I Am Not a Southerner

My mother’s family are Irish Catholics from Washington State. I am not sure when they came to the United States, but I seem to recall it was in the late 19th century via Canada. Hardly founding stock. Growing up I was much closer to them than my father’s family who go back many generations in North Carolina.

My father was always more American than North Carolinian. After leaving for flight school, he never again lived in North Carolina. He died in Texas and had lived all over the United States, including Connecticut, Philadelphia, and Arizona.

I played a lot of poker in Seattle about 15 years ago. Diamond Lil’s was my favorite room because it was mostly Asians. I always felt welcome, there was great food, and Asians love action (I don’t care if that generalization offends you). One night there were a bunch of young guys at the table, and it struck me how American they were. The conversation was about motorcycles, football, and business. I have lived and traveled enough overseas, including in Asia, to know the attitudes were American.

As a kid and young adult, I remember driving through Southern states and seeing large Battle Flags from the highway. My thought was always about how cool it was that we had a Civil War but there was still pride in the history. See, I knew that Southerners were as patriotic and had sacrificed as much as any other group of Americans. This was pride in heritage. I did not feel it was my heritage, but I felt good that I lived in a country with such an ethos and tolerance.

I enjoy the fact there is a Chinatown in almost every major American city. Chinese began immigrating to the United States in noticeable numbers before the Civil War. The 1870 census shows many in the Montana and Idaho territories. Likely working in mines. Of course, everyone knows their contribution to building the railroads.

For some reason in high school, I read Richard Right’s Native Son. That generated a lifelong interest in the story of black Americans and their contributions to the country. My politics makes me a fan of Booker T. Washington, but Du Bois also has his moments. I see it as very American that Morehouse and Spellman colleges still exist, and it is sad that many Historically Black Colleges struggle. Have you ever looked at the alumni list from Tuskegee University?

Under the Constitution of the United States, the diversity that was always destined to be part of this federal republic exists. It has not been perfect but compared to previous centuries and the rest of the world, it is pretty bloody good. We are now at a point where the central government has too much power. They feel they can pick and choose which American heritage to celebrate and which to crush. This misuse of centralized power by both parties is a threat. White Southerners are now the target. Who’s next?