Hurling Invectives

To Be Clear

The put down is meant to end all discussion.

I was listening to Trump's presser after the NATO summit. And even though he claimed the meetings were unifying, his words did not match his message of unity. He could hardly make it through a sentence without hurling invectives at his enemies, foreign and domestic. 

 Invective is harsh, abusive, or highly insulting language used to express vehement blame, censure, or deep-seated ill will. It goes beyond simple name-calling, often combining anger with rhetorical skill or bitter sarcasm to publicly denounce, shame, or tear down a target. -webster

According to an article in Physiology Today from 2016 by Nigel Barber, "IThe purpose of a put-down is to reduce someone else in the imaginary status hierarchy. So it is hardly surprising that insults will often refer to a person's social status in terms of ancestry, lack of prestige, or membership in a despised out-group; for example, Nazis or vagrants. Otherwise, the content of insults across the ages is monotonously predictable: Many insults feature a sexual component, refer to sexual organs, or bring up shameful or ineffectual sexual behavior. In addition to status and sexuality, insults inflict shame by mentioning unappealing traits—fatness, shortness, baldness, spottiness, and contagious diseases."

For Trump, it's not just verbal. He's using his power to make his perceived opponent suffer. From weaponizing the DOJ, to wielding economic sanctions, to demanding payment for favors, to blatant racism, misogyny, and sexism, to brute force against against citizens and foreigners alike. The government says they're going after the worst of the worst, and deporting them. And yet, 70 percent of those being detained and deported have no criminal record at all. The two most recent extrajudicial killings by ICE involved individuals who where just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Perhaps unity, and understanding and respecting differences would produce a better outcome? 

Then, a little later in the day, some answers came from some inspirational words that appeared in my daily readings. 

The simple believe everything, but the clever consider their steps.
- Proverbs 14:15

If we don't wake up / And shake up the nation / We'll eat the dust / Of the world wondering why...
- Jonathan Larson, “Louder Than Words”

And then, this prayer
God of the land, impress on us a lucidity about our times that pierces through smoke-filled grandeur.

A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.

Proverbs 18:2

I will listen. I will politely offer my view, but I cannot stand by, mute, while you deal with your insecurities with anger, hatred, and violence. The good news is, I am not alone in this endeavor. I take comfort in the meditation.

Afrikaner's Exception

Because they are white

Donald Trump has blocked thousands of refugees from entering the U.S.—but is welcoming white South Africans.

“It is better to die for an idea that will live, than to live for an idea that will die” ...Biko

Afrikaner police admitted to killing Stephen Biko. Why? Because he was willing to speak out against racism and oppression. 

"An administration official’s attempt to explain Donald Trump’s decision to allow white South African “refugees” as an exception to his ban on asylum-seekers revealed just how racist the policy really is.

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau was greeting the group of 59 Afrikaners who arrived in Washington Monday, when he told a reporter that Afrikaners had received an exception to the president’s order because they could be “assimilated easily” into the United States.

The deputy secretary’s language indicates that the Trump administration is willing to admit refugees who are more culturally and ethnically cohesive with the predominantly white U.S. population." -the new republic

NPR reports South Africa's Department of International Relations has hit back against Trump's allegations that Afrikaners are discriminated against.

"It is ironic that the executive order makes provision for refugee status in the U.S. for a group in South Africa that remains amongst the most economically privileged, while vulnerable people in the U.S. from other parts of the world are being deported and denied asylum despite real hardship," the department said in a February statement.

Afrikaner's who own about 70% of the commercial farmland in South Africa, despite being about 7% of the population, believe their ownership is through Devine Mission. They contend the land was empty when they arrived there. In fact, it was not. The land of South Africa was inhabited by various indigenous peoples, most notably the Khoisan groups (Khoi and San). These groups had lived in the region for thousands of years and were the original custodians of the land.


NPR reports President Trump has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that white South African farmers, known as Afrikaners, are facing genocide and land seizures. The Trump administration classified the white Afrikaners as refugees earlier this year. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, Trump said: "It's a genocide that's taking place that you people don't want to write about, but it's a terrible thing that's taking place. And farmers are being killed. They happen to be white, but whether they're white or Black makes no difference to me, but white farmers are being brutally killed, and their land is being confiscated in South Africa. While South Africa passed a land reform law earlier this year allowing, in rare cases, for land expropriation without compensation, no land has been seized.

