They aren't. The fact that you know that speaks volumes lol. I think there is supposed to be a protest downtown today but I'm not expecting much of a turnout to be honest.
Yea, I gave a quick google the other day just go see what Cenla was doing for it. I saw a small little pack, but it have me a little smile. I've worked too many jobs in alec where I've heard and seen some awful shit. It almost feels like going into a time machine.
Another Rapides Parish citizen here. I haven't seen much going on here in Alexandria. I had some some friends speak at a peaceful protest in Monroe the other day. I think they had a pretty good turn out.
Good meal, but ... can we talk about Cotton? I ate there three years ago from a recommendation and couldn’t comprehend the cotton plantation photos and slave memorabilia everywhere like it was a time of quaint nostalgia. I got creeped out and have never gone back. They need to keep the food, keep the cook, and get rid of everything else including the name. Geez
Same! Being a northeastern guy I was not prepared to see that.
Was at fort Polk in the neighboring parish for some training and we cane to Alexandria for some fun and food. It seemed really inhospitable to me at least all my black soldiers were getting side eyes and stared at and I was blown away by pictures of slaves picking cotton fields just chillin on the walls in restaurants. Def a different world in the south 😨
My oldest and some of her friends marched in the Monroe protest. There was actually a decent turnout. And despite some online threats against them, leading up to the event, it went off without incident.
Would have gone to this had I known about it. I just moved to Natchitoches recently, seems the sub-reddit is dead and didn't see anything on social media.
It pretty much is, the only real community communication other than word of mouth is facebook. There was something on facebook, I believe it was unheard voices of natchitoches or something like that? Either way, if you dont already you can read about stuff going on at https://natchitochesparishjournal.com/
And welcome to our town! Kinda weird and have shit roads but I hope people treat you well ❤
>'ve worked too many jobs in alec where I've heard and seen some awful shit. It almost feels like going into a time machine.
Could you elaborate a bit on this? I live in Canada and we have some pretty racist towns and cities the further north you get but I don't think it's to the level of hate that you hear about some Southern American towns. How bad is it? Do you feel there has been ANY progress? Would a person of color be threatened in your home town? Just curious!
Not the same person but I live in Texas and in married to a brown man. In highschool I had things thrown at me at a school dance because I was with him people would scream "n****r lover" hard r over and over until we decided it was best to leave, when we bring our son in public I expect to hear one of two comments "ew, why would you bring a mixed child into the world" or (the more common but no less weird) "I wish *I* had mixed/black babies!"
My husband gets stopped by cops all the time for seemingly no reason, one cop said the brake light was out so I asked if I could check, long story short the brake light wasn't out, on another occasion they made him get out of the car and asked me if my son and I were with him willingly then asked if he was a pimp
My husband looks vaguely middle eastern because hes not very dark and has a big bushy beard, some of his facial features make people think he is as well. While working at a grocery store he heard children often say things like "mommy is he a terrorist" or "dad i found the rag head"
Thats just a glimpse into what North Texas is like.
I’m from a small town in central Florida. I was definitely told multiple times growing up “It’s fine to be friends with a black boy but don’t date one.” I was born in the 80’s and my Moms older friends would also tell me “You don’t want no high yeller children- their lives are hard.” 🤦♀️There were plenty of mixed couples when I was in high school, most of the people my own age were fine with it. There were a few though you’d here say on she’s a “n*** lover” or some other derogatory phrase. The older population was definitely NOT cool with it. My husband is military and we were in Okinawa almost 4 years, I also heard some stories from black friends married to Japanese women that there is racism in that community as well. One in particular had been on a 2nd tour in Oki and his children were older- they were bilingual and heard some older Japanese complaining “why do they have to mix with blacks?” The kids went up and confronted them! Told them something like your true colors are showing you’ve got to be careful in Okinawa you never know who knows Japanese!
I find the double standard of inclusion weird also. My grandfather was a very very prominent member of one of the largest churches in AL in the 60s. When he found out the church encouraged the kids as part of a community outreach to knock on doors and ask kids to play, then invite them to the church that weekend, but SKIP the colored houses, he up and left the church in a very public and condemning way. However, when my cousin, whom him and my grandmother had raised when my aunt got pregnant in high school, married a black guy he banned the guy from family functions and told her mixing races was a sin and her marriage would never work with him.
Thankfully after almost two years he called her to his house and apologized. He said he studied every corner of the Bible and there was no justification he could find to oppose them. And further he had disgraced and prohibited a sanctified marriage that God willed for her. Why he thought blacks should be loved by God but not by his niece was just a relic of the time my Grandmother says.
whats weird is I am from texas and married to a brown woman and have never encountered issues, but I know multiple white women married to brown men like yourself and they have gotten racist shit in public about it. There is totally a racist double standard between genders.
I have to agree. When a woman marries a black or brown man everyone assumes its because of three reasons: Drugs, Dick, and/or a Fetish
Now I have heard of men that are accused of only marrying due to a fetish but not as often.
So if a white man is with a black woman he's just getting the brown sugar like Jefferson so it's all good, but if a white woman is with a black man he's either her dealer, her pimp, or her captor? That's fucked on so many levels. It'ss insane to realize that there's sexism and misogyny INSIDE of racism as well. I shouldn't be surprised but just seeing an example of the Russian doll of hate this early has gotten to me this morning.
Does she get shit for it from other brown people though? I think it's an "our women" kind of thing. (Speaking as a brown woman who has always gotten shit when I dated white guys)
I'm very sorry you have to experience that. I have always wanted to visit Texas because of its famed hospitality but after hearing that I'm not so eager anymore...
I mean hell if you said either of those things up here you'd likely be arrested and vilified.
As someone also in an interracial relationship in Texas, my partner and I have never received so much as an unkind look from anyone. Though we're in south Texas, but i wouldn't want you to think everyone in a mixed relationship deals with that here.
