Am I a racist? Are you?

Am I a racist?  That is a question I have never pondered until recently.  I was taking my cat to work last week, and he got on the topic of “Black Lives Matter.”  He stated that several of his friends had approached him to help them publish a few articles.  He was interested and floated the idea by me.  Initially I told him: “Stay away from that crowd.”  I didn’t mean it in the way it was taken.  To me, the political conversation and the hash tag are inseparable.  That was the point of contention.  The point we just couldn’t come together on.  This article is my way of talking through the issue.  I encourage you to respond with the ways of my erroneous thinking.

His point was focused on the hash tag only, stating that I read too much into it and the political movement was separate.  I disagree; and at the end of writing this entry, still stick to the premise that the two are inseparable. He went on to explain that there is no way I could comprehend the meaning, as my life experiences did not include being the subject of racist actions.  He is right; I have not personally been on the receiving end (at least to my knowledge).  However, I do know that you need to judge people on an individual basis – and not lumped together as a group.

I have (had?) issues with the phrase itself.  To me all life is important, no matter the color of the skin; we all bleed red.  When I see the movement on TV, it is often accompanied by violence, not neccessarilly against the police; but against their fellow citizens.  The rioting in Ferguson, Baltimore, and other locals throughout this country.  You want to voice your anger with the police; fine.  But why do citizens burn and destroy the property of their fellow citizens?  I do not understand; and hence cannot support an organization that supports that kind of behavior.

Where should I go for information?  There is no better place than the source itself.  I read an interesting, to say the least, interview with one of the founders of Black Lives Matter: Alicia Garza.

Black Lives Matter is an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise.  It is an affirmation of Black folks’ contributions to this society, our humanity, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression.

– Alicia Garza

I have to admit, I take issue with a few things Ms. Garza says; but I cannot refute all of it, as each person’s life dictates their reality.   Ms. Garza states there is more quite frankly, and this is where I get off the bus.  She states, that when speaking of Black Lives Matter, the conversation is about ways in which:

• Black people are deprived of basic human rights and dignity.  Black poverty and genocide is state violence.
• Black people are locked in cages in this country–one half of all people in prisons or jails–is an act of state violence.
• Black women continue to bear the burden of a relentless assault on our children and our families and that assault is an act of state violence.
• 500,000 Black people in the US are undocumented immigrants and relegated to the shadows is state violence.
• Black girls are used as negotiating chips during times of conflict and war is state violence.
• Black folks living with disabilities and different abilities bear the burden of state-sponsored Darwinian experiments that attempt to squeeze them into boxes of normality defined by White supremacy is state violence.
• And the fact is that the lives of Black people—not ALL people—exist within these conditions is consequence of state violence.

The focus of “Black Lives Matter” is on the black population; as it should be.  Do I think what the three women who founded the movement are accomplishing is important?  The short answer is yes, we need to have conversations regarding some of those issues raised by Ms. Garza; but I disagree on all of them being “state violence.”   After reading most of the attached articles, I better understand that the movement is not for a general betterment; but a betterment of black society.  While I may disagree with her on some things, I find the cause admirable.  A more palatable article appeared on Grist.com.  In this interview, there were two of the three founders. What I really like though, is co-founder  Opal Tometi’s description of the phrase “Black lives matter” in an interview with The Nation.  As she states, “It’s a love note for our people, but it’s also a demand.”

