Hello! Hello out there! I know it's been nine months. Hell in that amount of time I could have pushed out a kid! I DID NOT do that by the way. I don't know what happened. Summer,my birthday and one too many happy hours! I've had so much to say too!
One story in particular has brought me back to blogland. I don't know if y'all have heard about this story but when I read it it reminded me of my own childhood especially since it's about 40 miles from where I grew up.
Tyra Batts is the ONLY black girl on her basketball team at Kenmore East High School(about 10 miles outside of Buffalo, NY). This is her first year on the team. For the past few years the team would ask the coach to leave so they could have a team "prayer." This prayer consisted of a chant that said, "1,2,3 Niggas" Tyra objected to this chant, telling the other girls it's an offensive term. These girls looked at her and said it wasn't geared towards her and they're not racist. The next day one of the very same girls who said she wasn't racist and took part in the chant called Tyra a "black piece of shit." Tyra did not do anything at that point and waited till Monday and punched the girl. Tyra was automatically given a five day suspension until administrators found out what started the fight. Both girls were given a two day suspension. The remainder of the team has to serve a one game suspension. The game that was to occur today was postponed(it was against my old high school). Also they have to undergo cultural sensitivity and the superintendent gave back the leadership award the school received.
This story touched me because I KNOW what it's like to be the only black girl in the class room and on a team. I grew up about 40 miles away from where this occurred. I've been called Nigger by mostly boys but some girls did try and get brave and yell it from a car but I found out who they were and an ass beating ensued. I don't condone violence but it's how we had to handle some shit. I was the whoop ass, ask questions later type chick. I let it be known as early as 2nd grade I wasn't standing for that type of shit. It just was NOT going to go down in front of me. NO ONE on any team I played on would ever be so brazen to blatantly disrespect me with me standing there. It just wasn't going to happen.
We as black people really need to curtail the use of the N word ESPECIALLY in front of white people. Most of these young girls didn't think there was anything wrong with using it because they hear it said by so many of us as a term of endearment. I don't think the word should be used by us but I DEFINITELY don't want to hear it out of the mouths of white people! I heard it one too many times in my younger years and had one too many fights.
We have to do better y'all!
http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/high-school-suspends-basketball-players-for-offensive-chant/6cxiu1q
