My dad was the one who first brought up the riots to me tonight saying, "your mom and I were both growing up in the city when they happened." I had never spoken to my parents about the events in Baltimore in 1968. Of course they had been around, growing up in Highlandtown, but it wasn't something that we had ever talked about or really I had begun to really understand until this year.
My mom later told me, "I was only 8 when the riots happened and I was terrified. That's the only time I ever really remember being terrified. There were National Guard helicopters landing across the street. My father was coming home in full riot gear. We had an escape plan. I didn't understand what was happening, or why people were acting this way, it treating people in such a way based off the color of their skin was something I was never taught."
I'm suddenly more confident and appreciative of my decision to take this class than ever before. Because I've come to know the history, or at least some of it, and can begin to understand more of what happened during the 1968 riots in Baltimore and how they relate to the events taking place in Baltimore now. Last week part of my small assignment #3 was listening to an interview with Penny and Don Freeman. Penny was a restaurateur during the times of the riots and said the following during his interview:
“The riots came across North Avenue and so that night I’ll never forget when they came across. We had a predominately black kitchen because we just growing up with it that way and that’s the way all our people grew up with us and we kept moving them up so it stayed we had some whites, but it was predominately black and who were the people most scared when that started happening? That kitchen. It I walked back in that kitchen and it was like this and I remember getting them all together I got up on a milk crate and I got them all gathered around me and I said, I’d already been in touch with the police and was like what’s going on what should we do and I said to them ‘Fellas, I want you to take a deep breath and relax because nothing’s going to happen to you. I know you’re worried about going home and getting out on the street, but when the time comes we’re gonna get you transportation home and if necessary, police protection, I’ve already been in touch with the police and they’ve insured me that they’ll see that our people get home alright’ and you could just feel the air come back into that room.”It's crazy that today just like in 1968, there's unheard voices making their way up North Avenue. I haven't been able to make up my mind how I feel about everything. With my new knowledge comes new hesitations and worries about what will come of the protests, or riots, whatever you want to call them based off of what the news broadcasts are focusing on this hour. My blog this week isn't about my feelings of who is right or wrong, if anyone group or person's actions are better or worse than the others--because that's not my call. Everyone's perspectives should be valued and taken into consideration. My blog this week is just that it's funny how you read about something one week and it pops back up into your life the next week.
No comments:
Post a Comment