This week marks the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream speech delivered at The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. He hoped it would go down "as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation" and I believe he was right. How
ever, recent events have me concerned. Is it just me or does there seem to be far more emphasis on race in the past couple of years? Obviously, with the first black president, we should herald his achievement and have constructive conversations about race—positive conversations that serve as an example to young people that they can achieve anything. Instead, in the last couple of years, I am beginning to feel like I am being drawn into a race war. If we are to believe the DHS employee, Ayo Kimathi he warns of an "unavoidable, inevitable clash with the white race". At the very minimum, we as a human race are being tested. A test we cannot afford to fail. Nevertheless, the words I hear from the President, “Reverends” Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton, Hollywood (both the individual entertainers as well as their collective product), and many vocal black activists, tend to divide the country instead of unifying. They make us angry instead of accepting; resentful instead of reassured. If we are going to discuss race, let’s all be honest.
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| King delivering I Have a Dream speech. 28 AUG 63. |
ever, recent events have me concerned. Is it just me or does there seem to be far more emphasis on race in the past couple of years? Obviously, with the first black president, we should herald his achievement and have constructive conversations about race—positive conversations that serve as an example to young people that they can achieve anything. Instead, in the last couple of years, I am beginning to feel like I am being drawn into a race war. If we are to believe the DHS employee, Ayo Kimathi he warns of an "unavoidable, inevitable clash with the white race". At the very minimum, we as a human race are being tested. A test we cannot afford to fail. Nevertheless, the words I hear from the President, “Reverends” Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton, Hollywood (both the individual entertainers as well as their collective product), and many vocal black activists, tend to divide the country instead of unifying. They make us angry instead of accepting; resentful instead of reassured. If we are going to discuss race, let’s all be honest.
In the spirit of full disclosure, on occasion, I have used the word “nigger”.
I grew up in the South where the word was used daily in many households. While some might have a hard time understanding this, it was not
used with malice. It was just a descriptor. I offer that not as an excuse but
rather as an explanation. It was used much like an adjective: blue sky, green
grass, nigger boy. Please do not misunderstand, we did not look down upon blacks or think any less of them. I could not understand how one man could "own" another and force him into slavery. Furthermore, we were taught to respect our elders and from a young age remember saying "yes ma'am and no sir" to all elders, regardless of skin color. As I matured and made my way into the world, I stopped using the N-word. We are more than the color of our skin. While in the Marine Corps, we were
taught there was only one color—Marine Green—it came in two shades: Light Green
and Dark Green. From my experience, we did not have any problems. We accepted
each other to the point we recognized our differences and had fun. The Dark
Green Marines would laugh at the Light Green Marines in the shower saying
something like “Now you know WHY, once you go black, you don’t go back”. To
which, we replied, “Maybe that is the reason y’all can’t swim; too much
weight!” We all laughed.
So why do you think this recent emphasis on race? Is this a
good thing? Take Paula Deen. She was crucified for admitting in sworn
statements she used the N-word 30 years ago when she recounted the day a
black man entered a bank and held a gun to her head. Companies and
business partners did not wait for the outcome of the racial claim to be adjudicated.
Instead, they dropped her. Overnight, her brand was damaged. Some believe she will
never reach the level of success she enjoyed before this event.
Another example. On this season of Big Brother, two
houseguests (Aaryn Gries and GinaMarie Zimmerman) have been fired from their
jobs outside of the House (they are still unaware of this) because of racial
slurs and comments made in the house about blacks and Asians. The comments are
deemed so offensive, that CBS now runs a disclaimer before each show. While I
do not condone their comments, I do not agree with a company firing them. From
what I have found, both are on official Leave of Absence and are not receiving
pay. Furthermore, they are not on the show representing their employers. I get
moral clauses in employment contracts, but at what point do we tell our
employers to stay out of our lives? Perhaps, right before we tell the
government to do the same. Alas, that is a discussion for another time and is
beyond the scope of this writing. However, the comments from the white girls (one from Texas and one from New York), come across as racist and at the least mean-spirited. Even when called out by other houseguests, they refused to believe they had said anything racist. As a white man, I understand how their comments sound. We have to change what is in our hearts before we can change what comes out of our mouths.
Of course, I would be remiss if I did not mention the recent
acts of violence, starting with the death of Trayvon Martin. I think this young
man’s death is a tragedy. I cannot imagine how his parents must feel. There are many what-ifs that could have prevented
this from happening. I do not believe George Zimmerman is nor was a racist. His
past actions and his own heritage refute this. His grandfather was of African
and Peruvian descent. He shared his home with two young black girls he
considered sisters. He took a black girl to prom. He once protested against the
way Sanford police handled the case of a homeless black man beaten by the son
of a Sanford police officer. He made fliers and distributed them, even asking
the NAACP for help. They declined. Only after the guilty man came forward, did
the NAACP come forward and that was to deliver a check to the homeless man—from
money Zimmerman helped raise. Incidentally, it was the same Sanford police
department that Zimmerman protested against, that found no evidence of a crime in
the Martin death. I also believe Martin was not the “little angel” the jury
heard about. His Twitter and Facebook accounts show him participating in violence
and drug use. This in itself does not imply he was guilty of anything on the night of his death. Regardless, after Martin attacked Zimmerman, Zimmerman fired his
legally owned firearm in self-defense. This was also his defense strategy—self-defense—not
“Stand your ground” that many on the Left and in the media want you to believe.
Martin's death sparked numerous black-on-white attacks across the country with the intent of getting "Justice for Trayvon". Below are a few of the reported attacks.
- 17 MAR 12 in Baltimore, MD, Aaron Parsons (20) with another black, beat, stripped, and robbed a white male. One of the suspects tweeted, "me an (sic) my boys helped get justice fore (sic) Trayvon".