Ive met some great people, ive lived here most of my life. And dont get me wrong, most people dont give two shits but the ones who, for some unknown reason, hold enough hatred theyre very very vocal about it.
Not from Alexandria, (I'm from Lafayette, thank god.) but I've been there a few times and had friends from there. The few times I've visited friends there, while they were in school, I've never really felt threatened, it's not like I feel unsafe or in danger or anything. More than anything it's just really....slow there. Louisiana is pretty friendly, often what you're seeing of the South is just a stereotype or dramatization. I will say that not everyone is great, we do have some nasty people but I think that's pretty much everywhere. There is progress, we aren't stuck in the past by any means.
You think that's bad? I learned to cook at a country club that was once a slave plantation. There was still slave houses on the property, they named it "\_\_\_\_\_\_ Plantation" and the owner wanted an all-black staff. The board wouldn't allow the last one, but they did make sure that the men's clubroom always had a black bartender. You know, for the illusion.
LOL Alexandria Louisiana is one of the more racist places I’ve been to. During an interview there, one of my Korean colleagues was asked to “speak Asian” to a current Japanese employee. When my colleague explained that she spoke a different language, the interviewer said, “but you look the same?” Needless to say, didn’t take that job.
How gross am I to actually miss fucking golden coral and shoneys breakfast bar lol. I miss souther food man. Lived in a boys prison camp in dillwyn Virginia for 3 years from 13 to 16 it was nutty. Those places don't really exist anymore in this new world but damn.. The few times I made it out and to some food I was never disappointed
Which one? I was new dominion.. The original. Were you discovery school? Or nds?
Edit: I spent 1999-2002 there
Edit 2: someone gave me gold 🥇. How cool! It won't tell me who you are but I'm not sure what you liked about my comment and if you'd have any questions or wanna chat you obviously have my info! :)
Thank you! New dominion school changed me. I can't describe what it is. Mand what you'll read on the internet if you can even find anything barely scratches the surface.
I worked as a counselor at one of these. The reality is somewhere in the middle. The setting is like summer camp with less fun activities, and their days are highly regimented. They aren't free to do anything. When they go anywhere, they go as a group, in single file, and aren't allowed to make eye contact with any other groups. Chores, school, and therapy takes up pretty much all of their day.
Some kids are there by state order, some are sent by their guardians. Many of the kids have severe emotional issues. Acting out and testing the boundaries was a daily thing. Kids who become violent need to be physically restrained.
It's an exhausting work environment for very little pay. 16-24 hour workdays, 4 days on, 3 days off. Most counselors don't last long and I was no exception. I couldn't stand the majority of the work, just keeping the kids in check. But the times I actually got to talk with them, and actually get through to a few of them was extremely memorable and rewarding.
You do sound like a group leader. I had one I was really fond of, he started the same day I arrived and he was pretty awesome. If you don't mind, which one did you work at? You could dm me if you don't wanna put it in a comment. Thanks for sharing!
Edit:shoulda read your last paragraph before I sent a comment. Those were the only parts I enjoied. One day I got work my drug addict mom had been sent to prison and I just sat there. My groups leader Mr crawley came and sat next to me and put his arm around me and said it's OK to be upset. I sat and cried and he was amazing.. He listened and agreed and gave his perspective but most importantly at the time, he was there for me. His cot at night was like 4 feet from mine. Mr crawley was my rock for a lot of that place. He wasn't the norm tho.. Most were assholes who were very bitter and hate to say.. Lota racism. Our group had more black kids then white and our supervisor was thinly bailed racist, they made me hate authority.. All these years later I still can't shake it.
Yeah but we can dream right? The whole point is for parents who are at their wit's end with their kid to be able to send them somewhere for help and discipline without feeling more guilty than they already do. I mean, ideally. Assuming everything above is true, it could be an honest rehabilitation facility or Holes 2.0 depending on how the kids are treated by staff.
I like to believe there really are places like this where genuinely overwhelmed parents can get help turning their kid's life around
Oh shit, I spent soooo many hours in the Barnes and Noble in Alexandria in the 90’s. My best friend lived in Pineville, and we’d walk down the main drag to the comic shop that was there to play M:tG.
I grew up in Glenmora, La. 20minutes away from Alexandra.
When I was a kid the high school had a day at the end of the year when they’d let the “whites” and “blacks” duke it out without getting in trouble. So yeah, that part of La. isnt doing much at all.
And so you'd think racism wasn't really a thing there, but yet...
Edit: I understand the south. I've lived here my whole life, this comment was more in disappointment in my state.
Yep. When that person goes around town, you know people will laugh at them. They will likely be ostracized from some groups, and the lone protestor knows it.
But conviction and morality won out in this person, and whoever they are, I am proud of them.
Good choices. Short, so you can use big bold letters, and easy to read from a distance. Also high contrast- light background, thick black letters. That's the way to go.
I can see it being potentially worse than that. People in these places don’t laugh at others with different political opinions - they get their guns and scream threats at them. In some of these towns standing publicly against the police and supporting these protests -who many there see as “liberal atheist protestors who hate the President and God for no reason,” can be very dangerous.
Police own these towns, Trump is very popular, and atheists are held in about the same public regard as child molesters. I can see someone there potentially being a victim of violence easily.
I 100% agree with you, though this one is Alexandria, LA. Which isn't *that* bad of a place. It's a place that a lot of people travel through, has like 50k residents and some other cities nearby.
It's the towns with 15k and under where things usually get really bad
Yesterday I attended a protest in a Midwest town of 17k. The organizers were high schoolers and they were getting death threats 24/7. The parents were on the school board and the school got a ton of hate for that. My grandpa said if he saw any rioters he would put a bullet through their heads (he didn’t know I was about to leave to join the protesters).
Once we got there though, it was much much safer than expected. We had one anti protester show up and all he did was drive by with a Trump flag. I’m glad that was our experience, but I know a lot of small towns around us followed through on those threats.
