I've been out-of-town for the past couple weeks and so when the Charlottesville rallies and the responsive actions of the nation occurred, I was for the most part "unplugged" (aside from catching a few headlines and Facebook statuses here and there). I needed this vacation immensely and my efforts to relax and disconnect were absolutely intentional and necessary. So, with late and limited knowledge and the desire to remain relaxed while contemplative and meaningful, it has taken me some time to compile a response.
After scouring multiple news sources, I have learned that the images I saw involved a group of several hundred people, mostly men, who gathered in Charlottesville, VA to protest the removal of a Confederate Statue – which was scheduled to be moved and sold after a city council vote determined this would be the course of action. They named this rally "Unite the Right". Despite the fact that Charlottesville is a very liberal town, multiple white supremacist groups (Neo-Nazis, KKK, etc.) from around the country were attracted to the area by the news of the impending statue removal and have used it as a gathering place. Over the past several months, they have on several occasions, convened there and at least one other time held a torch-lit rally with little-to-no repercussions. When counter-protestors (many from the near-by university) arrived and gathered, the number of torches grew and the number of injured and dead climbed. Amongst the various messages, the white supremacist groups, now collectively being dubbed the "Alt Right" were photographed performing the Hitler salute and waving Nazi flags.
Following the events that occurred in Charlottesville, several cities, including Baltimore, made the decision (through due process) to remove confederate statues from the city. The law does not require a vote from its residents in order to do this and given the attention the Charlottesville vote had and the unfolding that resulted from that attention, I think the Mayor made a wise decision for the safety of its residents, to remove the statues quickly and quietly overnight so as to discourage further rallies and potential violence. Baltimore after all, didn't handle the Freddie Gray rallies very well. And still in the name of history, in the name of fairness, the debate continues and our country remains divided.
And divided as this country may be, the problems here aren't new ones and the solutions I believe are simpler than we realize.
The kind of hatred and racism displayed in Charlottesville isn't new. It's not because of a certain president (though his attempts to rebuke the "Alt-right" groups that support him were pathetic) and it's not because a certain political party holds the majority. The inhumanity of our past has trickled down for centuries in the form of oppression, prejudice, and bigotry. Much the way drops of rain fall out of the sky and then work their way through the layers of earth, this hatred has continued to percolate the minds of one generation onto the next. And before we can begin to stop this flow and prevent further inhumanity, we must first acknowledge it's existence. Fortunately, thanks to cultural exposure and education, oppressive and racist ideologies such as white supremacy are less and less popular and acceptable with each coming generation. And yet, here we are two weeks post Charlottesville and it's obvious that there's still a lot of work to do.
I remember when I first learned about the KKK, civil rights and the Nazi regime. A child in a classroom, I was horrified when I learned what injustices and sheer evil had been done to our citizens of color and the jewish people, not to mention the other minority groups who were persecuted. As we stared at the horrifying images of nooses hung from trees, gas chambers and countless unmarked graves, I peered around the classroom sheepishly at my friends and classmates who came from such heritage. My heart ached for them, their history, their ancestors and I wondered how they were feeling – sitting in our predominately white classroom. I was only a child and still I felt the shame for the way some human beings, predominantly human beings of my color, treated others and I wanted to fix it.
If you had asked me at that time what 2017 would look like, I would've told you we'd be flying in space ships and wearing rocket booster shoes. I would've thought we'd have a colony on Mars by now. Everything in my mind's eye saw progression, a world of unity working together to not just coexist but to thrive. I never would have believed that in this year there would be a mob of angry men carrying lighted torches and claiming their superiority over others based on the color of their skin. Seeing the images of Charlottesville made me feel like I had woken-up in a fucked-up version of 'Back to the Future' and Doc Brown had mistakenly sent us back two hundred years instead of forward. And in my mind I could hear the sassy voice of my friend/coworker, "What year is this?"
Obviously the images there were disturbing and disgusting. Any decent human being with even a fraction of a heart can see just how wrong it was. So to focus on that aspect of the attacks would merely be stating the obvious.
I want to focus on the solution. Once we acknowledge the problem, the semantics of "Who-did-what?" are less of a priority. What group gathered where, who was holding a torch and who was holding a bat really doesn't matter. The problem is that there is racial tension in this country and there are groups of people who believe they are superior and want to eliminate other races. That has to change. And in order to move towards the path of healing and recovery we must make a conscious effort to reach out to the other side. It is only after we bring together the edges of our wound that it can start to heal and mend. Concern, understanding, passion and a desire to repair can guide our hearts the way a surgeon's hands guide his sutures. And pure human love and kindness are the perfect salve. We must work together and we must work hard to protect our future generations from the perpetual ooze of hatred and sickening ideology that is festering in this painful wound and further contaminating our society.
