My grandmother told me the most horrible “biblical” story when I was young, about how god had cursed a particular man and he was the beginning of the black race. This could have been a story about the Mark of Cain, but I don’t remember. Anyway, it’s obvious that ignorant people of faith have used their religion to perpetuate lies and stories about people who are different from them. I suspect that my grandmother had heard a particular interpretation of a biblical story while sitting in a church pew. Yes, it makes me sad that she believed this. Do I love her less? No.

I can certainly relate to your comments about older whites being cared for in nursing homes by the descendents of black maids. My mother and father were in a particular nursing home (mom for three months, dad for three years) that had a mixed resident population and mixed nursing and aide staff. I spoke with one older white woman who was very uncomfortable in this environment. And my dad had an outright racist roommate for awhile. Hard to imagine a man sticking to such beliefs when the people he purports to hate are the ones keeping him clean, fed and comfortable. But there is no logic to such beliefs.

Hopefully, as time goes by and new generations come up, we are starting to become wiser as a nation, and wise to the fact that we are all in this together.

The comments I’ve received from Facebook friends are universally positive. I should note that all of the comments on my Facebook post have been made by white women. (Susie, Adrienne, Shalalah, Melecia and all you guys: talk to me!)

Facebook friends Tassey, Ernestine, Gloria and Kay loved both the book and movie, and a couple commented on how close the movie follows the book. Debbie gives the movie a thumbs up.

Facebook friends Leslie, Christine, Cokie and Linda loved the book.

Leslie said “being from the south, I have to say the the author knows of what she speaks.”

And Cokie shared the following: “I held off reading it for a long time. I was born in the South in 1961 and mostly raised by “The Help”–in my case a wonderful woman named Jayola whom I adored–and the author captured the time and the mores perfectly. I’m ashamed to say my grandmother had a special bathroom for Jayola, which I used to use as an act of rebellion.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/44098555#44098555

http://www.movies.com/movie-news/the-help-controversy/4115?wssac=164&wssaffid=news

Also, a colleague at work told me Melissa Harris-Perry (love her!) talked about The Help on MSNBC. I’ll try to find a link!

Thanks for reading and joining in the conversation, Tory. Kitty and I appreciate it!