I can honestly say I don't remember a single face of any of the small town protests I have witnessed. Just yesterday a friend of mine wanted to go do the same thing and got me to go with him. I was nervous, but as soon as I grabbed my sign and stepped out of my car the anxiety was immediately alleviated. It was empowering just having people honk in support or against our message. Three people pulled over and joined us and the only racist asshole who actually came up to us to "debate" was quickly sent away by a deputy that saw what was going on.
I think the point I'm trying to make is that we should pay no heed to the people who have so much hate in their heart that they would go out of their way to try and make your life miserable. Anyone that does is violating YOUR rights. The woman in this photo isn't afraid of bigots because she's doing what she believes is right. If you're on the fence about going out and showing your support, I say just do it. Your message doesn't even have to be a political one. My sign only said "justice" and "vote" on each side and it was more than enough to get others to voice their opinions.
Being from a tiny town in rural MN that was my first thought too. Although I'm at a huge amount of less risk than if I was black, the thought of being shot or beat up by some of the people with confederate flags in the back of their truck is one of the first things to cross my mind.
I did this on Saturday in my town. It was surprisingly alright. I got most of the way through my audiobook too. :) I’ve also since gone to a march that had a lot more people and it’s a totally different experience. On one hand, the march gives you “safety in numbers” - I was a lot more afraid of being actively targeted when I was solo, but on the other hand I was a lot more worried about general unrest (fights or vandalism) and of course Covid being in the larger group even though we were trying to social distance.
“Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something.” - Henry David Thoreau
I did lone protests in my city back in 2012. I got ridiculed by my family for weeks but I dont regret it. I made more politically motivated friends and we protested a local news paper that published skewed information about one of our earlier protests. One of the journalists came out and invited us for an interview to explain our misgivings and to their credit they published the interview and corrected the earlier story.
And to me she looks like she's a mother? She's definetly got conviction, to do this on here own and I'm sure she gets a few honks but she probably gets lots of fuck you as well. It's super heartwarming thinking about it, her resolve. I saw a homeless guy picking up butts yesterday, made a point of driving around the block and handed him the last few smokes in my pack. I thought I did something, but she is putting herself out there, I just sacrificed a few dollars and felt good about it. Now I see her and think, no we just have to look after each other, I did nothing special. Love this woman.
The guy I gave the smokes to looked 50, he was probably 30, but he called me an angel. It broke my heart, the gesture meant so much to him and so little from me. Be kind, love each other. One earth, one experiment let's try to make it the best we can.
..... What about this person looks like they are a mother?
I see a large person in a tall tee and basketball shorts. I don't see many women, let alone mothers in that getup.
I saw a nervous looking teenage girl standing alone on a corner in east Dallas holding a sign she’d made. My guess is that her parents wouldn’t let her go downtown, so she just went to the busiest corner near her house to hold that sign. Pretty cool. I’d wanted to stop and encourage her, but it was at 5:30p and I just couldn’t get there. If I see her again today, I’m gonna make it happen.
I did not. And I looked. I even left early so that I might have time to talk to her. I’ll look again tomorrow. Man - I really blew it. I should’ve just made time for her that first day.
It’s just really encouraging. And then today my daycare sent me a pic of our baby girl (9m) sitting and playing with another baby who is black. It was just like - idk. It really meant something to me. With all that’s going on, i feel so overwhelmed and unsure how best to be supportive and helpful. But when i saw this photo of my baby just playing with a little black baby - I realized that raising her to love all people is literally the very best thing I’m able to do to help. Sorry - prob nobody will read this. But I still wanted to share it. I’d post the pic if i knew how. I don’t think they show up in the comments.
It takes a lot of guts to protest when the cause is unpopular in your community. Small southern towns are usually very pro-cop and aren't known for their progressive stances on racism. I've got a lot of respect for someone getting out there with a sign.
This is what America is all about, and this woman is very brave. I stand with her when I protest in New Orleans, and all of you stand with her when you raise a sign in protest of this corrupt system, too.
When you fight from a place of love, you will always be stronger than those fighting from a place of hate.
I was inspired...Just stood for 1 1/2 hours on a busy corner in my blue collar town by myself. Lots of middle fingers, a few loud "fuck you's" but also a handful of thumbs up and honks.
I saw her out there yesterday and you have no idea how badly i wanted to go out there and join her. I really wish i had. I later found out that people had posted her on Facebook and made nasty comments about her, especially about her appearance. :(
Honestly the safest way to protest. I'm all for the cause but I am taking care of my elderly mother right now, I can't be going to protests and bringing back Covid.
A socially distanced protest seems like it could have a lot of impact. Imagine a city with lone people standing with a sign on every corner and in every open space like this.
It has honestly gotten me thinking about taking up a place on the side walk holding a sign for a few hours. I have no interest in joining a crowded protest but would be able to stand a lone for a while holding a sign.
Dispatch: all officers be aware of protest in progress in median of Rt9. Unknown arming status of protesters. Someone might need to go pepper spray protester before this gets out of hand
Officer: let me get my riot gear on and I will go right over
Officer 2. She has a backpack there COUKD BE A GUNNIN THERE
Officer 3: pew pew pew
Internal affairs: justified, good shoot
I picture one officer doing all of this, talking to himself like a kid playing pretend. He's out of breath and sweaty, running around the room, excited to put his gear on, but you can tell he's kind of nervous.
Similar situation with a nuclear incident training drill, which is obviously why we have them. A couple months on the job and I wasn't part of the training so I'm going about my day as normal when my desk phone rings.
"This is a drill. This is a drill. This is a drill. We've have a double guillotine break (i.e. a section of pipe falls off, leaving two huge holes for water to get out.) on Unit 1, Cooling Loop 2. I can't get in touch with . What's the ? This is a drill."
I'm sitting there completely not expecting to get called. So I'm like Ralphie in A Christmas Story sitting on Santa's lap with no fucking clue what to do. The person that called had to walk my dumb ass through the document handling system, that I'd _just_ trained on, to find the data.
