The mantra may be "teach tolerance." Yet, we teach our children intolerance. In America, we see Historic Reversals, [and] Accelerating Resegregation, so says a report released in August 2007. This study, conducted by Gary Orfield and Chungmei Lee, of the Civil Rights Project, University of California, Los Angeles documents what is evident throughout the country; racism is alive and well in America. Indeed, racial discrimination grows stronger each and every day. The most recent Supreme Court decision, handed down in June 2007, endorsed further racial divides. Parents Involved in Community Schools versus Seattle School District Number 1 et al, sanctions school segregation. For the most part, parents and the population at-large embrace this ruling.
It is official Brown versus Board of Education has been reversed. Providing equal education opportunities to all children, regardless of race, color, or creed is no longer a priority. The 1954 Court decision that invalidated the principle of 'separate but equal' was overturned on June 28, 2007. This day will live in infamy. In another of the many recent 5 to 4 split decisions, the neoconservative Supreme Court canceled the promise made to students of color.
Intentionally, I have avoided the hype, the hypocrisy, and the hysteria surrounding the Duke Lacrosse players and the woman frequently described as a "stripper." I did not wish to discuss my disgust for I feared my own rage. Revenge, for me, is never sweet. Racism, is a bitter pill. However, the taste of it stays with me in every passing moment. Finally, I can stay silent no more. I must flush out what I believe is folly. The "case is closed."
Your speech at the First Baptist Church in Selma, Alabama moved me. The words, as written are glorious. I cried as I listened to the sentiments; "It matters." Yet, I am conflicted. The issues you mentioned are important. I trust you care for your countrymen and women. Those of color are no less significant to you than their white counterparts are. I believe you too work to defend the rights of the impoverished. Still, I struggle. I have done so for days. I meant to share my thoughts with you alone, for Hillary, you were the object of my renewed realization. However, finally, I recognized that I am not equating your contrary views to a personal biased bigotry. I am speaking to all Americans that think combat cures all or any ills. Thus, I publish this treatise, a letter to you, or perchance to all of us. I offer possibilities, probabilities that we all might wish to contemplate.
"The law is clear that the right to petition one's government for the redress of grievances may be exercised in large groups . . .
and these rights may be exercised by marching, even along public highways."
~ Frank M. Johnson, Jr., Federal Judge [1918-1999]
Typically, I do not watch television. I use the appliances for background noise. Rarely do I feel moved to enter the room where the "tube" is located. Twice today, I found myself staring at the tube. Senator Barack Obama grabbed my attention as he reflected on Black history, the march in Selma, Alabama, and Bloody Sunday, the civil rights act that led to the Voters Right Acts. Moments later, Hillary Clinton brought me to tears as she spoke of the same subjects.
When you are a threat, even if a peaceful one, criticism follows you. Barack Obama is receiving a barrage of barbs. The Junior Senator from Illinois is too inexperienced, too fat, too thin, too handsome, too elite, and not eloquent enough. He is "clean," not as clean as he could be, and too conservative. Barack is not Black enough. Mister Obama declares that, for now, his race is perchance a novelty. However, he surmises, the uniqueness of his tone will wear off.
On this day of mourning, we must not forget to give thanks to the man, the person, and the insights of Martin Luther King Junior.
Although he spoke of a war, not Iraq, his sentiments still sing to us, or at least to me. I will say little more in this sharing. I invite you to contribute. Please ponder the parallels and compose as you will. I welcome your wisdom. I am presenting portions of a speech Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence delivered Dr. King delivered at the Riverside Church in New York City. Please reflect and share your thoughts. For me, the similarity is stark. I am shaken as I ponder the possibility; we could have learned from the past. However, we did not. Will we now? Might Americans consider their own silence and rise above the accepted view, the people have no power.
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
~Martin Luther King Jr.
"Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which
rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation.
The foundation of such a method is love."
~Martin Luther King Jr.
"Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity.
Hate destroys a man's sense of values
and his objectivity.
It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly
and the ugly as beautiful,
and to confuse the true with the false
and the false with the true."
~Martin Luther King Jr.
Please share your dreams. Might we work together to help make these come true.
Often when there is a passing, I write homage to the person. I rarely pen my thoughts in the present, the moment I hear of the loss. I prefer to ponder. My desire is to assess the true "life" energy of the individual. Documenting the biographical information seems so limiting to me. I rather reflect upon who the personality was in my life or in that of others.
I was, not surprisingly, at the keyboard when the passing of Ed Bradley was announced. I assessed my feelings and listened to the words of many that knew him. Airwaves, broadband, television, and radio reported. They each described "Easy Ed," a name befitting his well-known demeanor.
Though this treatise will invoke the name of Mel Gibson, it is not about Mr. Gibson; it is about hatred and whether or not we can rehabilitate the hearts and minds of those that hate.
People claimed, "The United States is a melting pot." It is not. They said, "People are created and treated equally." The truth is they are not. When we consider what these studies revealed of health care practices, we know this. Discrimination is prevalent.
When the research was first reported numerous persons ignored the truth and they could easily. Then the storms came. Facts surfaced. They were visible on our television screens. We read of them in our newspapers and heard them on the radio. A society that thought itself color-blind realized it was not.
Many people of color were not and are not as the average American is; they were and are not living well. They are treated poorly. Numerous Black Americans were and are impoverished in this land of luxury. The medical services they receive barely and rarely allow them to survive.
