[EpicGuy]

i think you should be very careful with using the civil war to say that emancipation was done for moral reasons, it was done purely for political reasons

also what followed emancipation was Jim Crow

again, this reflects back on my comments that while you can be well educated on general topics regarding oppression, your knowledge will always be limited compared to those who exist in those spaces and have lived through those experiences (and the consequences of the past)

My original thought in my post wasn't emancipation. It was more the help that black Americans received from white Americans in the Underground Railroad during the time of abolition. I was also thinking about good ol' American hero (and abolitionist) John Brown who helped (or at least attempted to help) the slaves at Harper's Ferry. And I don't think that emancipation was done solely for moral reasons. Of course there were other factors like politics (Lincoln was running for reelection the year after the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect, and I'm sure there were other factors at play). There were also a few fun years of Reconstruction before James came to town.

I don't even know how we got here. Anyway, my point is that people of all creeds, backgrounds, beliefs, whatever can come together and create safe spaces. We don't need safe spaces that consist of people of only one group. That's not a safe space, that's an isolation chamber. People who aren't in the minority can still help those who are in the minority with the resources they have. That was my point. Will they know the entire story or situation? No. Can they still empathize and help? Yes.

American history aside (I love American history), I do understand that my knowledge will be limited compared to those who lived through horrific experiences. If I ever need a reminder of a small portion of history, or want to know what things were like before I began to exist on God's green Earth, I think I'll pick up the phone and call one of my many black relatives and get their story :)