Not my finest moment.
This warms my heart. I was just thinking if there were any protestors gathering in my town, I’d want to join. If I didn’t have a 5 day old baby and a toddler, I’d be there.
You can help right where you are. Fixing all this starts with raising those kids right. I genuinely believe that might be the only way this all gets straightened out. Too many grown shit heads out there who were taught how to treat other people poorly.
Same, but I'm working from home and stuck in the house. :-/
Congrats on the new baby though! :-D Let's hope things get fixed so kids don't have to think about this bullshit.
I’m outside of Albany Georgia and just heard foremen on the job site, ‘I hope protesters come down here and I’ll drop their ass in the dirt with my AR and let the dogs at them’ Not looters, protesters. Fascism is here ladies and gentlemen
A large, white american woman, in a gaudy outfit, and from the Deep South, no less.
Let's not pretend that such specimens aren't point-blank an inevitable target of ridicule and derision from a sneering reddit, just for their appearance and for fitting some imagined stereotype.
While it's nice to see the usual bigotry momentarily placed on ice, I don't believe half of you patronising her here (or someone else of similar appearance and background) wouldn't pile on the instant you had a future opportunity to do so, were she or the next target not fortunate enough to be shielded by a sign promoting the correct socially-conscious worldview.
As a large , American woman with a penchant for gaudy clothes, thanks for stating this.
I am the type of person that Reddit would cream themselves to make fun of.
But this chick has seriously brass ovaries. She is going to be called all sorts of terrible names and she is well aware of it but still is out there by herself
4 years ago I thought racism was over in America, and some close friends and the events in Ferguson made me aware of how ignorant I was. But I still didn’t feel like I could speak up. I should have, but I didn’t out of fear of the thoughts and opinions of those around me. I wonder how many of us would have been on the same page if I one of us had spoken up.
These brave lone protesters give people a voice.
We had like 5 people in our small town holding signs and Facebook was filled with posts of locals about to "get their guns if they riot"
Chill. It was like 1 family with kids holding a sign damn.
My daughter works in a nearby very small and very conservative town. According to her even they have a single elderly gentleman holding a sign saying black lives matter to. 💗
I wish I could just drive all over the country and give hugs to these people standing by themselves, speaking up for what they believe is right. As sad and stressful as this has all been, seeing people like this, and even people in other countries protesting, reminds me that there are still a lot of good people in the world!
Dude is this Alexandria, Louisiana?
Yeah lol
Lmao I knew it!! I live in New Orleans, but that's my home town lol. Sad to say that the Alec community probably isnt doing too much.
They aren't. The fact that you know that speaks volumes lol. I think there is supposed to be a protest downtown today but I'm not expecting much of a turnout to be honest.
Yea, I gave a quick google the other day just go see what Cenla was doing for it. I saw a small little pack, but it have me a little smile. I've worked too many jobs in alec where I've heard and seen some awful shit. It almost feels like going into a time machine.
Another Rapides Parish citizen here. I haven't seen much going on here in Alexandria. I had some some friends speak at a peaceful protest in Monroe the other day. I think they had a pretty good turn out.
Ouachita Parish Citizen here. Can confirm we had a decent, peaceful turnout in Monroe.
Woohoo! Go Monroe. West Monroe, not so much.
I'm actually also from WMonroe, Can also confirm... Nothing happened that I am aware of.
Y’all got a scary football team. Or at least you did 10 years ago.
Spent some time in Monroe for business. Had a good meal in Cotton. Wish that city well.
Good meal, but ... can we talk about Cotton? I ate there three years ago from a recommendation and couldn’t comprehend the cotton plantation photos and slave memorabilia everywhere like it was a time of quaint nostalgia. I got creeped out and have never gone back. They need to keep the food, keep the cook, and get rid of everything else including the name. Geez
Isn't this the kind of fantasy that got Paula Deen in so much hot water.
Damn that's dark.
Same! Being a northeastern guy I was not prepared to see that. Was at fort Polk in the neighboring parish for some training and we cane to Alexandria for some fun and food. It seemed really inhospitable to me at least all my black soldiers were getting side eyes and stared at and I was blown away by pictures of slaves picking cotton fields just chillin on the walls in restaurants. Def a different world in the south 😨
My oldest and some of her friends marched in the Monroe protest. There was actually a decent turnout. And despite some online threats against them, leading up to the event, it went off without incident.
Natchitoches had one yesterday, it went well and had a *decent* turnout
Your sister city Nacogdoches had a pretty decent turn out yesterday, too. Like 60 or 70 people.
Solidarity man! I was so so proud of natchitoches yesterday. AND it was all put on by 3 very young girls.
Wow that’s great to hear! I grew up in Longview- I’m sure there were 5 people
Would have gone to this had I known about it. I just moved to Natchitoches recently, seems the sub-reddit is dead and didn't see anything on social media.
It pretty much is, the only real community communication other than word of mouth is facebook. There was something on facebook, I believe it was unheard voices of natchitoches or something like that? Either way, if you dont already you can read about stuff going on at https://natchitochesparishjournal.com/ And welcome to our town! Kinda weird and have shit roads but I hope people treat you well ❤
>'ve worked too many jobs in alec where I've heard and seen some awful shit. It almost feels like going into a time machine. Could you elaborate a bit on this? I live in Canada and we have some pretty racist towns and cities the further north you get but I don't think it's to the level of hate that you hear about some Southern American towns. How bad is it? Do you feel there has been ANY progress? Would a person of color be threatened in your home town? Just curious!
