Are we there yet?


The San Francisco Public Library has an excellent book--good words--lots of pictures, called "The Peopling of London."

It isn't about the total peopling of London but the peopling of London by people who are there and have been for a long time but haven't been written into the history of London in the past, the Arabs, the Italians, etc. Many instances of saying these folks first came to London in X year, and it's lots earlier than the badly trained mind would think.

That's the book that's great to make now. Then that sinks into the marrow of some peoples bones and someone can write about the peopling of London in toto, where the folks who used to be the usual suspect, the Celts and Romans, for example, are there no more and no less than those who used to be underseen--like the Caribbean black people. Romans and blacks equally there in history, and both the result of empires.

Then we can all be smarter and have feelings that don't have to fight through so much inaccuracy. Those that used to be mislabeled and inaccurately treated as top dogs won't be stretched so thin and so cranky from trying to be too large. Those that were under won't have to scrunch down and watch out for the blow or try to pass as being something other than themselves or not being present at all.

Then we can be truly smart and also truly start to party.