I was born in 1972, four years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and like most Americans my age have no real understanding of the struggles of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950′s and 1960′s. I grew up in an all-white small town in Northern New Jersey, and never really considered race when I was younger. When we were growing up we thought all those struggles were behind us, and that equality had been achieved. We had Martin Luther King Day, and Black History Month, right? Equality of opportunity under the law was a right extended equally to everyone, or so we thought.
I probably didn’t deal directly with racial issues in any manner until I went to college. I had two friends that were African-American football players, and they were probably my only black friends at a predominantly white Boston College. I was struck by a number of things during this time. I was struck by how closed off the black and white communities were from each other. I was also struck by my interactions with my friends, and how they would act differently around me then their black friends. It was never lost on me that there is a tremendous pressure to either act “white” or act “black” depending on the social situation. It was also not lost on me that race does play a role in how we view the world on a very basic level.
Most white people wouldn’t consider themselves racist, especially in the Northeast. Folks in the northeast are above racism. That stuff happens in the South, or at least that is a punchline to a lot of jokes. Having spent time in both places, I can make a frank assessment that racism is alive and well in both; it is the manner in which it is presented that is different. In the South, racism is more upfront. You are more likely to hear a racial epitaph in the South, or see a symbol of the old Confederacy. Curiously, however, you are also more likely to find integrated neighborhoods in the South. I have always found it interesting, that while while people can hate each other as groups, they can deal quite well as individuals and even friends. There is far more interaction among black and white Americans in the South than in the North, and I would say far more understanding. They have many common problems, and share the same concerns about the economy, crime, and the direction of their government. Yes, there is still racism, but there is also understanding.
The North on the other hand talks a good game. We are more liberal, open minded, and progressive. We are also far less likely to occupy the same neighborhoods or socialize with one another. The North has an elaborate coded language with terms like welfare, bad neighborhoods, property values, school systems etc. to couch it’s underlying racism. In NYC, Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia neighborhoods are sharply divided along racial and economic lines. White people have abandoned whole towns in the North like Newark, Camden, and large parts of Cleveland. Cities that were once populous and thriving economically are now ghost towns roamed by gangs and drug dealers, many of whom are black. That reinforces the perception among many white Americans in the North about back people. They fail to realize, however, the massive vacuum that was created during the White Flight of the 60′s and 70′s. Jobs and businesses were lost wholesale, and that always effects the poorest and most vulnerable in society. Many African Americans relocated out from the South only to find conditions almost as bad in the North. Things do not happen in isolation, and many of the current problems we face were born out of fear.
Still, in my heart, I would like to believe that most Americans, white and black, want to find common ground. I would love to sit here and write that I am above racism, but I know that isn’t true. This is not to say I am a racist or a biggot, but I can’t recuse myself either. Because of my frame of reference, I have laughed at something a black person wouldn’t find funny and probably did judge Michael Vick more harshly than Rothlisberger. I will admit to feeling intimidated when confronted by a group of kids late at night that look “gangish.” I am sure I called a black gang member that killed a white cop an animal. I would say anyone who claims they have never had a racist thought is a liar. But there is a difference, between accepting race as a fundamental issue that needs to be dealt with honestly and openly, and being a racist, which is a philosophy or supremacy. I certainly know I don’t feel the latter.
So where are we now. Well, we have a black president. That is a huge achievement in a country where many thought that would never happen. Whether or not you agree with the politics of President Obama or not, the fact that he sits in the White House is proof enough that we have come a long way. Yet in other ways, we have gone backwards. Both young blacks and white have a sense of entitlement that belies the hard fought struggles of the Civil Rights era. They are behind in education, especially in math and science. The work ethic and sense of achievement has seemingly been replaced by a malaise. In the gap between the wealthy and the poor, we have also regressed, as their has never been a greater disparity in income, with black Americans especially taking the brunt. Also, Civil Rights was born out of non-violence, yet unfortunately too many black neighborhoods are afflicted with gang violence, besmirching the efforts of the majority of people who just want to live in peace and prosperity. And there is still the issue of war, to which a disproportionate amount of poor black kids give their lives for, while wealthier white kids go to college. We have come a long way, and we have a long way to go.
In the end though, it comes down to honesty. I think honesty is how we break down walls and overcome fear. The truth will set you free. It is important not to be complacent. ”Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” When we think about the world, we need to lose our myopic vision, and understand that we are all dependent on one another, or in the words of a much wiser man:
All I’m saying is simply this, that all life is interrelated, that somehow we’re caught in an inescapable network of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. For some strange reason, I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. You can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.
– Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
I hope you all have a peaceful and reflective day.