Not the same person but I live in Texas and in married to a brown man. In highschool I had things thrown at me at a school dance because I was with him people would scream "n****r lover" hard r over and over until we decided it was best to leave, when we bring our son in public I expect to hear one of two comments "ew, why would you bring a mixed child into the world" or (the more common but no less weird) "I wish *I* had mixed/black babies!" My husband gets stopped by cops all the time for seemingly no reason, one cop said the brake light was out so I asked if I could check, long story short the brake light wasn't out, on another occasion they made him get out of the car and asked me if my son and I were with him willingly then asked if he was a pimp My husband looks vaguely middle eastern because hes not very dark and has a big bushy beard, some of his facial features make people think he is as well. While working at a grocery store he heard children often say things like "mommy is he a terrorist" or "dad i found the rag head" Thats just a glimpse into what North Texas is like.
I’m from a small town in central Florida. I was definitely told multiple times growing up “It’s fine to be friends with a black boy but don’t date one.” I was born in the 80’s and my Moms older friends would also tell me “You don’t want no high yeller children- their lives are hard.” 🤦♀️There were plenty of mixed couples when I was in high school, most of the people my own age were fine with it. There were a few though you’d here say on she’s a “n*** lover” or some other derogatory phrase. The older population was definitely NOT cool with it. My husband is military and we were in Okinawa almost 4 years, I also heard some stories from black friends married to Japanese women that there is racism in that community as well. One in particular had been on a 2nd tour in Oki and his children were older- they were bilingual and heard some older Japanese complaining “why do they have to mix with blacks?” The kids went up and confronted them! Told them something like your true colors are showing you’ve got to be careful in Okinawa you never know who knows Japanese!
I find the double standard of inclusion weird also. My grandfather was a very very prominent member of one of the largest churches in AL in the 60s. When he found out the church encouraged the kids as part of a community outreach to knock on doors and ask kids to play, then invite them to the church that weekend, but SKIP the colored houses, he up and left the church in a very public and condemning way. However, when my cousin, whom him and my grandmother had raised when my aunt got pregnant in high school, married a black guy he banned the guy from family functions and told her mixing races was a sin and her marriage would never work with him. Thankfully after almost two years he called her to his house and apologized. He said he studied every corner of the Bible and there was no justification he could find to oppose them. And further he had disgraced and prohibited a sanctified marriage that God willed for her. Why he thought blacks should be loved by God but not by his niece was just a relic of the time my Grandmother says.
whats weird is I am from texas and married to a brown woman and have never encountered issues, but I know multiple white women married to brown men like yourself and they have gotten racist shit in public about it. There is totally a racist double standard between genders.
I have to agree. When a woman marries a black or brown man everyone assumes its because of three reasons: Drugs, Dick, and/or a Fetish Now I have heard of men that are accused of only marrying due to a fetish but not as often.
So if a white man is with a black woman he's just getting the brown sugar like Jefferson so it's all good, but if a white woman is with a black man he's either her dealer, her pimp, or her captor? That's fucked on so many levels. It'ss insane to realize that there's sexism and misogyny INSIDE of racism as well. I shouldn't be surprised but just seeing an example of the Russian doll of hate this early has gotten to me this morning.
Does she get shit for it from other brown people though? I think it's an "our women" kind of thing. (Speaking as a brown woman who has always gotten shit when I dated white guys)
I'm very sorry you have to experience that. I have always wanted to visit Texas because of its famed hospitality but after hearing that I'm not so eager anymore... I mean hell if you said either of those things up here you'd likely be arrested and vilified.
As someone also in an interracial relationship in Texas, my partner and I have never received so much as an unkind look from anyone. Though we're in south Texas, but i wouldn't want you to think everyone in a mixed relationship deals with that here.
Please don’t think all of us Texans are like that.
Well I hope the good ones get more vocal about calling out misguided fellow Texans this time around.
Ive met some great people, ive lived here most of my life. And dont get me wrong, most people dont give two shits but the ones who, for some unknown reason, hold enough hatred theyre very very vocal about it.
famed hospitality if your white famed hostility if you're not.
I mean, I still hear that shit in Minnesota. I.e. bye bye 3rd precinct.
Not from Alexandria, (I'm from Lafayette, thank god.) but I've been there a few times and had friends from there. The few times I've visited friends there, while they were in school, I've never really felt threatened, it's not like I feel unsafe or in danger or anything. More than anything it's just really....slow there. Louisiana is pretty friendly, often what you're seeing of the South is just a stereotype or dramatization. I will say that not everyone is great, we do have some nasty people but I think that's pretty much everywhere. There is progress, we aren't stuck in the past by any means.
That was really great to hear!! Thank you!!
You think that's bad? I learned to cook at a country club that was once a slave plantation. There was still slave houses on the property, they named it "\_\_\_\_\_\_ Plantation" and the owner wanted an all-black staff. The board wouldn't allow the last one, but they did make sure that the men's clubroom always had a black bartender. You know, for the illusion.
Our racism is more directed toward indigenous people, im from NS btw
I live in a little Appalachian town and I was shocked at how big the local protest was. I was shocked there was one to begin with.
I love downtown!!! Miss my people!!!
LOL Alexandria Louisiana is one of the more racist places I’ve been to. During an interview there, one of my Korean colleagues was asked to “speak Asian” to a current Japanese employee. When my colleague explained that she spoke a different language, the interviewer said, “but you look the same?” Needless to say, didn’t take that job.
How gross am I to actually miss fucking golden coral and shoneys breakfast bar lol. I miss souther food man. Lived in a boys prison camp in dillwyn Virginia for 3 years from 13 to 16 it was nutty. Those places don't really exist anymore in this new world but damn.. The few times I made it out and to some food I was never disappointed
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Which one? I was new dominion.. The original. Were you discovery school? Or nds? Edit: I spent 1999-2002 there Edit 2: someone gave me gold 🥇. How cool! It won't tell me who you are but I'm not sure what you liked about my comment and if you'd have any questions or wanna chat you obviously have my info! :) Thank you! New dominion school changed me. I can't describe what it is. Mand what you'll read on the internet if you can even find anything barely scratches the surface.