As hurricanes are holding our attention, as the affects of these captivate our minds, as the nation begins to notice the blight of Black America, I feel compelled to revisit the issue of the health care gap.
People often profess that in recent years we have become a color-blind society. Three health care studies reveal we have not. Those that are honest with themselves know they are not blind to color.
When any of us walk into a room, we observe color. We see reds, browns, blacks, yellows, and whites. When observing other individuals, we notice what doctors detect; we see their largest organ, the skin. People, physicians included, notice darkness or light; they see hues. A plethora of color enters the eye and when it does, there is an emotional response. Animals react to shades and tints; humans do too.
People, health care professionals, also react to sound. They listen to a voice; the tone, the tenor, and the timbre; all are invasive. Conclusions are drawn. Assumptions are made. People judge. They presume to know the educational background, socio-economic status, and professional eminence of those that they encounter. Intellect is also thought to be implicit. However, it is not.
On Thursday, August 18, 2005, the New England Journal of Medicine released the results of three topical studies. These reports showed that Black citizens receive far less medical care than their White counterparts do. The quality of the care they receive is also lower. Accomplished Black citizens are often treated as less than, merely because of their color. Medical professionals admittedly make erroneous assumptions; appearances unwittingly influence much in medicine.
"Forty years later, the schools in this part of town are among the lowest achieving anywhere in the city.
Forty years later, the unemployment rate is the highest of anywhere in the city." Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
August 11, 2005 was the anniversary of the infamous Watts riots. There were celebrations, an acknowledgment that time had passed. Yet, for most living in this area, time has stood still. There was little or nothing to celebrate. Life in the neighborhood is virtually the same. For those living in this Los Angeles community, some forty years have gone by and little has changed.
The Watts area, a section of South Central Los Angeles, is still symbolic of life in the "slums" of America. Poverty leads to greater poverty.
Conditions today are as they were in August 1965, horrendous. Then, more than half the residents were unemployed. One quarter of the households were receiving welfare. In 2005, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa suggests circumstances are similar.
This was a week of mourning; yet, there is joy to be had. Two prominent men passed from the physical world. People cried, families and friends felt and expressed great loss, and yet, for me, there was a reverence expressed that brought me pleasure. It was not the obligatory sentiments of sympathy that I found inspiring, it was the depth of genuine emotion that brings me hope.
Each of these men was eulogized with compassion. Those that knew the men, personally, spoke of more than their monetary or tangible accomplishments. There was acknowledgment of these; however, these seemed less significant than the other achievements that were mentioned. It was not their material opulence that brought them great prominence; it was their love of people that brought them great fame. Obituaries noted their undertakings, what they had done. Yet, more memorials spoke of "who" these men were.
On this day in 1965 the Voters Rights Act was signed into law. With this signing, Black Americans were given the right to vote. Prior to August 6, 1965, Black Americans did not have this privilege. Though they worked hard, contributed much to the health and welfare of this nation, African-Americans were not afforded the rights of full citizenship. These people slaved for this territory. Many, if not most dark skinned persons were born in the United Sates of America. Their forefathers were as well. Many Black families have been here for generations; yet, for so long these persons of color did not have the basic rights of citizenship. They were considered second, if not third class citizens. However, finally, in 1965, those with darker complexions were recognized as people, well sort of.
African-Americans were given the right to vote, though reluctantly, and only temporarily. Today, on this the fortieth anniversary of the Voters Rights Act, Black-Americans are still hoping that Congress will choose to renew provisions of this law, those regulations that ensure all citizens will be treated equally. On August 6, 2005, some celebrate this bill, others cry out. People of all races are gathered together asking Congress to make permanent the Voters Rights Act. In 2007, much of the Bill will sunset, and again African-Americans will be left without a voice. In a country founded on equality, this seems quite a contradiction.
The apology was weak and meekly delivered. Senators did not choose to vote on the record; they revealed their position in voice only. They did not speak in single file; nor did they state their stance strongly. They delivered their dictum as a group. The Senate stated their regret. They regret the 4742-recorded lynchings. They regret their delay. Nonetheless, here and now, they apologize. Finally, the United States Senate concluded, it is time. America must legally forbid hangings.
The United States Senate has had many opportunities to rescind what is "a stain on American history;" however, until today, they refused. In recent years, on three separate occasions, the House of Representatives voted to revoke the law that allows for legal lynchings. Yet, each time the bill was sent to the Senate floor, influential and vocal Southern Senators spoke out. They invoked their right to filibuster. Ultimately, and repeatedly, the measure died.
Death for this law was never as brutal as a death by hanging; nor was it ever as public. These frequent congressional deaths were not proud moments for America. They were rarely discussed. However, there were those that knew of them. Descendants of lynched victims knew. A man that was once hung from a tree, yet, survived, he knew. These people worked tirelessly, and with devotion, to ensure that change would come.
It has, though this is only a beginning. An apology, the repeal of an antiquated law, does not resolve much of what still is. What is, is a history of promises, and acts that contrast with these. We as a people promise equality for all. Our Constitution asserts this principle and philosophy. Yet, in practice, there is little equity. We enslave a people; [we identify others as illegal,] while simultaneously encouraging and professing freedom. This is not simply our past; it is our present.
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