In Racist America 7-21-2013 Yesterday, I read a posting on facebook that stated that race is a human construct and there is only one race, the human race. That is true and if we were to engage in an intellectual conversation, I would have to agree. However, I’d rather not make this an intellectual exercise. This country is haunted by race and has been since it’s inception. When Europeans first arrived, they initiated a program of genocide and almost completely wiped out the Native American nations. Then there was the program of slavery in which Black Africans, against their will, were brought to this country as property of the white man. White men were empowered to kill Black men and rape Black women at will. When slavery ended, the African-American people were then introduced to Jim Crow and the lynchings and raping continued. White men were not held accountable for their brutal behavior. During WW2, Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps. Yet, German Americans were not. Do you see a pattern here? Might it have something to do with race? It seems that some races are more human than others. We have taken official racism off the books. No longer can we insist, with legal backing, the doctrine of separate but equal. Now, the racism is more subtle. We have attempts, by white men, to limit access to the voting polls by non-whites. We also have, as most of you know, the stand your ground laws. It sounds simple and fair. If someone is threatened or feels threatened, they have a right to stand their ground and defend themselves. How has this law been applied? In August, 2006, 2 carloads of white teens came to the home of John White, a Black man living in Long Island, N.Y. looking for his son. Mr. White, while arguing with one of the boys on his driveway, shot and killed the boy. Mr. White claimed the gun accidently discharged and was convicted of 2nd degree manslaughter. A Black woman, in Florida, was convicted of illegally discharging her gun after shooting into a wall as a warning shot to stop her abusive husband who was threatening her. She got 20 years. Then we have George Zimmerman, a white man, who stalked a teenager, confronted him and eventually shot and killed him. He walks away free. Not only is he free, but he will get his gun back. All 3 cases, are situations where people claim to feel threatened. Yet, the 2 Black defendants get jail time while the white man walks. The justice system exists to ensure that white privilege and power continue to reign. It is not important that George Zimmerman doesn’t like or trust Black people. That’s his personal issue. But when the institutions empower someone like him to arbitrarily shoot and kill a Black male, it is time to stand up and say, ENOUGH. It is too late to talk about race being a man made construct. It’s there and we have to deal with it no matter what you call it. Dave
Posted on: Sun, 21 Jul 2013 15:25:41 +0000
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