Virginia Capitol Connections Summer 2019

A Northern View of Race and Reconciliation By Aurelia Dyson-House I truly appreciate Virginia Capitol

Connections . The spring theme, “Building Bridges”, “Virginians for Reconciliation” and, the unexplained failure of the “Equal Rights Amendment” certainly, updated my knowledge. I looked at the “Don’t go into the colored section” headline. I felt no emotion. I wondered, why? Through an exploration of self, I soon remembered that growing up in the Bronx, NewYork, of the 1950s, I had

never experienced these overt racial signs, or verbal statements like: “Don’t go into the white section,” or signs that said: rest rooms for coloreds. They all were unreal to me. I heard of it, I empathized, but I did not feel emotionally touched. Basically, as a black/Hispanic it was too distant, and abstract to my personal reality. I grew up in New York City, that was emerged in de facto segregation; polite hypocritical smiles, bolstered by disguised coded language with other meanings, political language with other meanings, government bureaucracy, political power, and law enforcement, the “enforcers” that justified and “acted out” inequities and punitive approaches. When white owners, vacated their homes, apartments, and neighborhoods, we, colored folks, happily moved in to rent an apartment, or buy a home. My fleeing white neighbors moved a distance, to suburbia or rural counties. We could not buy homes in their neighborhoods; the cost was exceedingly high, and we could not upgrade to “better” neighborhoods. In some cases, black neighborhoods became ghettoes; as the cost of upkeep and unemployment took its toll. I noted that one price was given to people of color; and a much lower price to white people for apartment rental, or house purchase. I went to Junior High School, where I excelled in art. One day, I noted my oil paintings and sketches were no longer in the art room. I was mystified and inquired about this to my teachers. Two weeks later, they appeared back in the art room. Two boys later told me, while laughing, that they took my art and showed it to Music and Art High School where they had to display their work. They were accepted into the school because of my art. What hurt me, was my teachers never told me about applying for Music and Art; they just ignored me. Later, upon graduation to the 9th grade, I was directed to go to the now called Fashion Institute of Technology. Then, at my time, it was called Central Needle Trades High School. I went there for designing and sketching, since I had a vivid imagination. Shortly, after I was in the designing class, I was called out. I was told that I and the other black girls would be removed from the designing classes, and placed in garment operating, piece-meal sewing in factories. They kindly told us that they are training us to make a living, because there are no jobs in the fashion world for us. My parents, who were immigrants, could not help me. I went into deep depression; the world seemed hopeless. I soon hated school and dropped out. Upon turning 16, I got married. This was de facto racial policies in action. I believe, the liberal north does impede “others” from achieving their potential. Your writer, Nancy Wright Beasley stated, “hatred, is a learned trait.” I agree. I never learned to hate in my home. I did learn, from church, to forgive, and “Do unto Others as You would Have them Do untoYou.” This has been my life mantra. Strangely, to me, I see people not by their skin color, but by their spiritual energy, positive or negative. I do not know how to hate. It is foreign to me. Aurelia Dyson-House graduated from Baruch University College in New York. She is now an insurance agent and broker. She may be contacted through https://aureliadyson-house.myhomehq.biz

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V irginia C apitol C onnections , S ummer 2019

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