Racism for the New Millennium

Just recently, a local Church’s restaurant was closed down. The speculation is that it was closed due to health code violations. They are getting ready to reopen under new management. Comments I have heard regarding this are:

“You know black people flooded it. I know they are going to be happy it’s back open.”
“You know they had a bunch of black people working up there before. That’s why it got closed down.”
“They had a black man running it. Black people can’t ever run anything right.”

It is sad and hurtful that in 2009 such comments would be made about black people. We have worked and labored in this country for nearly 400 years. America and the world have benefited from our inventions, artistic contributions, business acumen and just plain hard work. What a shame that such racism would still exist today.

We have heard about the recent incidences with Henry Louis Gates, the Harvard scholar who got arrested in his own house. We heard about the little black children getting kicked out of the pool in Philadelphia.

These hateful comments about the Sanford Church’s are just one more example of racism in America. Right? Maybe. But probably not as one might think. These comments were made by black people. I’m not making it up. I heard this with my own ears coming from the mouths of people I love.

This local situation was jarring for me. It made me think about the circumstances of black people in America. I know many of us have analyzed the circumstances of the pool incident and the situation with Dr. Gates. So have I. These situations were very unfortunate. However, I do not believe they happened due to racism. Everything that happens is not because white people hate us or fear us or profile us or unfairly judge us.

Sometimes, a waitress in a restaurant is just rude. Sometimes a teacher in the class is just incompetent (or your kid just needs to study more). Sometimes the management at a country club gets greedy and overbooks the pool without thinking of the consequences. Sometimes two otherwise great people get caught up in a situation and handle it with emotions instead of reason.

I really don’t believe Officer Crowley is a racist. What most likely happened is Dr. Gates felt insulted and hurt by the fact that after all his wonderful work with racism in America, he was being questioned in his own home by a policeman for no good reason. Officer Crowley was hurt and insulted that after all his work with race relations in America, a man was standing there accusing the officer of racism. They then proceeded to have a battle of wills. Because the officer had the gun, Dr. Gates went to jail.

I am not by any means suggesting racism is over. I am just saying these situations, like many others, may not have been due to racism. In fact, I am sure, just like in the Church’s situation, our major battle to fight is not against racism from whites, incidental or institutional. Our battle is the racism that prevails in our own minds.

If we believed in our own intelligence, beauty, and ability, we would speak and act accordingly. Today, more often than whites, we call each other nigger, black and ugly, nappy headed, etc., etc. I have heard it said from black people when other black people move into a neighborhood: “You know, it’s sad to say but I know this neighborhood is going down because more of us are moving here.” As my Grandma Harriet use to say, charity begins at home and spreads abroad. Let us love each other, lift each other up, teach each other and believe in each other. If you say... You know how black people are... and you are black, just think about what that must mean…. That’s all.