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Farewell
Dear Larry: You are the sanest man in America! I look forward to your columns because I ALWAYS agree with your answers. Great work! Thanks for speaking the simple truth about all issues — racial, political, parental, common sense, etc.
I often …Read more.
Hate Groups
Dear Larry: I want to forget for a moment that it is their constitutional right, because I detest the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis and all other groups that preach hate. A long time ago, they came into cities across America without any protest. Now …Read more.
Troubles With Raising Teenage Son
Dear Larry: I am African-American and a single mother with three children, ages 15, 10 and 8. All of them are boys. I am having a lot of problems with them, especially the eldest.
He argues with me about almost everything. He thinks he is the man/…Read more.
How To Get Race Relations Back on Track
Dear Larry: So many of my friends are upset with the way things are going, especially race relations. They are not saying anything openly, but among themselves there is constant complaining and fear. There is something simmering and brewing that …Read more.
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Ethnically Speaking, February 13Dear Larry: I am 12 years old with a lot of friends. I am white, but my friends are all different races. I have a grandfather who is visiting us for the second time in my life. He is from Alabama and does not like people who are not white. He uses words and phrases I do not understand. I asked my mother what he was talking about, and she got angry with me and said to be quiet and never repeat it to anyone. She also told me I would get into big trouble if anyone ever heard me saying the things my grandfather said. It must have been really bad, because he and my mother got into a big argument and he went home. I really want to know what he was saying, but I am afraid to ask anyone who knows me. Can you explain what "a nigger in the woodpile" means? Grandfather said this when my friend came over to visit. He looked at her, and after she left, he said there must have been "a nigger in the woodpile." He also used the term "nigger heaven." I don't remember what was happening at the time, just the phrase. Please let me know what he was saying soon, because I need to write him a letter. — Jessica Dear Jessica: Your mother is right. Do not use these words, because they are very demeaning and hurtful. I am glad your mother let you know certain things are right and what your grandfather was saying was wrong. "A nigger in the woodpile" is a disgraceful way of saying the father of a child is black and the mother is white. "Nigger heaven" is a phrase that was used when blacks and whites could not sit together, especially in a movie theater.
You didn't ask, but when you write your grandfather, you should be polite and respectful. Tell him that you love him very much. However, let him know that his intolerance of other races makes it very difficult for you and him to have a close relationship. Somehow your grandfather needs to know that the world has changed and that if you act like him, you are in violation of the law and in big trouble. I suggest that you end the letter letting him know how much you love him, the importance of family, and how he must change for the sake of the family. If you get a reply from your grandfather and you have any questions, please let me know. Dear Larry: I am white, and my husband is black. My mother met him on the plane for the first time in 1968. She was 65 at the time, and she said to me, "Your husband is only dark-skinned." I interpreted that to mean he is a decent man. — Janet Dear Janet: I agree with your interpretation. I have found that once you really know someone, skin color loses its racial meaning. It becomes no more significant than hair color, height, weight or any other physical feature. To find out more about Larry G. Meeks and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM
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