Week 27 2013 Racism

As we travel the country, we have come across numerous sites dedicated to those who have valiantly worked for racial equality.  Having grown up in the sixties, this is a subject that is near and dear to my heart.  I was raised in an all-white neighborhood and had little experience with people of color.  My parents taught me that all people are equal regardless of their skin color.  However, my grandfather was very prejudiced.  Being from Texas, with a very limited education, his ignorance was easily seen when he discussed African-Americans.  He would say that it was obvious that a black man was an animal, because if you skinned a bear you would end up with a black man.  His logic was so ridiculous that it surpassed hilarity.  Yet, he was a good man, who never mistreated anyone, regardless of color, and he worked alongside many men of color.  He would even give these fellow workers credit for being hard working, decent people.  This sort of racism is easily understood.  People like my grandfather are simply ignorant.

However, there are those who move from ignorance to oppression, and violence.  This sort is criminal and our society rightfully rejects these people until they come to terms with their racism and make changes.  Substantive change began in the United States with the Emancipation Proclamation.  But, real change didn’t take hold until the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.  The greatest leader of that time was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  His message of overcoming through peaceful negotiation and protest began the educational process that helped to bring untold millions of white people out of their ignorance to an understanding of racial equality.  Has racism been eliminated?  No.  Will it ever be eliminated?  Again, no.  There will always be ignorant people who are either unwilling or unable to get past color.  There will always be people who feel the need to bolster themselves by stepping on others.  There will always be prideful people who need to feel superior to others.  But, we have come a long way.

In the early seventies, I started taking college courses at American River College in Sacramento.  I registered for an English class in my second semester.  When I showed up for the first day of class, I discovered that it had been changed to a Black Literature course.  I decided to stay in the class, because I knew and liked the instructor.  As I look back over all the courses of instruction I have received through my lifetime, this course will always remain at the top, not only for its importance, but for its enjoyment.  I was able to learn much about the black experience from people, such as, Phyllis Wheatley and James Baldwin.  Along with the classroom instruction, Mr. Mehaffy introduced us to other venues.  I went to see “Cotton Comes to Harlem” at the Starlight Drive-In.  While the movie was enlightening, an experience at the snack bar was unforgettable.  During intermission, as I stood in the crowd of mostly black people at the counter trying to place an order, a young black man who was obviously in his early to mid-twenties was trying to buy a pack of cigarettes from the young white girl behind the counter.  She asked him for his identification.  He explained that it was in his wallet, and that his wallet was in his car.  Nonetheless, she insisted.  Assessing the situation, I asked him what brand he wanted.  I then turned to the girl behind the counter and asked for a pack of Kool cigarettes.  Even though I was obviously younger than him, and she had witnessed me asking him what brand he wanted, she didn’t hesitate to sell me the cigarettes, without asking for my identification!

Another incident took place on a field trip to Chinatown in San Francisco.  Our bus had stopped in Fairfield for lunch at a restaurant that was commonly used by the college for such trips.  I sat at a table with four of my black friends.  We were ignored and refused service!  There were no apologies, even after the instructor informed the manager that American River College and, likely, every other college in Sacramento, would now boycott his restaurant.

Unfortunately, lest you might think it was all one way, there was another incident that demonstrated racism coming from the other direction.  As an extracurricular assignment, a friend and I attended the opening night of “Tabernacle,” a play at Sacramento State University.  The theme of the play was an expression of racism in the south, depicted through the eyes of a black minister.  The message was equality of races.  At the end of the play, the lead character invited everyone who agreed with the message to come up on the stage.  The very first person was a young black girl, who threw her arms around the minister and shouted, “Come on all you brothers and sisters, get away from all those white honkies out there!”  The minister gave her a look of horror.  My friend and I chose to ignore her and join the others on stage.

There are some who believe that racism can only come from white people.  That’s unfortunate.  Racism doesn’t know any specific color.  I have met racists in just about every race of people.  I have been snubbed by Asians, Mexicans, Native Americans, and African-Americans.  While it is rare, it does happen.  I once had a Mexican student who brought race into every classroom discussion.  I finally told him that he was the most racist person in the room.  He said, “I can’t be racist, I’m Mexican!”  Of course, this produced a lot of laughter from his fellow students.

While it can often be mildly humorous, racist views and actions are generally hurtful.  The worst racist action against me came from a black friend who decided to blast me with racial epitaphs because he wrongly interpreted something I had said as being racist, even though I had made no mention of race.  I can only guess that what I had said touched a nerve that I don’t know about or understand.  Unfortunately, he closed the door to any future dialogue, so it will remain an unsolved mystery to me.  However, I have had other experiences that are not mysterious at all.

It the workplace, when a white person is rejected because of color it is referred to as “reverse discrimination.”  This is a misnomer.  There is nothing reverse about it.  Discrimination is discrimination, regardless of which direction it comes from.  I was going to apply for a job with the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District when I was discharged from the Navy.  I was eminently qualified, however, before I could hand in the application, a fellow pulled me aside and told me I was wasting my time, because I was the wrong color.  While these incidents are mild, compared to the injustice that many people of color have suffered, they are still wrong.

Not wanting to end this post on a negative note, I would be quick to point out that our nation has grown so much in this area that it defies what many thought possible.  I know of no one who was active in the civil rights movements of the sixties and seventies who would have thought it feasible to believe that a person of color could be elected President of the United States in their lifetime.  The election of President Obama demonstrates how far we have come.  The only negative to his election is that there are those who believe anyone who didn’t vote for him, didn’t because of race.  That is truly unfortunate.  In an election where 98% of the registered black voters voted for Obama, one might want to consider who truly voted because of race.  In the election year of 2008, I was teaching high school.  I asked a black student wearing a t-shirt in support of Obama why he wanted Obama to be president?  He started to try to come up with some political reason, and finally said, “I won’t lie.  It’s because he’s black.”  I can respect that.  He was being honest.  There were many people, of all races, including white, who voted for Obama for the same reason.  That is not to say that there weren’t a lot of people who voted for him because of his political ideologies.  However, we should be honest enough to admit that many voted for him because of his race.  It is the first time I have ever heard of anyone voting for someone because of their race.

It is my prayer that in the future we will grow to the point that race ceases to be an issue.  I have hopes that one day my children and grandchildren will not be under the weight of racial suspicion that people will cease to refer to themselves with a hyphen that we will all view one another as God’s highest creation, that the only color will be that of the spirit and soul of our shared humanity, that instead of being quick to judge we might be quick to love and understand, giving each other the benefit of the doubt.  In the words of Dr. King, “I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."