Editorial: Yes! It really happened to me

“Right is right, wrong is wrong, and a body ain’t got not business doing wrong when he ain’t ignorant and knows better.”

—Mark Twain, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”

I was born on an Army post during the outset of World War II to a middle class, two-parent family. Raised in this consistent, two-parent family all of our lives, my two siblings and I lived in an environment of care, concern, respect and honor. We were never taught to hate, despise or judge a human’s worth by their human behavior.

Institutional and subtle racism were always present in our lives. Overt racism hid its ugly face in the human mind and heart literally afraid to expose itself because of some folkways, mores (the essential or characteristic customs and conventions of a community) and laws. I once heard a military school bus driver tell a Black student, “You ‘N-word’ have no business sitting next to white people.” (Note: the young airman bus driver was court-martialed for his conduct and sentenced to a prison term at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.)

During most of my adult life, I had not witnessed overt racism in my average, every-day existence. However, systemic racism was always as clear as a bright, sunny day.

Several weeks ago, after my mid-morning church service, a group of us went to a local restaurant for brunch. One of us had a “service” dog. A lady in front of our group questioned why the dog did not have on a service dog vest. The dog’s owner said she had the required information attached to the dog’s collar and also had the requisite card in her possession.

Wrong question number one was asked, “What services does the dog provide?” The answer; “Alerts on, among other things, high-blood pressure, diabetes, panic attacks and bed bugs.” The inquiring woman, we’ll call her “Karen,” looked at the Black male in the group and told him that he was probably the one who was alerted on for bed bugs. “Karen” was immediately called out for her obvious racist statement. “Karen” used the age-old excuse so frequently heard during the last five years, “I was only kidding. I’m sorry.” Sad!

Other patrons in the restaurant expressed their dismay at “Karen’s” outburst and weak apology to the subjected Black man. The major thing not done was that none of the patrons reported the incident to a manager, nor did they demand “Karen’s” removal from the premises.

Wouldn’t it have been a proper outcome of “Karen’s” outburst to have immediately involved management in this possibly wrong action? The main objective would have been the desire to finitely show that any patron involved was “not ignorant and knew better.”

I am a life member of a military organization, known worldwide, that tries very hard to keep the local community apprised of military news via the organization’s speaker program. During a recent speaking request to our organization by a world-renowned children’s organization, the president of our chapter and the first vice president both made presentations.

After the president’s remarks, the next presenter—a black man—who had previously been asked to speak on race gave his talk, which included remarks on diabetes. After the presentations, an elderly gentleman, without seeking to ask a question, blurted out, “You Black people have no business talking about race. You act like it’s an issue. If you weren’t so fat, you would not have a diabetes problem.” Nothing he said was either graceful or relevant to the just-concluded talk.

Not a single member of the audience said one positive or negative comment to the elderly man. It was a slow-motion movement of life.

Again, the main objective would have been the desire to finitely show that any member of the audience was “not ignorant and knew better.”

I often wonder exactly why we can’t solve this simple basic human problem—RACISM. Racism is so pervasive in our country and so many of us do not stand up for anything let alone what is right. Will some more of us die without seeing resolution to this 400-year-old malady?

In the protestant hymnal, the song “Praise with Joy the Work’s Creator,” the third verse says:

Praise the Spirit sent among us,

         liberating truth from pride,

         Forging bonds where race or gender,

         age or nation dare divide.

         Celebrate the Spirit’s treasure:

         foolishness non dare deride.

Why are we so reluctant to call people out? Why are some of us so willing to allow our fellow man to be constantly hurt?

—I was that little boy on the school bus.

—I was that man accused of having bed bugs.

—I was the speaker representing a renowned military organization.

“A person may cause evil to others not only by his actions buy by his inaction, and in either case he is justly accountable to them for the injury.”

—John Steward Mill, “On Liberty”

Gorham L. Black, III

COLONEL

United States Army (Ret.)