We are not There Yet
In the wake of the Zimmerman verdict, during our first black president's second term, many in the media have proposed that it's time to renew the dialog about race. As a transplant from the rather liberal Pacific Northwest, to the predominantly conservative South, my own experience impels me to agree. There are still a lot of conflicting attitudes about race, as well as a need to establish an understanding of where we are as a nation in race relations, where we want to be, and the best way to get there.
I have recently been accused of "promoting hate" because I pointed out the existence of white privilege, with a call to action that those who experience it use it to support minority rights when the opportunity arises. The reasoning behind this accusation is baffling to me. Can we actually correct a problem without addressing it? Is it hateful to point out a condition that no single person has control over, and suggest that they use it to promote equity?
I grew up on School House Rock. So I took for granted that certain things about my country were true: America was the land of equality and freedom. It was a "stew" where all races added their distinct flavor to a single happy culture. My family didn't discuss race one way or another that I can recall. For most of my youth, I lived in a predominantly white suburban neighborhood. My beliefs in racial equality were never challenged, because no situation ever arose that gave them an occasion to be challenged. I grew up in something of a bubble, and really thought that racism was a thing of the past.
I have recently been accused of "promoting hate" because I pointed out the existence of white privilege, with a call to action that those who experience it use it to support minority rights when the opportunity arises. The reasoning behind this accusation is baffling to me. Can we actually correct a problem without addressing it? Is it hateful to point out a condition that no single person has control over, and suggest that they use it to promote equity?
I grew up on School House Rock. So I took for granted that certain things about my country were true: America was the land of equality and freedom. It was a "stew" where all races added their distinct flavor to a single happy culture. My family didn't discuss race one way or another that I can recall. For most of my youth, I lived in a predominantly white suburban neighborhood. My beliefs in racial equality were never challenged, because no situation ever arose that gave them an occasion to be challenged. I grew up in something of a bubble, and really thought that racism was a thing of the past.
Unfortunately, more recent experiences (and a more observant examination of my surroundings) have brought me to the conclusion that racism isn't dead. It may be retreating, but it's still a factor in our societies. The KKK is still very active in this region. I've had dealings with members and stood uncomfortably by while a customer where I worked laughed at his own racist jokes. I've heard a five year old repeat derogatory statements about racial minorities that he heard from his father and attempted tactfully to give him more to think about, without directly contradicting his parents and jeopardizing my job. I had to leave the room for a few minutes the day I met an old friend of the family, who was telling us about a "black man" (stage whispered) who stole her wallet. A woman, "she was black too but one of the good kind," helped her retrieve it.
There are also still the effects of the racism of previous generations on large-scale institutions. In the cities where I've lived, even as a child in a liberal state, the wealthier neighborhoods have been populated primarily by white people and the poorer are still predominantly minorities. In spite of incentives to close the education and wage gaps, they still have a powerful hold on our society. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that black men on average are, in 2013, earning roughly 75% what white men are. Latinos are earning even less. A 2013 Gallup poll indicates that there is only a 2% difference between the number of white and non-white people who smoke marijuana, but the incarceration rate for marijuana possession for black people is almost 4 times that of white people. The overt racism of a relatively small group of white people cannot be solely responsible for such widespread inequity.
For this we have to look to something that has been termed "white privilege." One way to express it is that rather than a prejudice against one group, it expresses itself as a preference for another. It is the condition white people enjoy in our nation without having had to create it, appreciate it, or in most cases, even realize it exists. The current social stratification was developed through centuries Eurocentric thinking. A quiet willingness to accept the status quo, without much pause for critical examination, enables white privilege to self-perpetuate.
In the modern conversation about race relations, white-privilege has taken the foreground. The majority of people in our nation consciously believe in racial equality. Most people, if asked, will claim that they see people of all races as equally good, equally valuable. Nonetheless, people are coming forward to share their stories about how they are treated because of their dark skin color, and how it differs from the way people with lighter skin tones are treated. It's a very uncomfortable conversation to have, since most white people don't consider themselves racist (because they aren't) and don't see racism in their day-to-day lives (even though it's there).
Today marks the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s much-admired "I Have a Dream" speech. Much has changed since that time, but we still have work to do. Race is still a barrier for many people, which is ironic.
After all, race doesn't even really exist.
There are also still the effects of the racism of previous generations on large-scale institutions. In the cities where I've lived, even as a child in a liberal state, the wealthier neighborhoods have been populated primarily by white people and the poorer are still predominantly minorities. In spite of incentives to close the education and wage gaps, they still have a powerful hold on our society. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that black men on average are, in 2013, earning roughly 75% what white men are. Latinos are earning even less. A 2013 Gallup poll indicates that there is only a 2% difference between the number of white and non-white people who smoke marijuana, but the incarceration rate for marijuana possession for black people is almost 4 times that of white people. The overt racism of a relatively small group of white people cannot be solely responsible for such widespread inequity.
For this we have to look to something that has been termed "white privilege." One way to express it is that rather than a prejudice against one group, it expresses itself as a preference for another. It is the condition white people enjoy in our nation without having had to create it, appreciate it, or in most cases, even realize it exists. The current social stratification was developed through centuries Eurocentric thinking. A quiet willingness to accept the status quo, without much pause for critical examination, enables white privilege to self-perpetuate.
In the modern conversation about race relations, white-privilege has taken the foreground. The majority of people in our nation consciously believe in racial equality. Most people, if asked, will claim that they see people of all races as equally good, equally valuable. Nonetheless, people are coming forward to share their stories about how they are treated because of their dark skin color, and how it differs from the way people with lighter skin tones are treated. It's a very uncomfortable conversation to have, since most white people don't consider themselves racist (because they aren't) and don't see racism in their day-to-day lives (even though it's there).
Today marks the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s much-admired "I Have a Dream" speech. Much has changed since that time, but we still have work to do. Race is still a barrier for many people, which is ironic.
After all, race doesn't even really exist.
