As I promised my (loving and protective) husband that I would not attend any protests without him, I am sitting at home watching the news. My drive home from work was uneventful, with the exception of driving past a number of Clayton Police patrol cars. At my job in Clayton, I have heard any number of comments on the protesters and the Black people of the St. Louis area, and what they should do. To my White friends and acquaintances, I would like to express the following: Imagine feeling fear of police harassment every time you walk or drive in the wrong place. Imagine feeling afraid to call the police if you need help, because you fear being put on the defensive, and further, feeling that the entire justice system, from the police to the judiciary, is rigged against you; knowing that convictions of people who look like you for any range of crimes are more common than if you were White and accused of the same crime, and that sentences are harsher. At what point would you feel outraged? Civil rights have come a long way from slavery, but people are by no means treated equally under the law, nor in society. It is not enough that America is better than it used to be, nor is it enough that is better than other parts of the world. We must continue to work for a better and more equitable society. Until we do away with our attitudes of they or them and have only we, all Americans have a responsibility to work toward true equality.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 02:22:11 +0000
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