Dinner with Trixie by Janis A. Pryor
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The South Settles an Old Score with the North...
"In this work, Pryor tackles through a weaving of the past and the present within a slave-owning family, the enduring legacy of racism, personally, institutionally and culturally. The piece invites us to consider several dynamics: these include, how to envision addressing reparations, one family at a time; how to name the ways in which white fragility plays out from both conservative and liberal positions; the reality of racism as a mental health issue; and the way in which Christianity has colluded with and perpetuated the racial divide. I found the information provided throughout the story (from Trixie's love of history) on the economic reality of slavery to be an important discussion that needs to be made visible to all US citizens. I also found the families struggles with the ways in which greed and "saving face" are such key themes that the descendants of slave-owning families wrestle with, quite compelling. The theme about whether Southern old-fashioned racism was worse than the Northern forms, was a bit simplified, in my view, as there are complex nuances in each region of the US, as various groups migrated from one part of the country to the other. Yet it is a key element of our unfinished legacy and cannot be dismissed as "no longer relevant." The piece indirectly addresses the need to confront the embedded and structural racism caused by the immense economic engine of slavery and the exploitation of Native American land and practices. It compels us to see how this reality continues to impact individuals daily. The inclusion of the differences in the experience of the parts of the family that are in personal intimate relationships with people of color and others from historically excluded groups gives a window into how hearts can change – and even how individual families can change. In the end though, it is important to recognize that such contacts alone will not make these structural changes at the macro level. Large-scale policy and economic redistribution strategies across many areas will be needed to fully undo this painful legacy. As more families tackle their own history of wealth acquisition, perhaps stories like "Dinner with Trixie," will help compel more of a movement among such families. This could help bring about a larger societal call for economic reparations and the ending of "othering" in more and more forms (This has been an agenda for the Congressional Black Caucus for many years). A final note: the recognition of "old fashion racism" as a medical condition or as "evil", is another important theme addressed in the story and is one that needs to be acknowledged more broadly in our world. The story does a good job of illustrating the problem; in the sequel, I will look for more strategies for how the illness (or sin) can be treated before it results in the outcomes experienced in this introduction to the Grant/ Capwell clan. I found this book engaging in that it uses fiction to educate and invite serious reflection among those with multi-generational wealth, and those who know and care about them, to ask some important, critical questions regarding each of our role in creating a genuine democracy, in our United States." - Dr. Valerie Batts, founder of Visions, an organization that tackles racial conflict on corporate, personal and institutional levels. Dinner with Trixie is available through Barnes & Noble by clicking the link below, Amazon, and other retailers worldwide. |