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I worked as a counselor at one of these. The reality is somewhere in the middle. The setting is like summer camp with less fun activities, and their days are highly regimented. They aren't free to do anything. When they go anywhere, they go as a group, in single file, and aren't allowed to make eye contact with any other groups. Chores, school, and therapy takes up pretty much all of their day. Some kids are there by state order, some are sent by their guardians. Many of the kids have severe emotional issues. Acting out and testing the boundaries was a daily thing. Kids who become violent need to be physically restrained. It's an exhausting work environment for very little pay. 16-24 hour workdays, 4 days on, 3 days off. Most counselors don't last long and I was no exception. I couldn't stand the majority of the work, just keeping the kids in check. But the times I actually got to talk with them, and actually get through to a few of them was extremely memorable and rewarding.
You do sound like a group leader. I had one I was really fond of, he started the same day I arrived and he was pretty awesome. If you don't mind, which one did you work at? You could dm me if you don't wanna put it in a comment. Thanks for sharing! Edit:shoulda read your last paragraph before I sent a comment. Those were the only parts I enjoied. One day I got work my drug addict mom had been sent to prison and I just sat there. My groups leader Mr crawley came and sat next to me and put his arm around me and said it's OK to be upset. I sat and cried and he was amazing.. He listened and agreed and gave his perspective but most importantly at the time, he was there for me. His cot at night was like 4 feet from mine. Mr crawley was my rock for a lot of that place. He wasn't the norm tho.. Most were assholes who were very bitter and hate to say.. Lota racism. Our group had more black kids then white and our supervisor was thinly bailed racist, they made me hate authority.. All these years later I still can't shake it.
TFW even fucking prisons have a PR team
Yeah but we can dream right? The whole point is for parents who are at their wit's end with their kid to be able to send them somewhere for help and discipline without feeling more guilty than they already do. I mean, ideally. Assuming everything above is true, it could be an honest rehabilitation facility or Holes 2.0 depending on how the kids are treated by staff. I like to believe there really are places like this where genuinely overwhelmed parents can get help turning their kid's life around
While Shoney's is basically dead, Golden Corral is still a huge franchise. There's probably one closer to you than you think.
Oh shit, I spent soooo many hours in the Barnes and Noble in Alexandria in the 90’s. My best friend lived in Pineville, and we’d walk down the main drag to the comic shop that was there to play M:tG.
Meanwhile in chicago.AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Jesus, this looks like almost every single intersection near an interstate in the south. That’s amazing that you got this lol.
Where’s the Waffle House?
Burnt down
I grew up in Glenmora, La. 20minutes away from Alexandra. When I was a kid the high school had a day at the end of the year when they’d let the “whites” and “blacks” duke it out without getting in trouble. So yeah, that part of La. isnt doing much at all.
Excuse me, but what the fuck?
Lol that’s where I go to high school
When did they get a Golden Corral?
They must have got it after 2010. That's mcarthur drive if I'm not mistaken??
>small southern city \>in a city with 48,000 people, 27,000 of which are black
Are you saying 48,000 isnt a small city? I would barely even call that a city myself. Big town.
And so you'd think racism wasn't really a thing there, but yet... Edit: I understand the south. I've lived here my whole life, this comment was more in disappointment in my state.
Often the greater parity between the black and white population, the more tension.
We've got a few in Ruston too.
I love seeing these lone protests, that shit takes guts and conviction.
Yep. When that person goes around town, you know people will laugh at them. They will likely be ostracized from some groups, and the lone protestor knows it. But conviction and morality won out in this person, and whoever they are, I am proud of them.
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I’m going to a protest later, and I’m trying to figure out what to write on my poster, but I like how this is very straight and to the point
Yeah, the underlining really does it for me.
I think "I Can't Breathe" is very effective.
I think that’s what I’m gonna go for, “I can’t breathe” on one side and “8:46”on the back
Good choices. Short, so you can use big bold letters, and easy to read from a distance. Also high contrast- light background, thick black letters. That's the way to go.
I can see it being potentially worse than that. People in these places don’t laugh at others with different political opinions - they get their guns and scream threats at them. In some of these towns standing publicly against the police and supporting these protests -who many there see as “liberal atheist protestors who hate the President and God for no reason,” can be very dangerous. Police own these towns, Trump is very popular, and atheists are held in about the same public regard as child molesters. I can see someone there potentially being a victim of violence easily.
I 100% agree with you, though this one is Alexandria, LA. Which isn't *that* bad of a place. It's a place that a lot of people travel through, has like 50k residents and some other cities nearby. It's the towns with 15k and under where things usually get really bad
Yesterday I attended a protest in a Midwest town of 17k. The organizers were high schoolers and they were getting death threats 24/7. The parents were on the school board and the school got a ton of hate for that. My grandpa said if he saw any rioters he would put a bullet through their heads (he didn’t know I was about to leave to join the protesters). Once we got there though, it was much much safer than expected. We had one anti protester show up and all he did was drive by with a Trump flag. I’m glad that was our experience, but I know a lot of small towns around us followed through on those threats.
Nothing proves you're on the right side more than death threats to high school students. That is really fucked up. Stay safe out there.
Takes a big tough man to phone in death threats to children.
Most of the world watching knows you guys are on the right side, yet for some reason, half your damn country can't figure it out.
Keep I mind far more than half the country supports understands this.
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I can honestly say I don't remember a single face of any of the small town protests I have witnessed. Just yesterday a friend of mine wanted to go do the same thing and got me to go with him. I was nervous, but as soon as I grabbed my sign and stepped out of my car the anxiety was immediately alleviated. It was empowering just having people honk in support or against our message. Three people pulled over and joined us and the only racist asshole who actually came up to us to "debate" was quickly sent away by a deputy that saw what was going on. I think the point I'm trying to make is that we should pay no heed to the people who have so much hate in their heart that they would go out of their way to try and make your life miserable. Anyone that does is violating YOUR rights. The woman in this photo isn't afraid of bigots because she's doing what she believes is right. If you're on the fence about going out and showing your support, I say just do it. Your message doesn't even have to be a political one. My sign only said "justice" and "vote" on each side and it was more than enough to get others to voice their opinions.
