How we start envisioning a future where all of us live as equals | Mindy Fullilove | TEDxMidAtlantic

Summary

In this powerful speech, the speaker reflects on their upbringing as the child of civil rights activists and an interracial couple during a time of deep social division. They share stories of their father's impactful work in labor organizing and equal rights advocacy. The speaker highlights how America's history of inequality, dating back to slavery and beyond, has shaped society today. They propose an inclusive approach to addressing inequality, urging communities to come together, acknowledge the past, and work toward a future of equality, emphasizing the importance of collective action and the perspectives of younger generations.

Takeaways

• 😊 Maggie and Ernie Thompson, an interracial couple and civil rights activists, raised their daughter in a challenging social environment during the 1950s and McCarthy era.
• 😢 The speaker felt isolated as a teenager due to her parents' interracial marriage but later appreciated their activism when helping her father finish his book.
• 💼 Her father, Ernie, was a pioneering Black organizer for the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America, fighting for equal opportunities and wages for women and people of color.
• 🎨 Ernie Thompson is honored in a mural in Erie, Pennsylvania, recognizing his efforts in civil rights and union work.
• 📜 The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding history, from slavery to today, and how events like Bacon's Rebellion were pivotal in shaping social divisions like 'whiteness' and inequality.
• 💡 She believes that the ideology of inequality, established through systems like slavery, continues to permeate society, influencing biases based on race, gender, and other factors.
• 🌍 The speaker discusses the concept of the 'ecology of inequality,' noting how historical systems of inequality impact everyone within society today.
• 🎉 To address this, she suggests that community events like parties can be tools for healing and collective understanding, especially when involving diverse groups, including teenagers.
• 📅 The upcoming 400th anniversary of the arrival of Africans in Jamestown in 1619 is viewed as an opportunity to reflect on multiple histories, such as women's, African American, and Native American experiences.
• 🛠 The speaker advocates for creating 'equal ecologies' where individuals come together across social divides, using creative gatherings as a means to envision and build a more equitable future.

Q & A

Who are Maggie and Ernie Thompson?

Maggie and Ernie Thompson were an interracial couple and civil rights activists. The speaker is their daughter.

What was the speaker’s experience as the daughter of an interracial couple in the 1950s?

The speaker described her teenage years as difficult, feeling embarrassed and frustrated by being the daughter of an interracial couple during the McCarthy era.

How did the speaker's relationship with her father change when he became ill?

When the speaker's father became ill and was unable to finish writing his book due to a stroke, she helped him by writing down the stories he shared with her, which allowed them to bond over his experiences.

What work did the speaker’s father do as part of the United Electrical Workers Union?

The speaker’s father was the first paid Black organizer for the United Electrical Radio and Machine Workers of America and led their Fair Employment Practices. He fought for equal wages and opportunities for people of color and women, and organized three national conferences for women.

What is the significance of the mural in Erie, Pennsylvania mentioned in the script?

The mural in the UE headquarters in Erie, Pennsylvania, honors the speaker’s father and two other men for their work in advocating for equality, particularly linking the fight for women's rights with the fight for racial equality.

How does the speaker connect 1619 to the present day in terms of inequality?

The speaker connects 1619, the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in America, to modern-day inequality, explaining that slavery created a long-lasting system of inequality that shaped the social and political landscape of the United States.

What was the impact of Bacon's Rebellion, according to the speaker?

Bacon's Rebellion in the 17th century led the elite to invent 'white privilege' as a way to divide poor white indentured servants from enslaved Africans. They did this by treating white servants more leniently than Black slaves, reinforcing racial divisions.

How does the speaker describe the concept of an 'ecology of inequality'?

The speaker describes an 'ecology of inequality' as a social system that affects everyone, much like an ecosystem, where inequality is ingrained in the foundations of society and impacts all aspects of life.

What solution does the speaker propose for addressing inequality during the 2019 anniversary of 1619?

The speaker suggests creating events like a timeline of multiple histories and community gatherings to acknowledge the shared history of inequality. She emphasizes including teenagers in these efforts because they are deeply connected to their communities.

What example does the speaker give of geographic inequality in St. Louis?

The speaker describes the 'Delmar Divide' in St. Louis, where one side of the street is devastated by disinvestment and poverty, while the other side is prosperous and wealthy, illustrating stark geographic inequality.