THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 10, 1995 TAG: 9506100381
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Charlise Lyles
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
Sister-girlfriend Sheneekqua called the other night.
She had finished reading The Virginian-Pilot's four-day series on affirmative action and wanted to talk about it. I was doing my hair and had had enough of the double A for one week. But she insisted.
``You know, girlfriend,'' she started in, ``it's like a cruel punishment. I worked my way out of a housing project, studied hard, went to ODU and U.Va. law school. Did everything a good woman should do to achieve her American Dream. I work hard. I do beaucoup community service.
``But when I get home there is no husband and family to love me. Where is my reward? The white women in my office don't have this problem. They are married to men with promising careers.''
``Sheneekqua, what do your man problems have to do with affirmative action?'' I asked impatiently.
``Everything,'' she insisted, her tone sad. ``Didn't you see those statistics in the paper?''
I had. The top common job for white men in Hampton Roads is a salaried manager or administrator; for black men, it is truck driving, the newspaper reported.
``Sister-girl, that's why we can't find any compatible mates,'' Sheneekqua blurted.
``All I'm saying is discrimination is so rampant that we need affirmative action if our men are to get anywhere, and if we are to prosper and multiply as a people.''
``I see your point,'' I said. ``But I do think you may be stretching things a bit.''
Sheneekqua has a way of recklessly extrapolating these issues into a conspiratorial plot to eliminate the race. She had pushed me on my soapbox: ``You know, girlfriend, I went to Hampton University this weekend to see the exhibit of Jacob Lawrence's paintings of Harriet Tubman, the Underground Railroad conductor, and Frederick Douglass, the abolitionist.''
``Now, what do Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass have to do with affirmative action?'' Sheneekqua asked.
Anybody who couldn't see the connection between slavery and affirmative action needed help.
Instead, I said: ``The paintings tell the story of how they escaped from slavery. Bloodhounds on their heels, price tags on their heads, they went North, knowing no one, to join the battle against slavery.''
In powerful flashes of yellows, greens, blues and reds, the paintings show just how much courage, conviction and determination our ancestors had, I told Sheneekqua.
``Yeah. Yeah. I took African-American History 101. But what do Tubman and Douglass have to do with double A?''
``My point is that straight out of slavery, our ancestors, most illiterate, built every major black institution in this country: the colleges, the church, the organizations, everything.''
And, I told Sheneekqua, they did it without any government assistance or set-asides. If there was any government action, it was negative, not affirmative.
``Yeah, but that was then; this is now,'' Sheneekqua shot back.
``Yeah, but what Douglass said then is still true now: `Power concedes nothing without demand.' ''
``Well, if you ask me, affirmative action is a demand.''
``But we can also place more demands on ourselves to create opportunity, just as our ancestors did.'' I didn't mean to preach, but I couldn't help myself.
``It couldn't hurt if we spent more of our money in our communities to create more jobs for our own. We could unite as mentors to improve education for urban youths,'' I said.
And it sure couldn't hurt if we demanded strong voter registration and participation, I told her. After all, Newt and the gang who challenged double A in the first place were voted in by only 39 percent of the electorate, not exactly a mandate. That's because many blacks did not vote.
``I'm tired, girlfriend,'' Sheneekqua yawned into the telephone. ``I've got a point. And you do, too. And I'm going to take affirmative action on some of those demands you're talking about.''
``Good night, Sheneekqua,'' I said. ``And don't worry, girlfriend, you'll find a good man.'' by CNB