There are many who want to believe that the election of an African American President means this country has achieved the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King. I do not agree. This is a simplification of the situation. Don’t get me wrong it does show that we as a nation have made great strides. We have come a long way as the cigarette ad tells us.
What is disturbing is that there are many who think that this election means its all okay and want to simply sweep racism under the rug and pretend it has been defeated in our nation. That type of thinking is far more dangerous than the racism itself. Denying its existence can do much more harm. There are many who want to simply by-pass some of the horrible events that have occurred in our nation’s history.
Such as the many treaties our government has broken. Not just with the Native Americans but with other nations, such as Mexico. Promises that were made and then taken back simply because they no longer suited us. Sadly they are a large part of your past.
Many of our history books just literally gloss over certain events or give fleeting accounts. They want to forget the cruel things done to the Native people of this land. They want to claim that since slavery is no more that talking about it is pointless. They want to believe that the Alamo and the Civil War had nothing to do with slavery but merely freedom. That sending Japanese Americans to camps during WWII was just a way of protecting ourselves.
The problem as I see it is that since the passage of the Civil Rights Act racism has not gone away but has gone underground. Out right open discrimination was no longer allowed. But the thinking and the mindset doesn’t go away. The second part of the problem is that being discriminated against, being offended, and insulted by a remark or action are feelings. You can’t argue away feelings. You can’t tell someone that their feelings are wrong and that they shouldn’t “feel” that way. That is the same for telling somebody not to love a certain person or not to be sad or angry right now. Or tell them they should be happy.
Recently at the school where I work they held a dress up day entitled “tribe day.” Students showed up wearing long feather headdress, painted faces, and carrying tomahawks. Seeing this made me feel very insulted and angry. I was deeply offended. For someone to tell me to just get over it or that I was just being too sensitive is a prime example of the problem. In essence what it does is to imply that my views or the views of others offended do not matter. That our values or things we hold dear are not to be held in regard or that the things which we hold dear to our culture are not important. The same applies when I hear people say that people should not be offended by the “Washington Redskins” or the “Cleveland Indians.” I doubt that there would ever be a team called the “Vermont Whities,” or the “Dallas Protestants.” But I could only imagine the firestorm should not names ever be proposed.
The election of Braarack Obama is not an indication that we have overcome the problem of racism. If anything it has allowed some beliefs and ideas long hidden to rise to the surface once again. This can be a good thing as long as people are willing to admit that these beliefs exist. As long as they are willing to honestly address the issue. If not then the anger, resentment, and hatred from both sides will eventually grow and then explode.
My fear is that if it does blow up it will be in a way which will make the civil rights, and Chicano movement of the late 1960s appear tame in comparison. I am afraid we would see violence at the level of the French and Russian Revolutions.
In someway I can see why people believe racism is no longer with us. Since it has gone underground and become hidden we no longer see the blatant racism we used to see. Such as the sign in the window saying, “white only” or “no Mexicans allowed.” Although many are unwilling to accept it but minorities are often spoken to and treated in a very different manner. Again as an educator, I have seen it happen under the radar. It is like the bully who is well-behaved in the presence of an authority figure but will taunt and punch the smaller child when nobody is looking.
So the fact that many do not see racism in this nation in no way negate its existence. What they need to do is to begin listening to the voices who are upset and longing to be heard. But more than this those who are experiencing the brunt of this revival of racially charged thought and expression. We who believe that we have come a long way but still have much growth must speak louder than those who are attempting to return our nation to a time of separation, anger, distain, and hatred.
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