 

It's Only Words

 

You cannot end racism and gender bias by banning certain words. You'll make it worse. Of course, that may be the +intention. Banning words is denial. It is holding your hands up to your ears and singing, la-la-la-la. 

When bias, bigotry, prejudice, racism, and all the other isms and phobias are directed against people it's a sin. Think about it, Sunday school 101, The Golden Rule. We are to treat everyone with love and respect, no exceptions to the rule.

        A racist policy is any measure that produces or sustains racial inequity between racial groups. An antiracist policy is any measure that produces or sustains racial equity between racial groups. By policy, I mean written and unwritten laws, rules, procedures, processes, regulations, and guidelines that govern people. There is no such thing as a nonracist or race-neutral policy. Every policy in every institution in every community in every nation is producing or sustaining either racial inequity or equity between racial groups.

(Ibram X. Kendi, How to Be an Antiracist)

The good news, bias, bigotry, prejudice and racism are learned behaviors. I went to a site called Psych Central to reinforce my assumption that behaviors can be changed. What was it that Red Green said in the Man's Prayer? "I'm a man, but I can change, if I have to, I guess."
People can change when they're self-aware, receive support, and become intentional about behaving differently. But, change takes time and it may be challenging in some cases. For example, if you live with a mental health condition that involves lifelong symptoms that may impact your attitude, habits, and behaviors. Self awareness means facing and acknowledging the problem instead of denial.

Dealing with Racism at the Table

 You're gathered around the table. Then, somebody says something racist. Perhaps it was meant as a joke. It's mean, not humor. Unfortunately, confronting the commenter head on may not work. 

The hard part is the comment is a personal affront to your values. A response that attacks the racist won't deescalate the issue. Their reaction will be defensive, and the confrontation could easily spiral out of control. Instead focus on the issue. 

I found some replies on WebMD that don't let the offensive remark slide, but offer some space before dealing with the issue more directly.

Health & Balance/Feature Stories

What to Say When Someone Says Something Racist

Medically Reviewed by Melinda Ratini, MS, DO on July 23, 2021Written by Candina Jordan

Listen

It can be hard to know how to respond when someone makes a racist comment, especially if they are close to you or in a position of power over you. There are several different responses to racist remarks that you can use. The response you choose when talking with family members or friends may be different from that you choose when talking with a work colleague. 

Plan Ahead

It can take courage to stand up to someone who makes a racist comment or joke. Resolving to be someone who speaks up for others might help you overcome any awkwardness you feel about confronting racism. It can also help if you decide ahead of time that you won't tolerate racial slurs or derogatory remarks. ‌

It's easy to get caught off guard when you hear a derogatory remark in a situation where you aren't expecting it. You may not be able to think of an appropriate thing to say quickly enough. Memorizing some responses may help you prepare for the next time you find yourself in that situation. Pick a few phrases, and practice saying them until it feels comfortable. ‌

Here are some simple phrases you can use as responses to racist remarks: 

That's not how we do things here. 

That's not funny to me.

That sounds racist. 

That was not necessary. 

Is the person’s race relevant to your story? 

I'm sorry, what?

I need a moment to process that. 

Let's be careful that our words are respectful of everyone. 

Racial jokes are not okay. 

That comment makes me uncomfortable. 

Maybe you don't realize the impact of your words. 

If these don't work, maybe a pie fight?

Just to be clear, all that racist rhetoric used by Trump and his surrogates was not okay. It still isn't.

Three Evils

Some Things Will Never Change

The triple evils are racism, economic exploitation, and militarism. MLK, jr.

And he went on to say, "The great problem and the great challenge facing mankind today is to get rid of war … We have left ourselves as a nation morally and politically isolated in the world."

Has anything changed?

Racism

It is still with us. FBI data released in October 2023, showed there were 11,643 reported hate crimes in 2022. Other datasets show the numbers are likely much higher. The Bureau of Justice Statistics, for example, reported U.S. residents experienced about 246,900 hate crime victimizations each year between 2005 and 2019. (USA today) Statistics show most hate crimes are based on bias against people of color.

