How We React to Protesting in America
I remember a few years ago, the last time we went through
the string of lynchings, we were driving from the airport, we had picked Sean
up from college, and the interstate was closed down, and we were directed
off. I couldn’t figure out what was
going on, and then I saw all of the protesters blocking the interstate. I was so frustrated, and I felt so
inconvenienced. My anger kept growing as
we eventually weaved our way home.
That was the dialogue on the news also, these protesters
blocking the interstate, they’re disrupting our lives, disrupting
business. The protesters should be planning
their protests off business hours, and not blocking traffic. That would be more appropriate. Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Freddie Gray,
Eric Garner, and so many more. Can’t
remember what the latest killing had been at the time, but I guess their lives
were disrupted too, huh?
I also remember of course when Colin Kaepernick and some of
his teammates kneeled for the National Anthem.
That was called disrespectful to the military, and white America lost its
collective mind. And LeBron James wore a
shirt that said “I Can’t Breathe” after Eric Garner was murdered, but that was
heavily criticized by Laura Ingraham on Fox, who called for him to "shut up and dribble". Hey Laura, why don't you shut up and ..... No, just shut up.
Contrast that with some of the actions of white supremacists
and fringe groups that are given a free pass for their activities because they
are just exercising their freedom of speech rights. I’m sorry, I struggle with the visuals
above. Tell me that if the color of the
skin above had been reversed, we wouldn’t have a different perspective? What form of protest are we OK with African-Americans doing? People are being
senselessly murdered, and we are critical of the method of protest being used. They try peaceful protests, and it’s
disrespectful. They resort to violence,
because they aren’t being heard, and we send the military after them.
It’s funny what set me over the edge this time. I saw a friend’s post about the current
situation, and someone that I don’t even know wrote that “data does not support
rampant racist behavior by police” and “I don’t see racist behavior among
people I interact with, and I am among people of many races. So I question that it is systemic or
widespread – if it was, it seems I would see it in my experience.”
I lost my mind. I
don’t know why, maybe it was the last straw of the justification coming from
white America. All I could figure was
that she lived under a rock, or she had drank the Kool Aid being served daily
by the racists at Fox “News”.
OK, maybe I’m the one who has lived in some racist bubble
all my life, but let me at least provide a few examples of my early years:
- I give my parents credit, even though racism was rampant in the 60’s, I never heard that type of dialogue or talk in our home. But, I spent a great deal of time at my Great-grandmother’s house, and my Great Uncles were often there. I heard the N-word continually in my developmental years. They also insulted virtually every ethnic group, but the N-word was a word I heard often.
- I grew up out in the middle of the country, and there were very few African-Americans. I remember once we had a basketball game, and the JV team from the other school had an African-American. Some of the guys would yell racial slurs under their breaths throughout the game. Many in the stands laughed or laughed nervously, not knowing what to do. At halftime of the varsity game, a brawl broke out in the lobby because of the racial slurs that were made.
- When I was in college, I wrote part-time for a local newspaper covering high school sports. The one team in the league had a couple of young African-Americans move in, and they played on the basketball team. After a game the team had won, I was interviewing the coach, and this man yelled, “Hey coach!”. We both turned, and the man said, “Good thing you got those n---s, huh?” My mouth dropped, and the coach turned back to me, and he was visibly shaken and upset.
To deny that we are a racist nation is to deny our roots,
our upbringing. It’s in our blood, it’s
in our DNA. We are the country that gave
birth to the American Ku Klux Klan! How
can we deny who we are? Until we are
able to come to grips with this, we can’t move past this topic and gain any
ground.
“I tell you the truth, when you
refuse to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to
help me”
We have to acknowledge who we are, where we’ve come from,
and determine how we change this for the sake of all of our brothers and sisters
being targeted, dehumanized and some, sadly killed. If we say we don’t see color, we are lying to
ourselves. We all see color. If we want to hang onto the Confederate Flag
because it’s our heritage, we are telling those who find it a symbol of racism
and past slavery, we don’t care about how you feel, we value this symbolic
piece of cloth over you. If we deny
there is racism in this country, I would suggest we need to look in the
mirror.
I’ve often been one who believes in trying to find the
common ground on issues. I tend to
believe we take a hard line on each side of an issue, and there is often a
middle ground that we can come to agreement on that benefits both sides. There is no middle ground on this issue. If you don’t stand firmly against racism,
vocally, vehemently, you stand for it.
This is not an issue to be silent on.
“If these were silent, the very
stones would cry out”
Sadly, many of us, including me, have been silent for too
long. I applaud some of the younger
generation, they don’t seem nearly as complacent as some of us “old white guys”,
and I hope they sustain that anger and push for a change. For those of you like me who have stood by
too long, too silently, who have quietly felt anger, but didn’t do anything, I’d
like to share with you what a dear friend Dave Carr has taught me, and I’m
doing it to find a beginning, to find a voice.
I’ve taken the Alcoholics Anonymous approach, and if you’d like, please
join me:
HI, my name is Steve McCullough
I’m an American
I’m a racist
Epilogue:
I attended my first protest or rally yesterday that happened in Duluth,
Georgia. The picture below is from one
of four little girls that were near me with their parents. I cried.
It killed me that we have created a society where these children grow up
as “less than”. Yes, she matters. We love to spout off
about being a Christian nation, but there is so little that we do that has any
resemblance to what Jesus taught.
Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd
Say their names
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