I've been trying to imagine what it felt like to be that 14 year old girl bullied by a white police officer at the Mckinney pool party. Was she humiliated? Was she terrified for her life? We don't know what happened before the video. But even if she taunted the officer, he overreacted and was out of control. He deserved to lose his job. They were just kids at a party, not armed criminals. Drawing his gun was inexcusable as his life was never in any kind of danger.
I've always tried to be understanding and sympathetic when it comes to race, but my empathy fails when I try to put myself in the place of an African American living in our society. I've only known life as a member of the white race that deems itself superior to all others. My skin is the same color as the majority who make all the rules and have all the power. I've enjoyed the privileges that accompany being white. I've never been followed around a store by security or stopped for driving in the wrong neighborhood.
I hope those reading this have a better imagination than I do, because I challenge you to trade places in your mind with a black person as I remind you of some historical facts.
Think about this experience. Being captured, stolen from your homeland where things were familiar, placed in a cargo hold of a slave ship in deplorable conditions, and taken to a strange new land. If you survived the trip, you were sold as property and treated no better than a farm animal. For 250 years we forced black people to be our slaves and our servants. We chained them, beat them, belittled them and made damn sure they understood they were considered inferior to us good Christian white folk in every way.
Then along came Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. We abolished slavery and told black people they were free! We dumped them into American culture with no money and very few marketable skills. We did nothing to atone for slavery and we did nothing to prepare them to live as free citizens. However, I do want to point out that many white people died fighting for their freedom. All whites are not racists.
For the next 150 years we kept black people segregated and living in poverty. We hired them as servants and paid them starvation wages. We called them the "n" word and addressed adult males as "boy" to remind them of their place. We dressed in hooded white robes, burned crosses, and hung them from trees. We made them drink from separate fountains and ride in the back of the bus. Finally a few courageous people of color, like Rosa Parks, began to speak up.
Some white people discovered they had a conscience and the civil rights movement was born. After a long and bloody fight, burned churches, and murdered leaders, we declared that the battle was a victory. African Americans now had equal rights and equal opportunity under the Constitution! We were feeling self righteous and patriotic, but black people knew fancy words like freedom and equality were a promise we weren't ready to keep. They understood that for many nothing would change for the better. Once again, I feel the need to point out that many decent white people were involved in the civil rights movement. We are not all racists.
It has been almost 50 years since the movement and we still have failed to deliver on that promise for a better life. Way too many blacks still live in poverty and still attend lousy under funded schools. Our jails are filled with black men who can't read or write well enough to get a decent job. Once again we did not prepare blacks to live as free and equal partners in American society. For centuries we have treated them as second class citizens. We always find ways to remind them of our superiority!
One way we did this was to offer them welfare, food stamps, and aid to dependent children. Then we don't have to compete with them in the job market which means more money for us nice hard-working white folks. Instead of decent jobs that pay a living wage, we just give them free stuff. That way we can reinforce all the racial stereotypes and blame them when their anger boils over.
Yes, things have improved for some African Americans. With sheer grit and determination they have worked extremely hard to break down barriers. They have had to fight for opportunities we whites simply take for granted. Many have achieved success in sports and entertainment. There are some blacks in every field of endeavor. That must be a genuine source of pride. When Obama was elected I expected to see huge improvements for all poor and the middle class, but the the neocons stood in the way. Instead we have gridlock.
If I had any common sense, I'd end this discourse right here, but I have more I want to say to all my fellow American citizens who just happened to be born with skin that is darker than mine. I am going to take some liberties with my remarks that I have no right to say. First I wish my race would offer a formal apology for centuries of slavery, discrimination, and racism. That might make me feel better, but it wouldn't change a damn thing. It would do nothing to remedy the evils we caused. We can't erase the past. All anyone can do is make good use of the present and take advantage of every opportunity to prepare for the future.
Education and obtaining marketable skills is the only way out of poverty. Government can't legislate equality with social programs. Every individual has to assume responsibility for their own progress. I understand that this is difficult under any circumstances, but may seem impossible when the deck is stacked against you. I'm asking you to let go of some of your anger over the past. I'm asking you to have faith that things can get better and to focus only on the future. Break the cycle of poverty by staying in school and get as good an education as you possibly can. It will open doors for you. When you hang out on the streets selling drugs and shooting each other you give the racists a gift. You give them the opportunity to say, "See that's what Black people do". It allows them to reinforce the concept of white supremacy. Believe me, they will take advantage of every chance they get to reinforce old stereotypes. Black women, stop having babies you can't take care of. Go to college instead. Black parents, teach your kids old fashioned values like self respect, respect for adults, respect for property, and the value of honest hard work. Learn to speak with correct grammar in standard English at times when it matters how you appear to others.
If this sounds like I'm saying you must transform yourselves into clones of white people, I'm not. You have a wonderful rich colorful heritage that you must preserve. You have a varied history of amazing accomplishments. You fought bravely in our world wars for freedoms many of you never got to enjoy. We owe you so much. You have made huge contributions to American culture. Be proud of that. I'm trying to make the point that through education you have the perfect opportunity to put racist people in their place by showing them you can compete with the the smartest and most accomplished of them. You know in your heart and mind that white people are in no way superior, but some of us are slow to catch on to that idea. Prove them wrong!