But how? How do we start? Where do we start?
On a quest for answers, my heart searched for words of goodness. And my ideals were confirmed.
Gandhi: "Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment."
"I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people."
"A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history."
Haile Selassie: "Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted, the indifference of those who should have known better, the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most, that has made it possible for evil to triumph".
<
p style=”padding-left: 30px;”>Albert Einstein: "Peace cannot be kept by force, it can only be achieved by understanding."
And then of course, there's the ever infamous and ever inspiring "I have a dream" speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As I reread it, I in some ways was again inspired by his powerful and influential words. Yet, there was another part of me that felt the speech was in some ways antiquated now ….. or at least it should be. The "For whites only" signs are gone and yet the subtle signs seen when a cab driver drives past a black family or when a police officer racially profiles someone….. or when white men march with torches …. proves that we haven't come as far as we should have.
"I have a dream … that little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers……"
Seriously? We're not there yet? As a country, why aren't we there yet? Why do races who work and live side by side still feel uncomfortable with one another? Sure, in the scope of world history, it hasn't really been that long since white men owned black men in this country. But still … we need to work harder to overcome this.
So, here is my response to the Charlottesville and racial issues in this country. My response is in the form of a challenge. And it's for every person regardless of their color. My challenge is for you to step outside of your social circle. Find a person in your neighborhood, work, school who comes from a different place and who wears a different color on their skin. Initiate a conversation. Ask them questions. Build a relationship. And I don't want to hear "I have black friends." Find a new one. And enter that relationship with the purpose of trying to understand them and enjoy them, not just mingle with them and certainly not to judge or change them.
We all carry biases. We've all heard the stereotypes. We all have questions in regards to other people's cultures. And the best way to get answers, the best way to understand, the best way to tackle the stereotypes and understand where their origins lie is to explore them, not ignore them. Have you ever wondered why so many black people do something? Or are afraid of something? Ever wondered why white people have a certain tendency towards something? Stop hiding your curiosities. Stop joking about it amongst your safe circle of like-colored friends. Establish a trusting relationship with members of another race and you can begin to get your questions answered. It's hard to hate, it's hard to fear, what you understand.
Now. Once you have this relationship, once trust has been established and a solid effort has been made to nurture that relationship, take that relationship another step. Invite that friend into your home. Sit them at your table. Cook for them your best dish. Share with them stories of your upbringing and your family. Share a meal with them. Few gestures indicate kindness, generosity and love towards another human being more than inviting someone to break bread with you. There is a humility and vulnerability that comes with welcoming someone into your dwelling and sitting them at your table to share the foods and culture of your upbringing. And my hope is that as this relationship continues to blossom, your dinners will one day include more family members so that they too can learn.
We have statistics to show us the numbers of hate crimes that continue to occur, the crime ratios based on race, the number of interracial marriages, the racial breakdown of our communities and universities … but no where can I find a study that shows the number of people who have in the last year (or even lifetime for that matter), invited someone of a different race to share a meal with them. And my bet is that if we did conduct such a study, we'd be ashamed of the results. The segregation signs are down and yet we continue to separate ourselves – in the night clubs, in our neighborhoods, in our work place break-rooms. And my bet is that as we begin to hear other people's stories and ideas and feelings and we share our own in return, that we will begin to understand one another. That understanding will yield comfort and togetherness and ultimately loyalty. As Albert Einstein so geniusly stated, understanding is what will bring us to peace, not force.
Imagine if everyone in this country picked just one person of another race and made it their goal to understand and enjoy them - Just one more person to learn from, one more person to share with, one more person to love. Imagine how the world would change if we could get our questions answered, if we could reduce our discomfort and our fear and expand our world views and perspectives. We can't wait for someone else to reach out. We can't wait to be invited. We have to take that leap. We have to be the one that reaches across the aisle. We have to be the one that tries. Learning to understand another human being, seeing them as a soul instead of a number or a color …. that's something no political party can fund, no history book can teach and no statue can build. That I believe is what will heal our country and make our children's world a brighter …. or shall I say, more colorful one.
