If you’re an American and you’re not sick of racism and bigotry in this country then perhaps you’re part of the problem. I grew up with a racist who threw one of my high school friends out of our house and called him a black bastard. My friend’s fault was that he had beat my Dad in a game of table tennis. My father would not allow me to play Motown music nor allow me to watch the NBA on our television because according to him I was a “n-word” lover. That was fifty years ago. I bore the brunt of my father’s prejudice because I liked Martin Luther King Jr.
A couple of weeks ago we saw men armed to the teeth with assault rifles and more trying to intimidate the governor of Michigan and members of their legislative body. What did the police do? Damn little. A couple of days ago a black man was apprehended in Minnesota for a non-violent crime and in the process of his arrest he was handcuffed and then choked to death by the police. This was recorded and witnessed by other people. Following that there was civil unrest and the police showed up with riot gear and tear gas.
There is a multi-tiered system of justice in the United States. If you’re white you can show up at a state capitol, intimidate folks you disagree with and not even get a slap on the wrist. But, if you’re black and you protest the murder of an innocent man you get police in riot gear and tear gas.
Don, I so heartily agree with you. I am sickened by the treatment of our fellow Americans. With each incident, I think, will this finally be the last straw….and it never is…
Thank you for reading this blog and responding to it. That really pulled at my heart strings. The guy my Dad threw out of our house is now one of my FB pals. Dad’s extreme racist views really propelled me to think differently.
Don, I too grew up with a racist, far-right father. As a kid I was embarrassed by his bigotry and rebelled against it as a teenager. I remember dating a black girl in college. I knew they’d never let me bring her to dinner so we just dropped in before our date. Luckily, he was speechless.
I love to read about the Civil War. It hurts to think how much has been sacrificed and to realize how far we still have to go for equal rights.
Thank you Don. This was news to me on the personal level.