The dialectic

The dialectic of double consciousness refers to the duality that exists in African Americans.  They share many of the same experiences that we all share as Americans and in particular as Citizens of these United States.  But, the African American experience does and will always differ in unique ways.  They had an experience that most of us can little understand.  Their passage to the new world was not one of joy but a road strewn with tears and the bodies of those that they loved.  Once they arrived here in this new Egypt they were bound, enslaved and treated as nothing more than property.  The experience that they had undergone deserved to be honored and acknowledged.  They sought to do this through the establishment of holidays to recognize the struggle that they faced every day.  It is of especial importance to note that while these holidays were being established and celebrated many of their less fortunate brothers and sisters were still chaffing under the yoke of slavery.  There is a duality, a double conciseness in the African experience that will always be a part of their tradition and shared heritage.  They could not separate from or deny this shared history without losing something integral in their being.  This double consciousness and the experiences that brought it about is one of the powerful instruments that helped to forge them into a unified people much as the Passover experience did for the Hebrews.

It was not an easy road for African American to establish a holiday which recognized their experience.  It was hit and miss for quite some time as these few cities celebrated this day or those few cities celebrated that day.  The emancipation of the slaves in the south provided a common ground for some time but it was not truly until the establishment of Dr. Martin Luther King Day that the African American experience was recognized in a way that recognized their experience in the way that it merited.

I am ashamed to say that in Twin Falls, Idaho there is little recognition of the holiday outside the churches.  Within the churches the recognition it receives is little more than a footnote.  Of course there are exceptions; the Episcopalians, the Presbyterians, ELCA Lutherans, the UU’s and the Friends all devote time to recognition of Dr. King’s accomplishments, but we mainstream and liberals are few here in Idaho.  The vast majority, I dare say 80% are very conservative and extremist in their religious and political views.  We have no civic acknowledgement of Dr. King beyond a day off school for the kids.  We do not even have a road named after him as so many cities do.  There has been a number of attempts to get an intuitive passed but most of the efforts failed even to get enough signatures to get it on the ballot.  

I feel led to explain the source of my shame and try to make the attitudes of my fellow Idahoans understood, so let me offer up a little background. Racism is still everywhere here in Idaho.  The Christian Identity movement, the Arian Nation Church, the American Nazi Party are all prominent in my state, and though the movements themselves are small we only have a population of 1.4 millions, of which some 90% are white, so the raciest crazies make up a sizable segment of society and their fellow travelers are prevalent if not the majority. Most Idahoans are victims of cultural racism rather than racism by choice, our African American population in 2004 was registered as 0.4%, it easy for some folks to fear or loathe that which they do not know or understand.  Most of the minority population in Idaho is Hispanic, some 8% who work in the potato fields.  But don’t let that fool you, Caesar Chavez day is not even recognized here.  All Idahoans are not knuckle dragging primates but we have more than our share of the unenlightened.  
But there is movement in the right direction, change is on the horizon.  We will get this state and its people where they need to be.  It will just take us a little longer than it has taken some others to accept that which is different our outside our understanding and experience.  I have full faith that Dr. King’s dream will manifest itself fully in due course.