In the Words of Thomas Daniels:
Born in 1948 in Detroit , Michigan, I’ve lived in in the metro Detroit area my whole life (except for a short two year stint in Rapid City, South Dakota in 1980). I was a good Catholic boy and attended Catholic school then went on to the University of Detroit. I’m married to Joan and we have six children.
My nickname is “Whitey” … now before you make a snap judgment about that name, it has nothing to do with race. Originally it had to do with the Bowery Boys. My brother Bob was nicknamed “Sach,” also a Bowery boy. As the name continued to follow me, it evolved into the color of my skin. I am two shades darker than an albino!
If we somehow had control over who our parents were – who we were born to – what choices would we have made? Would we want to be born in the same socio-economic condition? Would we want the same Mother, Father, and relatives? Would we want to live in the same state or even the same country? Would we have wanted to be Black or White?
For those of us who believe, this birth was in God’s plan. Heck, my Mother always said that my propensity to have a protruding stomach was due to the Heath side of her family. No sit-ups could ever conquer that condition. I personally always thought it was due to the amount of beer I used to drink!
But anyway, the point is why do we put so much emphasis on what people look like? They had no choice in the matter. It always troubled me that kids would be teased even to the point of bullying because of what they looked like. As former Dean of Students at Brother Rice High School, I would emphatically explain to the perpetrators the error of their thinking and acting.
I worked for over thirty years in an affluent high school where the students had everything they needed and wanted. One student drove a Maserati to school. Another was often late because his valet service was slow in bringing his car up to the house in the morning. As with Cookie, I grew up getting most of what I needed and very little of what I wanted. My point is this: so f-ing what!!??!! Those were the cards that we were dealt. Life is learning how to make the best of the blessings we were given and to use the opportunities that presented themselves.
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Connect with Thomas Daniels:
Website: https://www.blackandwhitelikeyouandme.com/
