The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about the white man teaching their children, no matter what their circumstance, they could take solace in their superiority. “(Yes, sir) He gave him Jim Crow. (Uh huh) And when his wrinkled stomach cried out for the food that his empty pockets could not provide, (Yes, sir) he ate Jim Crow, a psychological bird that told him that no matter how bad off he was, at least he was a white man, better than the black man.”kingencyclopedia.stanford.edu/.... I feel as though I am living a cruel satirical version of a bad Saturday Night Live bit. I dream every night of hearing the famous tag line following the opening sketch, “live from New York, its Saturday night!” Only to awake in the morning startled that Hillary Clinton is not the President of the United States. Alas, it is not a sketch, nor a closing deadpan double take to a bad B-movie, I have faced it, Donald Trump will influence my life for a projected four years.
I know you are tired of hearing that phrase…
White privilege, has been a foreboding presence for my entire life, you see I live Black in America. Watching white people marvel at the texture of my sister’s hair and petting her like a dog, to white women in my life being fascinated by the contrast of our skin colors, as if I am of a different species. I was once asked, “do you have trouble knowing when you are sick because no one can tell if you are pale. The absurdity to think that an African American man or woman could only recognize sickness per a white standard, is silly and insulting. White privilege allows that behavior in America.
The liberal community is now facing the most overt challenge to equality since the 1960’s. You will not find Jim Crow signs hanging on the handles of water fountains. Or ‘colored only’ postings leading to theater balconies or bathrooms because Jim Crow has made its way into the White House. Bigotry has once again found safety in cowardly numbers. We are embarking on a new wave of second class citizenship with pundits, celebrities and politicians like CNN contributor Van Jones, actor Tom Hanks and Senator Chuck Schumer all tacitly condoning President-elect Trump with words like, let’s see what happens. Three of the most disastrous outcomes, of let’s see what happens, led to the Crusades www.history.com/... , Slavery www.history.com/... and the Holocaust www.history.com/.... All three events catalyzed by a spirit of righteous superiority. I live in a world dominated by white co-workers and academia. Academics, tend to think that symbols equal action, hashtags, safety pins and petitions are wonderful everyday reminders but I grew up in a time when people burned bras, draft cards and neighborhoods.
I marched, carried signs and yelled at the top of my lungs to stop the Vietnam War and in support of the ouster of Richard Nixon. We captured a country at the end of a musket muzzle, whipped slaves into building America and gun downed the dreams of a nation. Fortunately, we have advanced to the point of violence being recognized for the insanity it has always been. So, before you go out today wearing your safety pin, arm band or pink ribbon. Spend some time, with someone less fortunate, someone scared or someone lost. You can make a difference by avoiding getting lost in your own complacency. “In Germany, they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up.” --Pastor Martin Niemöller, 1945
Vote Democratic 2018, it’s not too late!