Economic Exploitation

The wealth gap continues to grow. This is from the Federal Reserve:

Black Families’ Wealth

• Black families’ median wealth was $45,000 in 2022, growing 66% from 2019.
• As a group, Black families owned 2% of total household wealth despite making up 11% of households.
• Black families had 16 cents per dollar of white median wealth.
• The Black-white gap grew to $242,000—up $47,000 from 2019

Income inequality is a global issue with several causes, including historical racism, unequal land distribution, high inflation, and stagnant wages. As gaps increase thanks to crises like COVID-19, the world needs to take action in education, labor market policies, tax reforms, and higher wages. (various online sources)

War

Of immediate concern to Dr. King was the percentage of African Americans fighting in the Vietnam War. According to the Library of Congress, African Americans made up 31% of the ground combat troops in Vietnam, while African Americans made up 12% of the population. Most of those fighting on the ground in Vietnam were draftees. Today's army is all volunteer.  

Big picture, there was concern funding for the war took funding away from social programs. In the 60's, the government spent on both the war and domestic projects. The economy over-heated and inflation went up. The increases in the cost of living affects the poor more.

Internationally, war affects women and children the most. It also displaces people, drives immigration,  increases poverty and suffering, and causes famine.

There are more conflicts now than at any time since the Second World War. "Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed, stating that peace — the United Nations’ raison d’être — “is now under grave threat”, observed that people’s sense of safety and security is at an all-time low in almost every country.  Six out of seven worldwide are plagued by feelings of insecurity, the world is facing the highest number of violent conflicts since the Second World War and 2 billion people — a quarter of humanity — live in places affected by such conflict.  Recalling the Secretary-General’s words that “the world is at a key inflection point in history,” she underscored the need to rethink efforts to achieve sustainable peace." (United Nations)

Can things change? Yes! Will it be easy? No! Change I'll come about if we address the root causes of war. What? King would refer you back to the first two Evils on his list. West Point offers more perspective: Bumbling leaders, ancient hatreds, intransigent ideologies, dire poverty, historic injustices, and a huge supply of weapons and impressionable young men.

The Harvard Business Review (Ross Kanter) came up with ten reasons people resist change. The application was for business change, but I think the same reasons apply to social change.

Loss of control

Excess uncertainty

Surprise! surprise!

Everything seems different

Loss of face

Concerns about competence

More work

Ripple effects

Past resentments

Sometimes the threat is real 

Without change, there can be no progress. If there is no change, the number affected will climb beyond two billion. The world will be at war.

When the economy went boom.

Nostalgia Clouds Reality

The 1950s


The good old days right? Shared values. Prosperity. Growth of the middle class. Stopping the communists. Might makes right. Going to church. Except, not everybody was included, and that was by design.

I came across an interesting article about this on the History Channel. Remember when they actually aired documentaries?

The 50's is depicted as a time of booms. The baby boom produced 77 million children. The astounding economic growth of the post war 50's saw GDP rise sharply. "The gross national product more than doubled, growing from $200 billion to more than $500 billion, kicking off “the Golden Age of American Capitalism.” 

There was also the booming growth of the suburbs." Levittown featured affordable suburban living in cookie cutter houses. Ethnic minorities were excluded, but the white exodus to the suburbs became a stampede.

Capitalism and The American Dream

Almost all of this growth came about through stimulus, government spending instead of capitalism. "Much of this increase came from government spending: The construction of interstate highways and schools, the distribution of veterans’ benefits and most of all the increase in military spending–on goods like airplanes and new technologies like computers–all contributed to the decade’s economic growth. Rates of unemployment and inflation were low, and wages were high. Middle class people had more money to spend than ever–and, because the variety and availability of consumer goods expanded along with the economy, they also had more things to buy." (History Channel) Millions of Americans realized the American Dream because it was underwritten by the government.

Not everybody was included

Because the G.I. Bill was administered locally, states in both the south and the north discriminated against African Americans, and other minorities, in their pursuit of higher education and in housing. For example, in the south, African American veterans were not allowed to enter state universities, because of segregation. (billofrights.com) The boom was a whites only event.

Women were feeling the effects of increasing isolation. The move to the suburbs meant fewer opportunities for women. Women were expected to be at home and be the perfect housewife. My mother was a grade school teacher. She was required to give up her job and spend full-time running the house and raising the kids. Looking back, it seems like a waste of her talents.

Black people were told to wait, but ultimately the benefits given to whites were not offered to them. In order to pass the GI Bill, states were given authority over distributing the benefits. African Americans who fought honorably against the Nazi's and Imperial Japan were deliberately excluded from GI loans, for education and housing. Whites who fought benefited from these programs. The white middle class boomed. Blacks and other minorities were excluded, and until the Voting Rights Act, many were prevented from voting. Any chance to better their lot was deliberately thwarted.

