Prejudice is Real
Prejudice is real and can happen to anyone at any time, and it's always interesting how two communities can think alike and also think so far apart. There is a famous news Journalist who wrote an article in the newspaper how he was offended by a white women's unconscious bias. He stated that he was in a department store with his two young children and was standing in line at checkout. A white woman behind him stated, "my, your children are so well behaved." Now because he is a black man and she is a white woman, he took the comment to mean that because his children were black, she must believe unconsciously, that they should be running amuck in the store uncontrollably, but instead, were so well behaved which is unlike them. The funny thing is anyone who has little children know that they do run amuck in the stores and are not well behaved, so if anyone would see small children being behaved, that might bring a complementing comment. The unfunny thing is that the white women was trying to be nice and instead of her positive comment being taken in a positive way, this journalist decided he needed to write an article about the encounter labeling white people as having unconscious bias that they are unaware of. I told this story to a bi-racial friend of mine, and she caught me off guard by saying, "he sounds like he's the one who has unconscious bias." It was a sad statement to hear. Here you have a woman being friendly and starting a conversation and trying to be nice by complimenting the man as a good teacher of children, and complimenting the children on having good behavior, and he finds bad in her statement by assuming her intentions were actually faulty while herself being unconscious of that fact. It almost makes people not want to speak to each other. One could say that if she made no conversation, she would be accused of being stand offish for being white. Remember, we are all the same at the end of it all, as the roles of the race could just have easily been reversed with the same assumptions. Do not pre-judge, do not assume, and always think positive.
The White Community Needs to be Part of the Conversation
Another recent incident occurred on a major news network round table discussion on whether Kamala Harris lost the election due to racism. When one of the white male commentators attempted to give his take on the issue, a prominent female commentator who is a Latina, stated that as a person of color, she takes offence that a white man with privilege thinks he could have any legitimate opinion on the subject. The white male did not know how to properly respond to such a statement. First of all, this type of discussion does nothing to advance race relations, and it finds no solutions to any racial problems in our country. Secondly, to disrespect and insinuate that a white person has not right or no place to speak their minds on any racial issue or any other issue is Ludacris. It is absolutely insulting to say such a hateful and discriminatory statement to anyone. In order to help solve race, we must have many conversations. We do not shut people up due to their race, as you cannot solve the racial problem in our country solo. Also, interesting is that with a Spanish surname, this female commentator is most likely mixed with White and Amerindian blood. Another recent incident is when a black Congresswoman was speaking to the Secretary of Education who is a white woman, and asked her, "Do you believe that there is illegal discrimination against people who are black and brown in this country?" The Congress women also stated, "The federal government has racial bias in immigration and education policies, that amounted to favoritism and prioritization of white over color."
First, the white community should be disappointed that the Congresswomen feels that way, as that's exactly the kind of belief that we as a community wish did not exist, but if it is there, we want to help eliminate it. The issue raised needs to be better explained in detail and not just thrown out there without any evidence to support the argument. With regards to discrimination against black and brown people, what about white people? What about Asian people, or people from far reaches of our globe. Which education, housing, employment, health care, criminal justice policies are you speaking of, so we can help you fight the discrimination? When we ask this question, we never hear specific details, only generalities of discrimination, which makes it difficult to find solutions. In closing, instead of just saying there is systemic racism in our country, break down your concern and give specifics regarding each pillar of our society where there seems to be holes, and instead of playing the blame game, let's work together to find these holes and work on chipping away at any policy, procedure, rule, regulation, or laws, that is discriminatory, and fill that hole.
When Barack Obama was President, he was in office for eight long years. He was in charge of the Country, and all of the pillars of society. If he believed there was still systemic racism, whether in housing, education, employment, criminal justice, and all other systems, he could have sounded the alarm and used his power to make "change", which is what his slogan was when running for President. His two Attorneys General, Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch, who are both black, and were in charge of the justice department as the highest-ranking law enforcement officers in the country, could have and should have, looked at the entire criminal justice system, and if they found systemic racism in the system that they were in charge of, they should have at that time, sounded the alarm bells and instituted change. In closing, the power structure that the whole idea of systemic racism is built on has drastically changed over each generation. The white community's population numbers have plummeted, and we have seen a Black President, Black Attorney Generals, Black Governors, Black Congress Persons, Black Senators, Black Mayors, City Council Persons, Ceo's, Human Resource Directors, General Managers, Teachers, and the list goes on. The overall numbers are still unequal, but that is simply due to the population numbers. We now also have many Latino and Asian people also working and involved in all aspects our society. We realize that there is still work to be done to bridge the divide in the country, and one thing the white community is asking for, is that we are included in the conversation of race, as we cannot solve the issues of race solo. Some of the systemic barriers that effect non-whites, also effect poor whites, but we are always excluded from the equation. The white community needs to stop being the benchmark on the topic of racism and race relations, so we all can come together and unite in the pursuit of racial harmony and racial justice for all.
