Hey Victor, this is so resonant right now. And meshes with what my friends have said about living through these times. It's also a gorgeous piece of writing. "No one wants to be seen as weak, but the challenge of being black is that it is also a danger to be perceived as too strong, as a threat. The only option is to pretend to be impervious--to fire, to trauma, to racism, to the outside world. If history is told by the victors, the reshaping of the massacre narrative as one of triumph can be seen as a refusal to accept defeat." Can't wait for the book.
Just want to say that I’m reading your Smithsonian piece this very minute & only stopped to send this note of praise & thanks for it to you, Victor. Since I’ve long been aware of the tragic horror of the Greenwood race war/riot, my first reaction was to avoid reading anything more about such a despicable act of racism, especially as an older increasingly disillusioned, ashamed white American. But the fact that we have a friend who’s a (white) 5th-generation Oklahoma Chickasaw prompted me to dig in. Your details & perspective are invaluable. So thanks again, much appreciated & continued success as you reveal, expose & enlighten.
Hey Victor, this is so resonant right now. And meshes with what my friends have said about living through these times. It's also a gorgeous piece of writing. "No one wants to be seen as weak, but the challenge of being black is that it is also a danger to be perceived as too strong, as a threat. The only option is to pretend to be impervious--to fire, to trauma, to racism, to the outside world. If history is told by the victors, the reshaping of the massacre narrative as one of triumph can be seen as a refusal to accept defeat." Can't wait for the book.
thanks for reading Susanna. And yes the more I dive into the history the louder the echoes ring out today
Just want to say that I’m reading your Smithsonian piece this very minute & only stopped to send this note of praise & thanks for it to you, Victor. Since I’ve long been aware of the tragic horror of the Greenwood race war/riot, my first reaction was to avoid reading anything more about such a despicable act of racism, especially as an older increasingly disillusioned, ashamed white American. But the fact that we have a friend who’s a (white) 5th-generation Oklahoma Chickasaw prompted me to dig in. Your details & perspective are invaluable. So thanks again, much appreciated & continued success as you reveal, expose & enlighten.
Thanks for reading Marc
You’re welcome. As are reparations, reparations, reparations.