Posted by Doug
Tue, 08 Mar 2005 16:31:00 GMT
One of my former coworkers recently graduated from Quantico as an
FBI agent. She stopped by the office today for the first time. Talk about a huge buzz. Everyone wanted to talk with her and hear all about it. Yes, she was packing; Glock 22, .40 caliber, 15 rounds. She showed her badge. Talked about all kinds of cool stuff. She’s working in D.C. right now doing background checks on Presidential nominations. This is just a temporary assignment though.
In 60 days she’s transferring to her first real assignment: Public Corruption and Domestic Espionage in Chicago. The corruption in Chicago is legendary at least as far back as Al Capone. She confirmed that Cook county has the highest rate of corruption of any other counties in the US. I’m a little surprised they gave her this assignment. I’m sure she can hack it. It just seems a little intense for right out of the shoot.
It took her about 15 months from the time she first applied for the
FBI until they accepted her. Once she finally got the offer she was pretty nervous about actually accepting it. I’m glad she did. It’ll be exciting for her. When you’re young you’ve got to do stuff like that because it gets harder and harder as you get older. It’s cool to see her. She’s a manifestation of “going for it”.
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Posted by Doug
Wed, 09 Feb 2005 12:57:00 GMT
I participated in
EyesOnTheScreen last night. Including my wife and I, there were seven of us. I was a little disappointed in the turn out, but really appreciate my friends that showed. Watching these videos has had a deep impact on me. The material is astounding. Assuming it’s correct, I still find it unbelievable.
First, looking back at it through the lens of Today it seems impossible that many of the things could possibly have happened. How could the governor of Virginia decide it was better to close high schools and not educate their children than to allow black children to attend a white high school?
Second, the whole thing freaks me out when looked at the the lens of my past. The desegregation of schools in particular impacts me because I was somewhat involved in Louisiana. Also, I’m familiar with similar issues. The videos keep showing whites of the South saying things like, “This is our heritage.” I keep hearing the word “heritage” used to defend their actions. Like it’s OK to beat and kill blacks to save their “heritage”. Recently there’s been a big bru-ha-ha over the state of South Carolina (where my parents live) flying the Confederate Battle Flag over the State Capital. The defense of whites even now used the phrase “heritage not hate”. It’s a catchy phrase, but the scene of whites waving the “bars and stars” and shouting “heritage” is just too much to shake.
Maybe I’m just hyper-sensitive to it, but I didn’t feel the film was having the same impact on those there last night. I don’t know if I’m just more susceptible to moral outrage than the average joe. I don’t know if my own history makes me more susceptible to this particular moral outrage. I don’t know if they just needed time to processes it all. Anyway you cut it, I guess I should be used to things that are important to me not being important to many other people.
Last night’s turn out is my own fault though. I didn’t do near enough to advertise locally and in public channels. Sadly
I have to admit that not many Cincinnatians read my blog. I have to conclude it’s not an effective advertising tool to reach local people.
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Posted by Doug
Tue, 08 Feb 2005 14:16:00 GMT
OK, today’s
EyesOnTheScreen day. Tonight at 8:00pm I’ll be showing the first episode, “Awakenings 1954-1956”, of the “Eyes on the Prize” documentary at my church building. I’m excited about it. I feel like in a small way I’m participating in that age old conflict by remembering and highlighting it. I don’t know how many people will come. I’m afraid I’ll be disappointed if there are only three or four. I know of only three people who’ve confirmed to come. I’ll feel a bit silly making a big deal over this and then no one showing up.
I’ve been watching the three videos I have on the bus to and from work. This is very compelling work. I highly recommend you try and find a copy of this video. I was able to check it out of the Cincinnati library for my screening tonight. I’m just overpowered by how much I didn’t know. I see pieces of my childhood foreshadowed in some of these speeches that were given. Hearing them in this context sickens me. More than a few times I’ve almost been moved to tears.
Only tangentially related, I had a flash-back this morning. When I lived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana my parents got me accepted into a “Gifted and Talented” program. This was during the height of the desegregation of Baton Rouge’s schools. What they were doing was busing white kids from the suburbs into black schools and vice versa in order to maintain a balanced ratio of kids. So, my elementary school was a “desegregated” school. I rode the bus about an hour to an hour and a half each way to a school in downtown-ish Baton Rouge. All of the kids in my class were part of the G/T program. We had one wing of the school that was all G/T. The rest of the school was “normal”. So, our wing was white and the rest of the school was black; very “desegregated”.
Our class size was purposefully kept small and each teacher had an aide. Here’s where my flash-back comes in. My first G/T teacher was Mrs. Tossan (I have no idea how to spell it). Her aide was Mrs. Domino. Mrs. Domino (like all the teacher’s aides) was black. That’s really the only tie between this flash-back and this blog post. I remember we were making something at school that required us to bring in some sugar. Almost everyone brought in Domino brand sugar. As kids, the discovery of our teacher’s aide’s name on a box of sugar was a big deal. I haven’t seen a box of Domino sugar in a long time. Last night Carla bought me some “Brownulated Light Brown Sugar” with low carbs and low calories for my oat meal I eat at work. When I pulled it out of my lunch bag I saw it was Domino brand sugar.
And there you are; full circle. My wife bought me some Domino sugar for the first time in years and years that reminded me of my third grade teacher’s aide, Mrs. Domino, who was black on a day that I’m hosting the screening of a documentary of the Civil Rights Movement.
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