We have a LONG way to go yet, people.
Last week we observed MLK’s birthday. I attended an event at the Hult Center that featured a lot of wonderful community organizations working to help end discrimination and racism. The keynote speaker was especially poignant- damali ayo, author of How to Rent a Negro, and a new book about what our nation would look like without racism: Obamastan- a nation without racism. Ms. ayo shared a common response among folks she speaks to about racism: “We elected Obama- racism is over!”. Folks- racism is far from over, and an article in today’s paper points out how very real and present racism still is today.
18 year old honors student and violist, Jordan Miles was beaten by officers while walking from his home to his grandmothers. The officers did not identify themselves or place Jordan under arrest. They were in plainclothes and yelled at him, “Where are the drugs?! Where is the cash?! Where is your gun?!”, while they beat him and tore out his dreadlocks. The officers have been reassigned while an investigation into their behavior is launched.
I’m not pointing this story out because of the fact that the people doing the beating were officers, I’m bringing it up because the officers were operating on an assumption that many people operate on unconsciously. An 18 year old walking on a dark street at night must be a thug, or a drug dealer- right?
I cannot imagine what it must be like to live with that pressure- to be a young black man, constantly under suspicion by others- knowing that if you so much as mis-step, the hammer will fall on you so hard. I talked with a few folks at the MLK celebration about this- about how they have to distance themselves from anything that even hints at illegality. How just by being affiliated with a white person doing something questionable, puts them at twice the risk of the person doing the illegal thing.
In order for us to truly address racism in our culture- we need to first admit it on personal level. We need to take a long, hard look at ourselves and our behavior- and ask our friends to help us understand what their existence is like. A fellow presenting at the celebration said, ” I am a white man standing at the top of the ladder of privilege looking down. I need to admit that in my dealings with others, and work to understand what it must be like to have challenges to being treated with dignity in our culture”. Wow- call it what it is. What a concept.
I think that we have come a long way when it comes to racism and the African American community… but along the way people have forgotten that being racially inclusive means including EVERYONE. I tell you, Salem is very far behind when it comes to the Hispanic race. Many people there assume that all Mexicans are illegal, or a part of a gang.
So, what do you think of racial profiling for the sake of the safety of our country?
I think that making assumptions about anyone based on race is a bad idea. In the same way that you point out that not all latino people are undocumented (i don’t think this is a crime-by the way), not all black males are thugs or criminals, and not all ugly white men with bad hair and acne are meth-heads. I think people are more like apples- sometimes an apple looks perfectly fine- but inside it’s rotten. You can’t tell what is in the heart of a person from the outside- even if you ARE a law enforcement officer. When you do that- you show your own stupidity, by doing things like detaining India’s #1 Bollywood film star (So sorry Sharukh Khan!I still love you!), and beating up kids that are just walking from one place to another. It’s too risky to move in on a person with no cause. If you are speaking of terrorist watch-lists, then those are somewhat different, because they are based on what the govt. considers “cause”.