Edward Williams said:
Destee,
You should ask anyone for the things you need if they have it...not just white people. The process is;
(1) Ask for what is needed
(2) Accept what is granted
(3) Compensate for the difference
This is the same process people should use with their spouses, pastors, pharmacy, etc. Those non-white people on the rooves of those house in New Orleans after hurricane katrina came through didn't have any problems asking white people to get them off the tops of those houses.
Brother Edward Williams ... asking anyone for help, has been so hard for me to do. I was raised not to ask people for anything. Finding myself in a position of needing help, and asking the Family to help, was probably one of the hardest things i ever did. Even now, it's hard for me to do, but i know if it is to be, i've got to ask. But it tears me up inside. It takes all i have in me, to do this. And then, when i do it, and the person says no, or won't help me ... omg ... i'm devastated and traumatized. I think i need a therapist!
But when it comes to white folk, we've asked them over and over and over again, to consider us properly, do us right, and there is no evidence they are willing to do this. Even if they give us some raggedy piece of help, it's never their intention to put us in a position where we never have to ask for help again. If they give us the job we're asking for, we can't go in all relaxed thinking we've got a friend that's going to make sure we get to keep that job for life. It's an ongoing, daily struggle to even keep the few crumbs they bestow upon us.
Using your Katrina analogy, as Sister FaithSoulSistah said, they gave the help all raggedy and stuff. Let lots of people die first, suffer, did us real bad. Simply compare it to the fires in California recently, the response and outcome was considerably different.
I think we must quit expecting them to help us. Quit looking to them for help.
We must learn to depend on ourselves and each other, for true liberation.
Destee