To help commemorate Blog Against Racism Day, I would like to offer some thoughts:
Fifty years ago today, Rosa Parks sparked a movement in Montgomery, Alabama. I would love to tell you that, in the intervening years, our society has made a world of progress. But, in all honesty, it hasn't, and racism - in its myriad malignant forms - remains an ever-present force.
Racism is the crutch that supports the weak-minded and the cudgel that marginalizes those simply looking for a fair shake. It's a cancer that, when allowed to spread, poisons everything around it. Whether overt or covert, racism surrounds us, exerting its influence on our hearts and minds. And, as far as the United States is concerned, it's not a Republican problem. Or a Democratic problem. It's an American problem.
Racism is everywhere. In sports, where even
the language used to describe athletes reveals bias and where
dress codes seem to target young African American superstars. On television and radio, where shows
pander to prejudices and
fill the airwaves with bigotry. And in politics, where the party of the "big tent"
race baits opponents while at the same time suggesting that
aborting African American babies would reduce crime. Racism is pervasive, permeating our society. Wherever you go, there it is.
Though this shouldn't come as a shock to any of us, it's not simply our duty to note racism when we see it. No, we must go further. We must expose it, take it out from the darkness. Because to look the other way is to offer your tacit approval. Take, for instance, the firestorm brought about when many Republican senators refused to co-sponsor a measure officially apologizing for not doing more to combat lynching. The fact that Sen. Bill Frist called for a voice vote - to avoid having his caucus singled out for their bigotry - speaks to the casual attitude toward racism that allowed crimes against humanity like lynching to happen in the first place.
That said, we can't simply pin the blame on the usual suspects. Sure, they're habitual offenders and will always do what they know best, but we must also be keenly aware that prejudice can come from anywhere - especially from within ourselves. Raise your hand if you've never laughed at a joke playing on people's differences. Or never worried for your safety in places foreign to you. Or never used stereotypes. No hands? Thought so.
And that's just my point. Racism creeps into our lives. It's easy. It's easy when someone calls his or her waiter at a Mexican restaurant "amigo." It's easy to look the one African American student's way in class when race issues arise. It's easy to think that people sharing the same ethnicity also share the same circumstances. That's the effect racism has. Yes, it allows people to gain a false sense of superiority. But it also allows people the unfortunate luxury of false shorthand, a means to escape true interaction, true introspection.
Whether we are willing to admit it or not, even "enlightened" communities experience racism. My best friend shared with me a story: A few years ago he, himself African American, lived in Yellow Springs, Ohio, the home of Antioch University - a progressive school in a progressive town. When the opportunity arose to develop low-income housing in town, many which normally pride themselves for their forward thinking opposed to the plan. Meanwhile, when wealthier subdivisions were on the table, far fewer people were up in arms. Call it what you want, but let's be honest about the forces at play.
There is no better recent example of the problem than Hurricane Katrina. Even as people were dying, others were blaming the victims, with one prominent radio talker even referring to them as "scumbags." Bill O'Reilly, meanwhile, referred to victims as "drug-addicted" and "thugs." Photo captions revealed Caucasians to be "finding bread and soda" while African Americans were "looting a grocery store." And many in the media made excuses after the brutal police beating of 64-year-old Robert Davis, an African American New Orleans resident.
Despite the tragedy - and associated bigotry - one thing Katrina did rather successfully was place the state of race and class relations in sharp relief. Those among us thinking that America had somehow reached the Promised Land, that the hard work was done, were proven wrong. Those among us thinking that, in a crisis, people would show their better natures were proven wrong. And those among us wishing to find the dialogue on race kept under the rug, that the problem would simply go away, were proven wrong. If anything, we haven't even begun to have a rational, comprehensive conversation about race. Why?
Like a good many things, honesty is the first step on the road to true progress. Let's be honest with ourselves: Many of us have, in some way or another, discriminated against someone. And many of us have, in some way or another, been discriminated against. The sooner we can admit to our own faults, the sooner we can start to move toward combating this terrible stain. The longer we wait, the longer it will take to improve our environment.
We can't wait any longer. Besides, the time for waiting is over.