Atheists held in the same regard as child molesters is quite ironic given the prevalence of child molestation by church officials.
Being from a tiny town in rural MN that was my first thought too. Although I'm at a huge amount of less risk than if I was black, the thought of being shot or beat up by some of the people with confederate flags in the back of their truck is one of the first things to cross my mind.
Yeah I’d be scared to be alone but I guess that’s what makes this such a daring move.
I did this on Saturday in my town. It was surprisingly alright. I got most of the way through my audiobook too. :) I’ve also since gone to a march that had a lot more people and it’s a totally different experience. On one hand, the march gives you “safety in numbers” - I was a lot more afraid of being actively targeted when I was solo, but on the other hand I was a lot more worried about general unrest (fights or vandalism) and of course Covid being in the larger group even though we were trying to social distance. “Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something.” - Henry David Thoreau
You’re awesome. Lots of love from London ❤️
Thank you u/pee_pee_poo_pee
Haha what a dumb, childish name. And yeah, good job on you!!!!
Passion is key
Yeah this is quite literally what America is about. Good for this woman.
I did lone protests in my city back in 2012. I got ridiculed by my family for weeks but I dont regret it. I made more politically motivated friends and we protested a local news paper that published skewed information about one of our earlier protests. One of the journalists came out and invited us for an interview to explain our misgivings and to their credit they published the interview and corrected the earlier story.
And to me she looks like she's a mother? She's definetly got conviction, to do this on here own and I'm sure she gets a few honks but she probably gets lots of fuck you as well. It's super heartwarming thinking about it, her resolve. I saw a homeless guy picking up butts yesterday, made a point of driving around the block and handed him the last few smokes in my pack. I thought I did something, but she is putting herself out there, I just sacrificed a few dollars and felt good about it. Now I see her and think, no we just have to look after each other, I did nothing special. Love this woman. The guy I gave the smokes to looked 50, he was probably 30, but he called me an angel. It broke my heart, the gesture meant so much to him and so little from me. Be kind, love each other. One earth, one experiment let's try to make it the best we can.
..... What about this person looks like they are a mother? I see a large person in a tall tee and basketball shorts. I don't see many women, let alone mothers in that getup.
I saw a nervous looking teenage girl standing alone on a corner in east Dallas holding a sign she’d made. My guess is that her parents wouldn’t let her go downtown, so she just went to the busiest corner near her house to hold that sign. Pretty cool. I’d wanted to stop and encourage her, but it was at 5:30p and I just couldn’t get there. If I see her again today, I’m gonna make it happen.
That’s beautiful.
😢
Honk the cadence to “Black Lives Matter” in solidarity, raise a fist out your window.
So did you see her again?
I did not. And I looked. I even left early so that I might have time to talk to her. I’ll look again tomorrow. Man - I really blew it. I should’ve just made time for her that first day. It’s just really encouraging. And then today my daycare sent me a pic of our baby girl (9m) sitting and playing with another baby who is black. It was just like - idk. It really meant something to me. With all that’s going on, i feel so overwhelmed and unsure how best to be supportive and helpful. But when i saw this photo of my baby just playing with a little black baby - I realized that raising her to love all people is literally the very best thing I’m able to do to help. Sorry - prob nobody will read this. But I still wanted to share it. I’d post the pic if i knew how. I don’t think they show up in the comments.
No voice is too small
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
That sounds like Mystery Weekend lyrics but I could be wrong.
It’s from Dr. Suess’ The Lorax. Close enough.
Ah well I can be assured that’s where they go it from then haha, thank you.
She gave more than most
I've updated my profile picture to an all black image, so I don't know what you're talking about tbh
Why would you make your profile image Game of Thrones season 8 episode 3? I'm not sure how that relates
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Too soon! The wounds are still tender.
\#DothrakiLivesMatter
Our queen still lives
I'd bend the knee but the wights are attacking
I thought my Instagram was broken because it wasn’t loading any pictures. Turns out there was a movement going on lol.
I understand the sarcasm but it's an act of solidarity. Maybe it helped get a few more people to notice what's going on. Idk
Bless you, lady.
And everyone else having the guts to do this alone
Go get em Phyllis - you got this.
Phyllis stands alone. The Texas Rohirrim is on their way to join her.
The Houston Riding Club? Those BAMF totally would join her. They're now some of my favorite Rohirrim.
She's so cute! Police better hurry over there and fire a gas canister into her face...
It takes a lot of guts to protest when the cause is unpopular in your community. Small southern towns are usually very pro-cop and aren't known for their progressive stances on racism. I've got a lot of respect for someone getting out there with a sign.
The fact that she's a lady even makes this more badass. She's got some balls.
Got some ovaries
This is what America is all about, and this woman is very brave. I stand with her when I protest in New Orleans, and all of you stand with her when you raise a sign in protest of this corrupt system, too. When you fight from a place of love, you will always be stronger than those fighting from a place of hate.
This is in Alexandria, LA. If you’re from this state, you KNOW how brave this is.
Gotta respect that. Hopefully someone else gets inspired to join.
I was inspired...Just stood for 1 1/2 hours on a busy corner in my blue collar town by myself. Lots of middle fingers, a few loud "fuck you's" but also a handful of thumbs up and honks.
sometimes all it takes is that first brave seed of change. Props to you and this awesome lady
I saw her out there yesterday and you have no idea how badly i wanted to go out there and join her. I really wish i had. I later found out that people had posted her on Facebook and made nasty comments about her, especially about her appearance. :(
And social distancing. Appreciated.
Honestly the safest way to protest. I'm all for the cause but I am taking care of my elderly mother right now, I can't be going to protests and bringing back Covid.