The result is the huge difference in generational wealth. According to research shared by Synchrony Bank and the Federal Reserve, comparatively, black families achieve considerably less wealth than white families, with a median net worth of $24,100 compared to $188,200.
According to the World Economic Forum, the growing gap between the rich and the poor, the old and the young, has been largely ignored by policymakers and investors until the recent rise of anti-establishment votes, including those for Brexit in the UK and for President Trump in the US. This is a mistake.

Inequality is much more than a side-effect of free market capitalism. It is a symptom of policy negligence, where for decades, credit and monetary stimulus shortcuts too easily substituted for structural reform, investment and economic strategy.

 Capitalism has been incredibly successful at boosting wealth, but it has failed at redistributing it. Today, without a push to redistribute wealth and opportunity, our model of capitalism and democracy may face self-destruction. (World Economic Forum)

Oh yes, the past can hurt. But from the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it.

- Rafiki, “The Lion King” (1994)

Racist Attitudes Beget Racists Acts

"Where Woke Went to Die"

Woke is now defined in Webster's as being “aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice),” and identified as U.S. slang. It originated in African American English and gained more widespread use beginning in 2014 as part of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Racist acts in Jacksonville Florida are just a symptom of a much larger problem. It is important to understand that racism is a learned behavior. The most recent hate crime, the shooting of three innocent people, is the product of policies that tolerate, even promote racism in Florida and throughout the country. Racism, bigotry and hatred are encouraged, as can be seen in the increase in reported hate crimes.

The FBI released an update to hate crime stats in March with more complete data, and it showed the number of hate crime incidents had increased by 11.6 percent from 2021 to 2022.

The racism is coming from the top.

At a vigil for the three who were gunned down because of their skin color in Jacksonville, DeSantis got booed, and for good reason. His so-called anti-woke rhetoric encourages bigotry, racism and hatred. His take on slavery is pure Jim Crow.

The Associated Press got reactions from several sources directly affected by the shootings. 

Florida State Rep. Angie Nixon: “We must be clear, it was not just racially motivated, it was racist violence that has been perpetuated by rhetoric and policies designed to attack Black people, period.”

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan: “I’ve heard some people say that some of the rhetoric that we hear doesn’t really represent what’s in people’s hearts, it’s just the game. It’s just the political game. Those three people who lost their lives, that’s not a game. That’s the reality of what we’re dealing with. Please let us stop viewing each other as pieces on a game board and let us please start to see each other’s humanity. “

Rudolph McKissick, senior pastor of the historic Bethel Church in Jacksonville: “As it began to unfold, and I began to see the truth of it, my heart ached on several levels.”

In contrast, the reaction from Governor Ron DeSantis makes no mention of the climate of hate that fomented the shooting. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis: “This guy killed himself rather than face the music and accept responsibility for his actions. He took the coward’s way out."

DeSantis chose to focus on the perpetrator rather than the bigger picture of the climate of hate that makes such acts more prevalent. The others who commented didn't miss the point. They got the bigger picture.

(The seven harmful racial practices are from the NEA.)

Rhetoric that divides

Wokeness

Despite the use of woke as a pejorative, being woke is a good thing. 

Woke is now defined as “aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice),” and identified as U.S. slang. It originated in African American English and gained more widespread use beginning in 2014 as part of the Black Lives Matter movement.

When Ron DeSantis says, "This is where woke goes to die," does he mean Florida is the home of racism, fear, and hate? A place where our history is not taught? A place where we have second class citizens? A place where homiphobia is commonplace and encoraged? A place where children are taught what to think, not how to think? A place where only people with the right connections can get a fair shake? A place where white priviledge is guaranteed?

Racist and Discriminatory Policies

A Stamford pysychologist has identified Seven Factors that contribute to American racism. According to the psycologist, Steven O. Roberts, of the seven factors the researchers identified, perhaps the most insidious is passivism or passive racism, which includes an apathy toward systems of racial advantage or denial that those systems even exist. "After examining research on racism from psychology, the social sciences and the humanities, the researchers argue that American racism systematically advantages White Americans and disadvantages Americans of color – but that it does not have to." It all starts with awareness. That's the opposite of the positions taken by legislators and governors in 44 states, most notably in Florida, Texas and Arkansas. They prefer awareness of racism be suppressed. This includes students with advanced education, starting with advanced placement classes through univeristy cirricula.

