I do know (NOW), that the Jews were not only a very integral part of Curacao’s beginnings – but the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade (not because I, or any other Black American child, was taught this shit in any history class of American exceptionalism or anything).  

Based on conversations I’ve had with my 83 year-old, Jewish, snowbird friend  from NY (6 mos./NY; 6 mos/Key West), a descendant of Ashkenazi Jews from Russia, and my Black friend, born of Curacaoan parents and later raised by Dutch nuns, until adopted by a German family (YES,, the three of us were definitely a motley crew once we met in the Keys a little over 10 years ago!), I now know that historically – fleeing the Spanish Inquisition – Jews, too, were oppressors of my people.  Fleeing oppression to oppress is pretty much how shit seems to go, No?

Thanks for mentioning this.  I’d not really known how integral a part they were until I met the friend I mentioned to Coffey up-thread.  And while some of them DO own the extent of their involvement, some do not (as evidenced by the Jackie piece) – but it’s NOT because they don’t “know.”

My friend has exhibited in several museums in the Netherlands as well as here, in a museum (in the former Netherlands Antilles island of Curacao where he was born) built by Jacob Dekker, a part-time resident of Key West, where I wrote a weekly column for the small, daily paper for a few years:   http://www.destonnokes.com/PDF-NCI/KuraHulanda.pdf.

I am grateful for his friendship.  It has given me another great opportunity to even have a “world view” through which I can filter a lot of the bullshit with which I have been bombarded over 55 years of living.

“When I learned about Black Peter, I was a bit taken aback.”

You and me both! Just goes to show how much “broadening our horizons” is still so sorely needed in our community. Many of us don’t even have a “world view” – simply because all we know, is what we’ve been born, raised and taught to know here in these alleged United States.  And let’s face it, the less we knew about ourselves and others who looked like us, the happier AND safer those folks, who believe they’re white have always felt/feel.(http://www.cwsworkshop.org/pdfs/CARC/Family_Herstories/2_On_Being_White.PDF).

”I know we have our own race issues here in the states, but in Europe there seems to be an unwillingness to engage in honest dialogue about it.”

”I’ve been abroad and I’ve attempted to have conversations about the dynamics of race, with Europeans from different countries in Europe and they just refuse to acknowledge that there’s a problem, from their vantage points.”

I’ve had some of the same kinds of conversations over the past couple years myself (see previous comment). However, I have met some Black, European couples over that time who see what we see – and that’s encouraging, with regard to that “chorus” you mentioned.

” I mean, professional soccer players of color can’t even co-exist comfortably with encountering verbal abuse and racial epithets off (and on) the field! FIFA’s president refuses to grasp the seriousness of the problem.”

FIFA’s Blatter, with his “handshakes solve all” is the epitome of that feigned, European brain-numbness you touched on earlier.  And even though many Europeans said he should resign – he’s still there!

” I really hope your friend is successful w/ his Black History center!”

Thanks for your support on that – really.  I know him, and he won’t settle for anything less!