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What kills me is how we white people are ALL thought to be “rich.” What a funny joke.

I wish they’d knew about MY life as a white person in the U.S. growing up since 1963. Was born to lower middle class white parents who couldn’t be bothered to keep their marriage together, so I would up living w/ a very abusive stepfather. At one point we lived in a cramped mobile home in one of the poorest states in the nation. I felt the day we moved into a “brick” house was a BIG deal. I was often embarassed for kids at school to know where I lived.

I knew that after high school, without an education, I was going to live under that rotten man’s roof and never go anywhere in life. I then did everything I could humanly do at that point in my life to GET THE HELL OUT of that house, that family, that neighborhood, and that lifestyle and get a college education — and was the first in my family to do so. But I had to work my way through.

For the next five years it took me to work my way through I worked, showed up, groveled, kissed ass, ate crow, took crap off the worst of jerks, scrubbed toilets, took orders, ran errands, did all the typing, made the copies, made the coffee, worked the holidays, kept my mouth shut, got sweaty and dirty, swallowed my pride, smiled when I felt like crying, got up early, set goals, and saved every penny. That’s while I was WORKING. The other half of the time, I was in class, writing papers, taking tests, studying hard, sweating it out during finals weeks, and living on coffee and cigarettes.

By the greatest luck, I met a young ROTC cadet in college, married him, had 3 great kids, and am now, finally, almost 50 years old and working on a masters degree.

One of the 3 kids is now working in NYC for a very “well known” banking firm after graduating from one of our nation’s finest universities. (she was homeschooled and sent to Catholic schools).

So, in ONE generation — we have gone from the trailer park to working on Wall Street! Turns out I was kind of the “bridge” for our family to advance. I didn’t quite reach MY dreams, but my daughter will surpass what I EVER could have even dreamed was possible for any of us.

I had NOTHING given to me EVER. My own dad was a deadbeat. My grandparents were deadbeats. My parents left me NOTHING when they died. I have average looks and average intelligence ...but enough to know that MY destiny is half luck and the other half is what I MAKE OF IT.(as well as blessings from the Lord above).

So, a lot of us “white folk” have to struggle as well — for many, if not most of us, it wasn’t just handed to us. That’s what I DESPISE about all this race baiting and divisiveness. Everyone’s story is unique and the playing field in this country, in reality, REALLY is equal and is as good as it gets compared to any other place in this world.

People who don’t take advantage of it are just plain LAZY in spirit and in mind.

Nobody has said it better than you.

Yours is the American Story, dear sister.

My parents were Italian immigrants and came to America when they were still young. They were from different parts of Italy, and they met here in the States when they were adults.

My dad worked his tail off, some times seven days a week.

In high school, I worked 7 days a week, 6 days in the family businesses and Sundays at the car wash in order to save the money I was going to need to go to college.

My folks helped when they could.

There is NO EXCUSE in this country. Only laziness and a bad attitude can keep you from achieving your dreams here.