What will grow in the place of "woke" if principles like diversity, equity, and inclusion are pulled out of the white rose garden by their roots? We'll be left with a society where diversity will be viewed as problematic, where companies and schools no longer attempt to provide equitable opportunities to their employees and students, and where exclusionary tactics replace inclusion. Racially Restrictive Covenants were once used to prohibit "Black people from moving into specific homes and often entire communities." While these covenants are no longer legally enforceable, the racist language that remains in some of the deeds of American homes serves as a painful reminder of what exclusion looks like in action. -Allison Wiltz

What Can Be Done?

Become active! Learn! Act!

Mei Cobb's blog on The United Way site came up with eight actions we can take to inspire change.

1. Register to vote and help others do the same.
2. Examine and correct your own biases.
3. Have conversations about race.
4. Read to understand the history and impact of racism.
5. Support anti-racism organizations.
6. Advocate for laws that dismantle barriers to economic opportunity.
7. Volunteer to improve the health, education, and financial stability of people living in poverty.
8. Use your influence within your workplace and other organizations to address racial inequity.
9. I would add another. Never give up.   

Disturbing Statistics / Reasons for Hope

Looking for something to cover? 

Suffering from, nothing ever happens around here? What happens over there, affects us here. You will never run out of news to cover or topics to talk about. Statistics from sources like Pew, the United Nations and others offer a wealth of information and starting points.

89.4M

The worldwide number of people displaced because of conflict, violence or disasters in 2020, a record high.

According to Pew Research:

Europe and Asia have the most international migrants. 

While the International Organization for Migration, a United Nations affiliated group, recorded more than 1,200 deaths of migrants in the Western Hemisphere in 2021, it tracked 728 migrant deaths along the U.S.-Mexico border, calling it the "the deadliest land crossing in the world."

25%

A quarter of U.S. parents say there have been times in the past year when they could not afford to buy food their family needed or to pay their rent or mortgage. Among low-income parents, these shares rise to 52%. (Pew)

NASA says, Scientific evidence for warming of the climate system is unequivocal." Ice cores drawn from Greenland, Antarctica, and tropical mountain glaciers show that Earth's climate responds to changes in greenhouse gas levels.

Pew found, Income inequality in the U.S has increased since 1980 and is greater than in peer countries. Income inequality may be measured in a number of ways, but no matter the measure, economic inequality in the U.S. is seen to be on the rise.

52% The share of Black Americans who say that racism in U.S. laws is a bigger problem for Black people in the country than racism by individuals; 23% of U.S. adults overall say this. (Pew) Americans give public health officials mixed ratings for the job they’ve done communicating with the public about the COVID-19 pandemic. Many U.S. adults feel public health officials were unprepared for the outbreak, but many also say officials’ ability to respond was hurt by interference from elected officials. (Pew) Need some help finding topics? It's only a click away if you know where to look. All of these stats and the issues they represent are an opportunity to bring people together. The solutions require input and thoughts from a broad spectrum of ideologies. We have the opportunity to bring people together.

 

Racism Is a Festering Abscess

Picture credit, Rod Long

 Is racism over?

If we don't teach the lessons of the past, will they just go away. 

Two quotes that tell us that the fight against hate is hardly over...

The function, the very serious function of racism is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being. Somebody says you have no language and you spend twenty years proving that you do. Somebody says your head isn’t shaped properly so you have scientists working on the fact that it is. Somebody says you have no art, so you dredge that up. Somebody says you have no kingdoms, so you dredge that up. None of this is necessary. There will always be one more thing.

Toni Morrison

As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t you forget it—whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash

Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

The MAGAs have been picking at this wound since before they became associated with the name MAGA and Donald Trump. It is now open and festering. The healing begins in each of us. We need to learn how to love one another no matter their skin color, their faith, their sexual orientation, their age, or their disability. Are we capable of this? Can we set aside our prejudices? Will we be allowed to learn from our past? 

I think we can. It starts with awareness. Dare I say, woke? Then we must teach our children well. 

Deescalating Hate

 It Starts With Us

Take Action/Inspire Change

There's a United Way blog with eight things we can do personally to end hate. The blog was published to promote Nelson Mandela Day. 

Racial inequality and injustice were hiding in plain sight. Racism is now laid bare by a global pandemic and recent police violence in the U.S., South Africa, and throughout the world. "The systems and policies that cause health and economic disparities sprung from and are entrenched by the deep and enduring legacy of racism."

