One day last week I sat and watched a program about the Auschwitz's death camp in Germany. It wasn't the first time I became interested in learning more about that tragedy. But I found myself this time, developing a quiet anger for my people, listening to survivors and relatives of those who were murdered there.

But why would watching something as heinous as what happened to the Jews, create this anger against an entire group of people who had nothing to do with it? The holocaust took place approximately 60 years ago.

Although most Jews who survived have been able to get some closure, many still refuse to let the world forget. They not only remind us to not forget often, they also made a commitment to build a political and military structure to insure it will never happen again.

When I look at the attitude of my own people and their concern about slavery, I see none of the same, although similar conditions from slavery still exists. But this isn't to compare any of the circumstances of the holocausts to slavery; it's to show black's lack of sentiment regarding their own tragedy.

A contributing factor could be young blacks that rarely hear any concerns about their past or its affect on their lives. But their lack of knowledge can also produce some of the same characteristics in the generations after them. So what's missing is a concerted effort from knowledgeable blacks who's aware of this, to address this.

What we see instead is a difference of concerns that have allowed some blacks to relegate their own people, to create a dual society that also produces condescending opinions. Not only racially, but socially as well.

Racially because, preference of skin color amongst certain blacks seem to automatically defy the need for unity. Socially, because these same blacks that were able to grab the golden ring usually don't want to identify themselves with blacks that are less fortunate.

Only if they're well known will they include the negative aspect of their social rearing. Usually it's a booster to gain recognition, although most try not to remember it. So the difference I see here, is all Jews feel the same way about the tragedy, regardless of age, financial, social or political differences. Of course, it's easier for them to alter their demeanor to assimilate into the society if they chose to, but few have taken that route today.

[Question], should the difference in the time the events occurred lessen the reason to keep your interest? Bearing in mind there are history books that show the life and death struggles of blacks way past slavery. Why do some blacks look at those situations as things that happened so long ago that it's not worth getting upset about. Why do they feel it's something we should forget; yet I've seen them do a complete turnaround for black history month?

Could we feel it's because they believe things are better for us now, avoid caring many are still going through the same things. Proof of this is that our children are just as uninformed and uneducated as they were before Brown vs. Board of Ed.

Unwarranted anger against each other for reason less then yelling at someone, along with unprovoked assaults says many things in our communities are worse now than it was before the civil unrest years ago. In addition to that, blacks that could make a difference have continued to abandon the rest, to please their mentors.

But why isn't similar sensitivity felt towards blacks that lost their lives for fewer reasons as what Jews feel for their own. For some reason their priorities aren't for self, but to please others.

I stated many times that I come to tears sometimes thinking about how some people just flow through life, regardless of education or wealth, with little purpose or for other blacks. How can people who's been through so much, compromise everything that would make their children proud of them?

I remember how I had to deal with some black prisoners to make them listen sometimes. The only way I could get them to think about their situation was to yell or unfortunately use some amount of vulgarity. I would hope that's not needed to get some of us to pause a moment to also listen and the key word here, is [Listen].

If they can do this without being distracted by the plague of partying some are drawn to, maybe all the individual efforts that still gives us hope would get a little more attention. Articles or books about the black experience are usually conflicting because blacks often write in favor of, as whites usually write in opposition to.

Although both may exist within a story, the condition of blacks wasn't extracted from a script of a soap opera. We should now be writing articles that compliment, encourage and show how we have improved. But we've become the parent who watches television all day Saturday instead of taking our kids to the movie or park.

Having unclear priorities, says most have better excuses for this flaw than searching for why they do. When I surf the other black websites, the things I see getting more attention are personal relationships.

Many are in excruciating pain because someone decided to cheat on them. But few realize pain is synonymous with many other things that are missing. Most love being coddle, cared for, but these are only signs of neediness. Because stable lives means stable relationships.

What's needed is to love self, to have a clearer perspective about what's important so the real priorities can be set in place. But I ask myself sometimes, why do people like me go through this, seeing little change. I know it's because I hope that sooner or later someone's going to say, "I got it".

On the down side, I could spend the rest of my life trying to make blacks visualize the cynical smiles on the faces of whites as they threw the body of a black man on a pile of wood to burn him to death. Or the closed casket of a young boy's remains named Emmit Till, after they used wire and other things to kill him for allegedly talking to a white woman.

If there's no bitterness, maybe wondering why something so heinous would happen, it will still be played down as something that just happen to careless or poor black folk back then. Unfortunately that thought shows it's the lost of compassion for other blacks.

New changes of social ideas and economics have convinced some to believe what happened to blacks in the past "was a shame". But it's just an insensible reply to move past it. It's like saying "it's a shame" hearing someone lost their job, but they know they're still employed.

But the real shame is how we continue to disregard those who had no defense to fight back as we do today. Blacks whose intellect has elevated them to acquire a new philosophy may feel there's no conditions deriving from slavery, so that theory is still debatable.

If they're that convinced they must also believe slavery never existed. I can assure them the dispersal of families by the slave masters that still exists today and loss of identity, which has contributed to their change of ethnic parity, just didn't happen. It's summarized in our historic journals.

But I will say again, this isn't a comparison of slavery to the holocaust. It's to show Jewish people usually have an innate sincerity and determination to never forget that part of their history. We should never let ourselves forget either, out of respect for blacks who suffered trying to gain their freedom. Because each day we're still reminded in some manner of contempt, where we started.

© 2005 By Thomas Duffy
Afromerica staff writer

Brother Thomas Duffy will be keeping the Black community updated on the most current Black expereinces effecting our lives. Visit regularly for new information that could help you overcome and make the best of your everyday experiences.

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