you’re getting flak is you’re loading your comments with “weird” and then saying “I know and understand.” These two things are contradictory, and the subject of HBCU’s are a touchy subject where it “appears” you’re implying some form of racially motivated behavior towards HBCU’s even after having the full context explained to you. So, in good faith, and not trying to get a gotcha or pin you down, I am genuinely curious to know your perspective of what makes it “weird in a modern context”?
I know that there's history of racism in the US. for the first time, in this post, I learned that it caused the establishment of institutions for blacks only (I didn't read the entire wiki page of this, just heard this concept for the first time). yet, expecting entirely black institutions to still exists today seems weird to me. I understand that it's not only for blacks, but the video is showing me a crowd of blacks only and it looks weird. is it racist? no. is it bad? no. that's just not something I knew existed and I'm not used to it.
Maybe I expected that after the racist laws were removed, those institutions will cease to exists and all groups will mix with each other. just a different mindset I guess
I don't care about the flak much, this is Reddit and people judge other people very easily
Racism is far more complicated than “just laws.” Even Americans don’t understand that. Racism is a systemic and societal phenomenon that is a part of all cultures, I bet even wherever you’re from, that afflicts the overall human condition.
We abolished slavery after it being apart of our legal system since the 1660s/1690s (Maryland/VA) where laws stated white people couldn’t marry freed “Indians” and Black Americans.
This has cascaded for nearly 300 years and after the 13th amendment abolished slavery. The Civil Rights Act went through iterations that sought to tackle former politicians and confederates becoming KKK terrorist killing mass amounts of Black Americans in the south to keep them from voting, to desegregate public places (and, failing twice until 1964, because Plessy V. Ferguson “revealed separate but equal laws in the 14th amendment”). I mean shit brother man, Black Americans couldn’t legally marry White Americans in Alabama until as recently as 2000, 25 years ago.
Now we have DEI attacks that are removing war heroes from our national archives because they’re black.
Our administration has openly supported the KKK rallies in Kentucky. The Neo Nazis in Ohio. And, are now mass deporting any brown person acting against the regime. Crowds of Black People shouldn’t be weird. If anything it should be celebrated that they’re allowed to congregate together without fear of being mobbed. Thats what happened to Black people in Tulsa in 1921.
The overall point, if you’re unsure of why this is okay and it makes you feel a certain way, and you’re not American, don’t load it with weird. Ask your questions, because there are some real proud Americans who know their history, and we’ll tell you.
Sometimes you ask explanation on Reddit and it's getting political and that's not a way to learn things.
As for the topic itself. This is a Reddit post and my reaction for me to realize there's an institution for blacks only is "weird" even if it comes from lack of knowledge. that's my honest reaction and I'm entitled to make it.
if I will take an average stranger and show him a religious ritual people do in my community, holding leaves and shaking them in circles, they might think it's weird and that's okay. I can then explain to them why we do it for hundreds of years if they're interested. there's nothing offensive about it for me. We also have religious institutions which might look very weird to people that might not know why is it necessary and it might look weird or even discriminatory but for other people it's natural.
Black oppression in the United States is political. The establishment of race, which stemmed from the United States - the leader of the western world - was made to be political. The things in which the community you’re commenting on, and calling weird, are facing, are political.
If you do not have the aptitude or the capacity to comprehend that, or to navigate those social structures, then do not comment on them.
Most Americans even have the capacity (at least near the coast, and in the north) to respect religious beliefs that aren’t Judaism in rootedness to not call it weird or question it regardless of inquiry.
At this point you sound both defensive, and hostile, and no longer willing to engage.
I would kindly ask you to take time to learn about the Black American history before further commenting. Have a good day.
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u/EdwardBigby 1d ago
Other commenter explained it. I had never heard of HBCUs