Mei Cobb's blog came up with eight actions we can take to inspire change.

1. Register to vote and help others do the same.
2. Examine and correct your own biases.
3. Have conversations about race.
4. Read to understand the history and impact of racism.
5. Support anti-racism organizations.
6. Advocate for laws that dismantle barriers to economic opportunity.
7. Volunteer to improve the health, education, and financial stability of people living in poverty.
8. Use your influence within your workplace and other organizations to address racial inequity.
9. I would add another. Never give up.   

Seems pretty simple. What's in our way?  

We can only control what we do, how we react. Don't expect change overnight. Don't expect immediate change from others. Focus on their actions, their policies, not the person. Once you confront the person, the anger escalates. These nine actions are starting points. All are calls to action.

I

I 

How to Apply Critical Race Theory

A Real World Problem 

To find out what is causing all the hubbub in America, I went Britanica. Why? Racism is real. It still exists. Yet, a large portion of our population doesn't want us to know about it.

 Critical Race Theory (CRT), intellectual movement and loosely organized framework of legal analysis based on the premise that race is not a natural, biologically grounded feature of physically distinct subgroups of human beings but a socially constructed (culturally invented) category that is used to oppress and exploit people of colour. Critical race theorists hold that the law and legal institutions in the United States are inherently racist insofar as they function to create and maintain social, economic, and political inequalities between whites and nonwhites, especially African Americans.

Bias?

As an example of the unconsious bias that permeates our society, the job numbers for June were really good. According to an article by Kristan Broady and Carl Romer of the Metropolitan Policy Program, the Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report for June, released earlier this week, showed a continuation of the steady economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Nationally, 850,000 jobs were added last month. The unemployment rate ticked up slightly, to 5.9%, after falling from 6.1% in April to 5.8% in May.

The numbers are robust, but the gains are uneven. Blacks continue to have the highest unemployment rate, an established trend. 

A Racist Trope

A lot of jobs are opening up. Yet, many postions are going unfilled. I know people who would say, "They're just lazy." "Black people have no incentive to look for work because of government payouts." Both statement are based on bias. If they are true, there are plenty of white people who would take those jobs. Please ask yourself, why haven't they? 

Rational Reasons

The article from The Brookings Institute, "Despite June’s positive jobs numbers, Black workers continue to face high unemployment", points out mitigating circimstance. 

While June’s 850,000-job increase is promising, the number of people who are not in the labor force but who currently want a job is at 6.4 million—up by 1.4 million since February 2020. These people are not counted in the unemployment rate because they had not actively looked for work within the last four weeks. Racial disparities in unemployment also continue, with Black workers—particularly, Black teens—experiencing the highest unemployment rates. As the recovery continues, employers, government officials, and policymakers must continue to consider Americans who will be impacted by expiring enhanced unemployment benefits, as well as those who are not actively looking for work due to problems in transportation access, a lack of child care, or other issues.

The situation is not as simple as some would have us believe. 

Critical Race Theory would have us start the discussion from a point of an informed conversation, taking into account all of the factors that have led us to this point. In other words, we need to take in perspectives that have been suppressed or withheld for more than four centuries and apply them to today's problems.

Fighting Racism

You're a Racist!!!!

Uh...that might not work.

Even white supremiscists don't like being called a racist. Their rsposne might be, "you're a racist!" It reminds me of the second grade.

Standing idly by is not an option, but how do we approach this? How can we call people out without a confrontation? Perhaps, we need to start with unconscious biases and unintentional racism. And a great place to start might be ourselves. The first thing you should get over is an almost automatic response, "I haven't got a racist bone in my body!"

Last year, NPR's Eric Deggans came out with a post on Life Kit, 'Not Racist' Is Not Enough: Putting In The Work To Be Anti-Racist. You may know him as NPR's TV critic. He's also spent years exploring how systemic racism affects media and society. He's written a book about it, called Race-Baiter, and built a TEDx talk around how to talk about race across racial lines. Deggans says, "As a Black man who speaks often on these subjects, I find race, racism and anti-racism to be things people think they know but often don't – at least, not as well as they think they do."

Deggans came up with four tips to help us deal with these issue. 

If you have an issue with Tip#1, you have a lot of work to do if you're really serious about this.

