Okay, I'm just gonna say it...if Oscar Grant had been a young white man -- first of all, that whole scene wouldn't have gone down if Oscar hadn't been a young black man -- but let's say hypothetically that it would have, Oscar would not have been murdered that night.
Some folks get all up in arms and start throwing around accusations about Black people attributing everything to race, but let's be real, sometimes that's exactly what it is. All we have to do is look at the evidence; and more evidence; and yet more evidence. My question is, "Why do some Whites immediately jump to the conclusion that upon encountering Black men (or women) in possibly uncomfortable situations, that the Black person must be killed and/or maimed?" I'm reminded of the guy recently convicted in Florida who shot and killed a young man over some loud music and his excuse was that he thought the kid had a gun. (Anyone remember Trayvon Martin?) Thank goodness, this guy was found guilty. Then there was the guy in Charlotte, NC who shot a woman banging on his door because she had been injured in a car crash and needed medical assistance. No questions asked, just BLAM! And these are just two incidents that I'm naming; you know of others if you're honest with yourself and have been paying attention. Tell me this: Why must seeing a Black face equal fear for one's life? A number of Black people have been lynched by White people, but when I see a White person, my subconscious doesn't automatically jump to the thought, "Oh gee, White person...I am in danger of losing my life at the end of a rope." Think about it.
Oh yes, I can just hear the angry voices now, including those of some of my friends who happen to be of the Caucasian Persuasion; but folks, we can't keep trying to sweep this stuff under the rug or pretending that racism isn't still a reality in this country. Yes, things are better than they were in my parent's day and when I was growing up, but there is still far too much systemic racism in America. There are still too many people who are surprised when they encounter a Black person who is intelligent and well-spoken. It's an uncomfortable subject, I get that; but discomfort is a piss-poor reason to continue to give tacit approval to something that is so very wrong on every level. If not now, when? If not you, who?
When President Obama was elected, it was suggested that we were now a post-racial country. Wrong answer. One of the first things that happened was that the Congress boldly stated that its primary goal was to make sure that nothing this President put forth got passed, and it wasn't because of his political party, it was because of the color of his skin. Yes, I know that he is half-White, but for those of you who are unschooled, there has always been a "one drop rule" in play in the USA, meaning that if a person has been "tainted" by even one drop of Black blood, then that person is Black, pure and simple. Extrapolate that further to mean that that person is inferior to a White person. I have never understood why a person would bake in the sun to get darker than I am naturally, yet feel superior to me because of the color of my skin...wha'??? Okay, I digressed there, sorry, but I remember how as a kid that it just blew my mind that I had to go in the side door and sit in the balcony at the theater because I was "colored" but deeply tanned White girls who looked more colored than I did were privileged to go in the front door and sit in the "good" seats.
We were discussing post-racialism...doesn't exist, and oh, how I wish that it did. As a thinking human being, I just don't get this "Us" vs. "Them" mentality on either side of the aisle. We're people, and to paraphrase Rodney King's question from all of those years ago, why can't we just all get along? Stop being afraid that someone else is going to have a bigger piece of the pie than you are. And that's what I believe it's all about...Fear (False Evidence Appearing Real). The pie is H-U-G-E and there is enough to go around; and besides, your mouth and stomach can only hold so much at one time. The Law of Abundance will operate quite well if we but let it, and the kitchen where that pie is baked never shuts down.
So let's each of us put on our big girl panties/boxers/briefs and begin some honest dialogue with other human beings and have that uncomfortable, even hated discussion about race and treating each other with human dignity and see how much better we can do. Let's become a part of the solution so that generations down the line won't be fighting this same battle.
Peace out.
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Thanks for keeping the dialogue going.