Remembering Past Injustice
It really wasn't that long ago as we think. The date was June 11, 1963, and I was an excited six-month-old toddler crawling around on my carpeted living room floor in a St. Louis Suburb, looking up at my two wonderful parents while my five older siblings were there admiring the new edition to the family. I was thinking how lucky I was to have such a great family and such love and attention that was coming my way. I was also admiring my new house and the security and safeness of it all, and also the privilege of living in a nice neighborhood, with a large backyard and lots of trees! How lucky I was to come into the world in this fashion!
Unfortunately, not knowing all the while that right down the highway at this particular moment, there was a government official, actually the Governor of the Great State of Alabama, who was standing on the doorstep of the entrance of the University of Alabama, blocking the door so that two black American Citizens could not enter. The Governor was basically saying that we don't like you, we don't want you here and so go away. The two Citizens were Vivian Malone and James Hood. Some people feel that the history of race is so long ago and there is no remanence or after-effect, when actually, it is in our recent past. Vivian Malone died in 2005, James Hood died in 2013, and they both had kids and grandkids, that of course knowingly heard of their life experiences.
These experiences from the black community are imbedded in the consciousness of their communities being, which of course is going to be much different than the experiences of the white community. These experiences and stories are passed down to each generation in order for the new generation to help deal with any instances that could occur today. Although the white community has their own generational stories to pass down to their children and grandchildren, we do not have these particular stories to tell. That is why is so important for us to listen and hear these stories so that we can understand, acknowledge, and show empathy for those who have suffered in the past, or for those who were the offspring of those directly affected.
The civil rights act of 1964 cannot erase all of this history and the circumstances that come along with it. We must embrace this understanding in order to have any sort of reconciliation. This does not in any way secure the responsibility to the white community of today for these past transgressions, but most importantly, to show empathy and an understanding of the past, so that it does not repeat itself.
On a good note, in the late 1970s Governor Wallace apologized to civil rights activists for his past beliefs, the pain he had caused, and for resisting desegregation. Hopefully, we can all redeem ourselves before God and Man before we pass, for all of our weaknesses and failures in life. "Love your Neighbor as Yourself"
Past Injustice With Healing
Another story with the focus on redemption. In the summer of 1961, 21-year-old John Lewis, who would later become a Civil Rights Icon for the black community, as well as becoming a United States Congressman for the great state of Georgia, was driving through the Southern States as Freedom Riders, which consisted of both black and white men looking to institute change with regards to segregation.
The Freedom Riders stopped at a bus station in South Carolina, when they were attacked and beaten by a mob of white men until police intervened. This would not be the first time John Lewis would be attacked and beaten along his long civil rights journey. Forty-seven years later, one of his attackers heard that he had become a United States Congressman and wanted to meet with Congressman Lewis in his Capitol Hill office. Former Klansman, 21-year-old Elwin Wilson, met with Congressman Lewis and apologized to him and stated that he wanted to make amends to all those he had hurt with his racial hatred and asked for forgiveness. John Lewis later talked about the meeting and that Elwin Wilson cried during his apology, as well as did Mr. Wilson's Son who was also present, which then caused John Lewis to cry as well. John Lewis then stated that "His story and the way Mr. Wilson arrived at his position must be understood, must be told." "Also, Mr. Wilson was the first private citizen, the very first to come and apologize to me... for a private citizen to come along and say, " I'm the one that attacked you; I'm the one who beat you. It was very meaningful."
If only we can see things how they should be or can be in the future now, instead of waiting until we mature and grow wiser with time. If only we could prevent the need for reconciliation now in the present, there would not be a need for redemption in the future.
 "Love your Neighbor as Yourself"
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