- 24 MAR 12, at least seven whites were attacked and beaten by "mobs" of blacks.
- 25 MAR 12 in Cobb County, GA a white Marine was beaten to death by four black males. The Marine had survived two combat tours in Iraq.
- 05 APR 12, in Toledo, OH, 78-year-old white male Dallas Watts was attacked and beaten by several blacks yelling, "This is for Trayvon".
- 09 APR 12, in Gainesville, FL, multiple black males got out of the car they were riding to beat and batter a 27-year-old white male.
- 14 APR 12, in Mobile, AL, Matthew Owens was beaten by a mob of up to 20 blacks. One witness heard an attacker say "This is justice for Trayvon".
In recent weeks, we all watched with anger and disbelief the
CCTV as three black teens (15) brutally beat a younger teen (13) on a
Gulfport, FL bus. Last week in Memphis, TN David Santucci (27) was beaten to
death by three blacks. It was ruled a “failed robbery” although he still had
his cell phone, watch, car keys, wallet with credit cards, and cash
remaining in his pocket. Earlier this week, one white and two black teens shot and killed
Australian baseball player, Christopher Lane (22) while running in Oklahoma
City, OK. They said they “were bored” although recent evidence points towards racial
bias and perhaps gang initiation. Thursday, we learned of the murder of 88-year-old Delbert Benton of Spokane, WA. This WWII vet survived a gunshot wound
sustained during the Battle of Okinawa, only to die sitting in the safety of his
car at a local lodge. Dr. King would not have stood for this. He said, "We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protests to degenerate into physical violence."
This violence is wrong. Now I am not one that sees everything
through racial eyes, but it gets hard not to. When you have race-baiters preaching to minorities they are a victim and the white man owes them, it
angers me. This is not what Dr. King and other brave men and women marched for.
Dr. King’s dream was not about division, but rather unification; for blacks to
have the same rights as whites. Bill Cosby in his address to the NAACP on the
50th anniversary of Brown vs.
Board of Education spoke candidly about the state of the black community, “We cannot blame white people”. Cosby essentially, through a comedic
delivery, asked the question what good is Brown if we as a (black) community are not
willing to take advantage of the opportunities to education it has afforded us?
Instead, many in the black community, and I am by no means saying all, want
something for nothing. They want love but are unwilling to commit to a
marriage. They want money but are unwilling to work hard to earn it. Mr.
Cosby spoke of a 50% school drop-out rate in the black community and speaking a form of language
no one can understand. He posited that you need to avail yourself of education and learn how to speak English. He is correct. We should not allow
anyone to encourage mediocrity. We should not allow someone to claim victimhood
and therefore feel like they are owed something. Mr. Cosby spoke of the disintegration
of the black family; women having as many as five and six children all from different fathers. The father shirks their responsibilities and does not stick
around to provide for that child.
In 1911 Booker T. Washington summed up events of the day, which is as true now as then. He stated, “There is a class of colored people who make a business of keeping the
troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public.
Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they
have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs-partly because
they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want
the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs.”
Does this sound like anyone you have heard lately?
What are we to do? As I stated at the beginning, let’s talk
about race, but let’s all be honest. If seeing a black man walking behind you
in a parking lot frightens you—say that. If you are angry about white-on-black
crime—say that. But please, let’s all be guided by facts. Furthermore, I
suggest we start at the top. The president is the face of our country. He sets
the tone. He can either soothe or entice. So Mr. President these words are for
you.
Mr. President, you were quick to chime in when a white Cambridge,
MA policeman arrested black professor Henry L. Gates, Jr., saying “the police
acted stupidly” when in fact their actions proved to be the SOP with police
forces throughout the country. You were quick to comment on the Trayvon Martin
death by saying “If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon”. You were happy last
year when you signed an Executive Order “African-American Education Initiative”
calling on all school administrators to reduce the number of disciplinary
actions by in essence enacting a quota system that limits disciplinary action against
blacks to the same number of whites disciplined. Nothing in your EO addresses
bad behavior only limiting the punishment. There are consequences to actions; you are removing those consequences. What incentive or deterrent do they have
to behave now?
I suggest you and others lead and govern by a concept known as “Principle Centered Management”. Principles are unchanging. They are
static. They are absolutes. They are not influenced by circumstances. For
example, if a person is against abortion then they should not seek one when
they have an unplanned pregnancy. If a person protests against capital
punishment, then they should not support it if a loved one is killed.
More specifically, you should be appalled at the violence
itself, not at the race of the perpetrators or victims. The headlines should
not mention race. Your willingness to run to any available camera to make a
statement when blacks are harmed is quickly overshadowed by your running away
from those same cameras when whites are harmed. Your silence is heard throughout the
nation. You should not have weighed in on the two situations I mentioned. Leave
them at the local level. You injected yourself into some situations and shied
away from others. To quote you, Mr. President, you acted stupidly. Next, the racebaiters need to stop. They are not helping anyone but themselves. They
only wish to subjugate a generation, fueling their minds with entitlements and
government handouts. It appears all the great work from the 60s is forgotten.
The advancements were lost. Finally, the individual. I quote Don Lemon of CNN:
- Pull up your pants
- Drop the N-word
- Take care of your community
- Finish High School
- Lower rate of children born out of wedlock
The world is black,
the world is white
It turns by day and
then by night
A child is black, a
child is white
Together they grow to
see the light, to see the light.
When I was in school, the teacher would pass out tests—black
ink on white paper—the only color that mattered was Red. Because it was a red
pen she graded the papers, made comments, and recorded the grade. It was common
to hear classmates quip, “The teacher made so many marks on my test, it looks
like she bled all over it”. The red stood out; the black and white just faded
away. Nowadays we are failing. There is too much red—too much blood. We are failing this test.
