Multiple Angles

I chose to read about Joseph Lattimore, an African American, and Diane Romano, a white mother of six. I thought it would be interesting to read about this time period from such vastly different viewpoints. Both stories were very different from what I was expecting. I believed that Lattimore would have been speaking about the vitality of treating everyone equally and fighting for one's rights. However, although he did emphasize how much he yearned for equality like most blacks from the time, he also seemed to accept the fact that the world would never truly be equal. He said, "Being black in America is like being forced to wear ill-fitting shoes. Some people adjust to it. It's always uncomfortable on your foot, but you've got to wear it because it's the only shoe you've got. You don't necessarily like it. Some people can bear the uncomfort more than others. Some people can block it from their mind, some can't" (454). Lattimore thought that it was implied that a black American would always be treated with injustice. There was only so much an African American could do to oppose this because it would never completely turn around. He seemed very different from many of the black advocates we generally read about in school who preach about never giving up and forever standing strong against opposition. Although he hoped that there would one day be equality, he chose to believe that this was so unlikely that it was not worth getting one's hopes up. He still thought that it was possible to enjoy life despite some of its misfortunes, and move past the pain that everyday entailed.
Romano's story was also extremely different than what I first thought it would be like. I was expecting to read the story of either a white supremacist or a black advocate. However, Romano lay in the middle of the two. As her children grew up, she tried to enforce good morals and values, as well as teach them to treat everyone equally. However, when their peers' influence had a stronger effect than her teachings, she did not do much in an attempt to change their thinking. Romano never hated blacks, but she made many generalizations based on her career. She had several black friends who she considered to be good people in every aspect. She also knew many African Americans who she had little respect for. Because of what she had observed in the workplace, she believed that the majority of blacks were lazy and had poor work ethics. Romano stated, "Most people have mixed feelings about the advance of blacks. Most have the impression that blacks are getting ahead because of the need for tokenism. You've got to fill a slot, we've got to have a black person. Nobody gives the black person credit for being a competent, intelligent worker" (465). Romano thought that work had turned into a battle for who could be the most politically correct. She no longer believed that one acquired a job based on how skillful they were in the field, but instead, what made their company look as if they granted everyone equal opportunities. It made her frustrated that companies were being run into the ground because those running them were not qualified enough to do so. Romano was very opinionated, but at the same time, extremely confused by her own thoughts. She was not exactly sure how to make sense of all that she felt regarding African Americans. At the end of the day, she saw no particularly good reason to discriminate against blacks, and she thought that the best candidate for a job deserved to obtain the position.