I honestly think part of the problem is the hyphenation of our culture.  I encourage you to read: Heritage, Hate, or Hypocrisy.  An interesting graphic representing the “most racist places” in the United States. For sure, we have some problems, just a few of which include:

• Heavy handed policing. I think this is a problem, specifically in urban areas with large minority populations. I do not have the answer, and I agree that this is a conversation that needs to take place.  I think prison reform would also fall under this bullet.  There are a lot of people in jail for very minor offenses.  I think the judicial system should allow judges to use “out of the box” punishment / reformation methods.  For example, put a person convicted of their first DUI in a body bag and have him write letters to each of his loved ones as to why he is in the body bag. I encourage you to read a former post; Our Police – Warriors or Guardians.  Specifically, I’d point you to the comment at the bottom of the article.
• Immigration reform.  While Black Lives Matter is focused on the black illegals only – and for good reason; the fact of the matter is there are millions of illegal immigrants.  It is unrealistic to say they should all be deported.  There must be a two pronged policy, or set of policies put in place.  The first to secure our borders. We should have immigration, and a lot of it – but it should be controlled.  Second, and this can only be done after the first conditions are satisfied, let’s put in place policy to bring illegal immigrants into our society and culture.  But what we cannot do, is make a fast track – this undermines all those who have used official channels to migrate to this great land, and we cannot write off their sacrifice with the wave of a hand.
• Finally; but certainly not the least important: the demise of the black family.  There is a great article in the American Thinker, from 2014 that doesn’t look at the problem from an emotional point of view, but from a statistical point of view.  The point is made, and made rather well that the fault lies not in “race relations” per say; but in the loss of the two member family.  The black family has survived through slavery, Jim Crow laws, and other worldly events; but succumbed to the pendulum swing of overcompensating welfare programs, all led down the road of good intentions. As Mr. Kalahar eloquently point out: “the family is, and will forever be, the originator and primary transmitter of social capital.”

I feel each person should be measured for their contributions; not by the color of their skin, nor by their accent.  One area I strongly disagree with Ms. Garza on is the poverty and human rights issue.  I feel each citizen has the opportunity to better themselves, and has the responsibility to do so.  That’s part of being a citizen of this great land, we each have the responsibility to be a productive part of our society.  This was the message from our founding fathers.  One of the responsibilities of each citizen is to be a productive member of society.  I am sorry Ms. Garza; we will not agree that it is institutionalized  “war” on black people – I know too many people who have personally picked themselves out of bad environments.

Taken from another perspective is an article on yourblackworld.net. The article references the same research as the American Thinker; but looks at it from another perspective.  A quick disclaimer: I found some of the content on this website is not suitable for younger readers – and quite frankly, some of some content on the website I found downright distasteful; but the article is another take on the subject in question – and hence has relevancy.  What I found most interesting were the comments, some of which I found downright disturbing.

Does racism exist- yes; although I don’t think it is institutionalized as  it once was. I think racism is a two way street, it is not simply one-way.  As long as people behave as racists do, it will remain.  We can all remember the conversations about our president, President Obama, he wasn’t black enough for some, he was too black for others.  As long as people of {select any race} believe they are superior to another because of they way the {inject some silly criteria here} – the problem will persist.

While I disagree with Ms. Garza, I like Ms. Tometi’s description of the phrase.  A love note to our people – I like that.  It is a reminder to be proud, as a people who have contributed great things to not only this country; but the world as a whole. I can support her message more than the “in your face” message of Ms. Garza.  Ms. Tometi’s message is more powerful than Ms. Garzas, in my opinion.  I think next time I see the group on the news, I’ll remember Ms. Tometi: it’s a love note – not necessarily meant for the other races in our great land, a love note unique to blacks.  I can live with that.

So, to go full circle: Am I a racist?  Before we can even ask that question, we need to define two definitions: racist and racism.

A racist is defined by the Oxford dictionary as “a person who believes that a particular race is superior to another.”  The anti-defamation league states that racism is “the belief that a particular race is superior or inferior to another, that a person’s social and moral traits are predetermined by his or her inborn biological characteristics.”

To answer the question.  No; I don’t think I’m a racist.  With that being said – nobody should get a free ride in this country.  We all have the duty to be productive citizens, no matter your color, creed or sex. Maybe the question should be… are you a racist?

Am I off base here?  Did I miss the message?  I enjoy topics like this, these topics are why I created this website – to open a dialog and hear, or read opposing points of view.  After all, how are we to grow as individuals if we shut out opposing views?