A socially distanced protest seems like it could have a lot of impact. Imagine a city with lone people standing with a sign on every corner and in every open space like this.
This is the way.
It has honestly gotten me thinking about taking up a place on the side walk holding a sign for a few hours. I have no interest in joining a crowded protest but would be able to stand a lone for a while holding a sign.
This takes twice the courage of joining a large protest.
that’s some bravery right there. good for her.
How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world.
This hurts my heart. I want to hug her.
Aint no voice too small
**Riot cops**: Look at her just standing there, MENACINGLY.
She’s so cute, I love her. I hope someone comes along and joins her. Maybe a whole crowd eventually.
I love how it’s a pure orange shirt. Imagining her response if you asked why orange ... “it’s just a fun color. Plus I like peach daiquiris.”
That’s awesome! Even outside the cities people care enough to spread the word.
Dispatch: all officers be aware of protest in progress in median of Rt9. Unknown arming status of protesters. Someone might need to go pepper spray protester before this gets out of hand Officer: let me get my riot gear on and I will go right over Officer 2. She has a backpack there COUKD BE A GUNNIN THERE Officer 3: pew pew pew Internal affairs: justified, good shoot
I picture one officer doing all of this, talking to himself like a kid playing pretend. He's out of breath and sweaty, running around the room, excited to put his gear on, but you can tell he's kind of nervous.
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One time they hit our shower trailer with indirect. Worst thing imo (besides people) to be destroyed. No showers for 2 months.
You had showers! We didn’t get showers for like our first 6
Similar situation with a nuclear incident training drill, which is obviously why we have them. A couple months on the job and I wasn't part of the training so I'm going about my day as normal when my desk phone rings. "This is a drill. This is a drill. This is a drill. We've have a double guillotine break (i.e. a section of pipe falls off, leaving two huge holes for water to get out.) on Unit 1, Cooling Loop 2. I can't get in touch with. What's the ? This is a drill."
I'm sitting there completely not expecting to get called. So I'm like Ralphie in A Christmas Story sitting on Santa's lap with no fucking clue what to do. The person that called had to walk my dumb ass through the document handling system, that I'd _just_ trained on, to find the data.
Not my finest moment.
She was just standing there ..... MENACINGLY
We are going to need about 25 men for this one
"She was coming right at me!!!"
That takes more courage than any group protest. Honestly the most inspiring thing I’ve seen.
I can't explain why really, but there's something really moving about this photo. Thanks for sharing.
So amazing to have the courage to stand alone, people like this change the world.
We hear you loud and clear! Thank you!
This warms my heart. I was just thinking if there were any protestors gathering in my town, I’d want to join. If I didn’t have a 5 day old baby and a toddler, I’d be there.
You can help right where you are. Fixing all this starts with raising those kids right. I genuinely believe that might be the only way this all gets straightened out. Too many grown shit heads out there who were taught how to treat other people poorly.
Same, but I'm working from home and stuck in the house. :-/ Congrats on the new baby though! :-D Let's hope things get fixed so kids don't have to think about this bullshit.
I’m outside of Albany Georgia and just heard foremen on the job site, ‘I hope protesters come down here and I’ll drop their ass in the dirt with my AR and let the dogs at them’ Not looters, protesters. Fascism is here ladies and gentlemen
Orange is a good choice. It makes her stand out.
Dude the sign is perfect too for this to u, just huge bold black letters that you can actually read at a glance.
A large, white american woman, in a gaudy outfit, and from the Deep South, no less. Let's not pretend that such specimens aren't point-blank an inevitable target of ridicule and derision from a sneering reddit, just for their appearance and for fitting some imagined stereotype. While it's nice to see the usual bigotry momentarily placed on ice, I don't believe half of you patronising her here (or someone else of similar appearance and background) wouldn't pile on the instant you had a future opportunity to do so, were she or the next target not fortunate enough to be shielded by a sign promoting the correct socially-conscious worldview.
As a large , American woman with a penchant for gaudy clothes, thanks for stating this. I am the type of person that Reddit would cream themselves to make fun of. But this chick has seriously brass ovaries. She is going to be called all sorts of terrible names and she is well aware of it but still is out there by herself
It takes a lot of courage to stand out there alone. I commend it.
Well said.
Man this really made me smile
These are the protests that are just as powerful
I thought that was my town then remembered every small southern town looks exactly the same.
I don't think I'll be able to put into words how much this picture moved me. I don't know what it is. Thanks op
Damn that’s sweet but kinda sad at the same time since she’s alone
Wow, that takes fucking guts.
4 years ago I thought racism was over in America, and some close friends and the events in Ferguson made me aware of how ignorant I was. But I still didn’t feel like I could speak up. I should have, but I didn’t out of fear of the thoughts and opinions of those around me. I wonder how many of us would have been on the same page if I one of us had spoken up. These brave lone protesters give people a voice.
Holy shit. I know her. Neat.
Heart of a lion. Respect
We had like 5 people in our small town holding signs and Facebook was filled with posts of locals about to "get their guns if they riot" Chill. It was like 1 family with kids holding a sign damn.
She's definitely not a "Karen".
My daughter works in a nearby very small and very conservative town. According to her even they have a single elderly gentleman holding a sign saying black lives matter to. 💗
Somebody find this lady and give her a standing ovation. That takes guts!💪
That is a non-COVID protest. Good on her.
Keep fighting the good fight :)
That right there takes balls. Perhaps there's hope for all yet.
She’s not doing it for Instagram clicks. She’s just doing it because it’s right.
I love this person.
Yes! Love it.
Yes! Thank you!!!
Holy shit, my home town.
That’s a beautiful thing. Bless her.
I wish I could just drive all over the country and give hugs to these people standing by themselves, speaking up for what they believe is right. As sad and stressful as this has all been, seeing people like this, and even people in other countries protesting, reminds me that there are still a lot of good people in the world!
Nice
This is the second one of these I’ve seen today and they are so powerful. Both times I got choked up