Does anyone ever stop to think how an individual’s life experience plays into their beliefs? When I was a kid (born 1953)I would go to work with my dad because he was a parapeligic. The shipyards were very diverse. I remember wondering why black folks could drive such nice cars but live in horrible shacks. Now obviously I had no idea that they were being kept out of “white” neighborhoods. And the reason I didn’t know that was because near our home was a beautiful neighborhood with homes that I could only dream of living in to this day. Again, I did not know that middle class blacks had gotten together to buy the land and develop the neighborhood. The babbling point I am trying to make is that it takes a while to mature and become aware of things, to embrace people who don’t look or live like you do. I think that’s why I give older folks a break on their prejudices, they aren’t right but it is based on a history for them.