Tip #1: Accept that we've all been raised in a society that elevates white culture over others. Being anti-racist will mean first challenging those notions inside yourself.

There's a whole political party that wants to keep you from discovering Tip#2. Somehow, learning the truth is anit-patriotic.

Tip #2: Learn the history of racism and anti-racism, especially in America, to educate yourself about the complexities of the issues you'll be confronting.

Broadening your experience, being open to new ideas (Tip #3), can be enlightening.

Tip #3: Seek out films and TV shows which will challenge your notions of race and culture and dive in deeply, learning to see anti-racism in new ways.

Instead of leading the charge, ask how you can help. Reinventing the wheel only /causes tjose wheels to spin.

Tip #4: Find local organizations involved in anti-racism efforts – preferably led by people of color – and help uplift their voices and ideas.

Medgar Evers

Guided By Faith

Medgar Evers was one of many leaders of the civil rights movement that leaned heavily on their faith to give them strength against a system fueled by hate, only wishing to harm black Americans and kill them if need be. Those who would do harm to African Americans for seeking dignity and respect as promised by God, were protected by unjust laws and a system that legalized and encouraged racism.

"As long as God gives me strength to work and try to make things real for my children, I'm going to work for it - even if it means making the ultimate sacrifice."

-Medgar Evers

Medgar Evers was an activist and leader of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and early 1960s. He fought in World War II, and was part of the Normandy invasion. When he returned after the war, despite his service, he found barriers to his willingness to live the American Dream he fought for in the war.

He was undeterred. "Evers soon found that his skin color gave him no freedom when he and five friends were forced away at gunpoint from voting in a local election." (NAACP History) Despite this he enrolled in Alcorn State, majoring in business administration. According to the NAACP History site he soon became an activist as the president of the Regional Council of Negro Leadership (RCNL), a civil rights and pro self-help organization. He led a boycott against filling stations that would not allow Blacks to use their bathrooms. In 1954 he enrolled at the segregated University of Mississippi Law School. The NAACP took up his case and facilitated his enrollment.  In December of 1954, Evers became the NAACP’s first field officer in Mississippi.

Evers, activism made him a target of the segregationists. His public investigations into the murder of Emmett Till and his vocal support of Clyde Kennard left him vulnerable to attack. On May 28, 1963, a molotov cocktail was thrown into the carport of his home, and five days before his death, he was nearly run down by a car after he emerged from the Jackson NAACP office. Civil rights demonstrations accelerated in Jackson during the first week of June 1963. A local television station granted Evers time for a short speech, his first in Mississippi, where he outlined the goals of the Jackson movement. Following the speech, threats on Evers’ life increased.

On June 12, 1963, Evers pulled into his driveway after returning from an integration meeting where he had conferred with NAACP lawyers. Emerging from his car and carrying NAACP T-shirts that stated, “Jim Crow Must Go”, Evers was struck in the back with a bullet that ricocheted into his home. He staggered 30 feet before collapsing, dying at the local hospital 50 minutes later. Evers was murdered just hours after President John F. Kennedy’s speech on national television in support of civil rights. (NAACP History) 

His killer, Byron De La Beckwith, was not found guilty until 1994 because the all white jury deadlocked in the first two trials in the 1960's. New evidence found by the FBI in the early 90's led to his conviction. The 1996 film Ghosts of Mississippi tells the story of the 1994 trial.

Hope against racism

At around 9:05 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, June 17, 2015, the Charleston Police Department began receiving calls of a shooting at Emanuel AME Church. Like most of the violent extremist in this country, Dylan Roof was from the far right, a white supremacist. The killings were just one incident of a long history of hateful events in this country based on racism. What brought this home for me today is a hopeful song we started rehearsing today.  

James Taylor and Lowcountry Voices: "Shed a Little Light," Columbia SC

Race in America

Post Racist America?

I don't think so!

I see and hear racism a lot. Maybe it's because of how my family embraces diversity. Maybe it's because of how this election has brought a deep divide about hate and bigotry.

I was waiting in line to buy a newspaper this morning. The man in front of me was teasing the woman behind the counter calling her Momma. After he left she confided, "I'm not his Momma. I hate when he calls me that. He works here. They're all like that, you know." 

He was black. She was an older white woman.

There was an implicit bias in what she said. I was on the verge of saying something like, "This man does not represent an entire race. His actions represent himself. Why don't you just ask him nicely to stop?"

I let it pass. Maybe I shouldn't have.