As
Americans,
we
pride
ourselves on how far we’ve come
from the disturbing times of
slavery and segregation. We view
stories like the following, which
occurred in a small Southern
town during the early 1940s, as
bestial and archaic, instead of
recognizing how they directly
affected the events of today.
As a young man walked past a
young woman, he was accused of
piping out a “wolf call” whistle
in her direction. Though this
was undoubtedly irksome for
the woman in question, the
townsfolk
responded
in
an
excessively severe manner — for
the man had the misfortune of
being born Black in a country
where white was, and continues
to be, the more privileged shade.
Word quickly spread through
the town, and, as a result of the
growing outrage, the man fled
north to Philadelphia. However,
the man’s best friend was later
found dead behind a 50 gallon
gas can deep in the woods. The
killers couldn’t tell, or more
likely simply didn’t care about,
the differences between the two.
After arriving in Philadelphia,
the
fleeing
man
joined
the
army to fight for his country
in the Second World War. He
died during combat in Italy —
giving his life for a nation that
wouldn’t give anything for him.
This man’s story will not be
found in the pages of a history
book or in any documentary;
however, it is present in my
family’s
conversations.
This
man’s name was Osborne Ellis,
and he was my grandmother’s
uncle.
It’s easy to say what happened
in the past is done and over
with, but doing so only creates
room
for
gross
ignorance
surrounding modern-America’s
issues with race. All four of
my grandparents were well
into adolescence or adulthood
during, or before, the outbreak
of the Civil Rights Movement —
meaning a significant portion
of their childhood was spent
in a time and place where
events like these occurred with
relative
frequency.
Because
many
opinions,
viewpoints
and habits are formed during
childhood, my grandparents’
generation
carried
their
worldview, which was crafted
by
living
in
a
violently
discriminatory
society,
into
adulthood, shaping how they
raised the next generation of
Americans — a generation that
includes my, and many of my
peers’, parents.
Like
clockwork,
social
reproduction ensured that my
parents’ generation imprinted
upon us the perspectives that
their parents, who grew up
in Jim Crow America, taught
them. Though the past may
seem distant, we are closer to
segregation than we’d like to
imagine.
When people ask why African
Americans can’t simply forgive
and forget, they assume we
have a choice to move on
from
the
decisions
of
the
past — decisions, by the way,
that were made without the
consent of African Americans,
despite the fact that these
decisions radically influenced
our
livelihoods.
We
never
chose
to
be
systematically
profiled and imprisoned. We
never chose to be red-lined
into destitute neighborhoods.
We never chose to be denied
opportunities
based
on
the
pigmentation of our skin. How
can we “forget” these obstacles
when they are still restraining
us in 2016? Asking us to forgive
and forget implies that we’re
the ones keeping the legacy of
segregation alive.
Whenever
an
African
American is senselessly gunned
down by the police, like we’ve
seen over the past few days
with
Philando
Castile
and
Alton Sterling, I’m angered
that people still ask, “How
could this happen in America
in 2016?” Though most people
who ask that type of question
are simply too optimistic about
the state of race relations in this
country, failing to acknowledge
these realities turns a blind eye
to the deep-rooted racism in
American culture.
Until people begin to recognize
the reality of race relations in
this country — that segregation
and oppression have never truly
disappeared,
they’ve
simply
taken up new names and forms
— nothing will ever change. The
deaths of Sterling and Castile are
not isolated incidents. Their lives
have just become a number on the
long list of victims of systematic
racism in this country.
Until people begin to recognize
the reality of race relations in
this country, police brutality will
continue to plague the African-
American community, employers
will continue to give white
applicants preference over their
Black counterparts and the cycle
of oppression will remain healthy
and strong. This is no different
than what has been happening
in America since the beginning,
only now it’s done in more subtle
ways. Obviously, some progress
has been made. But in the
grand scheme of American race
relations, we’re still living in the
shadow of the Jim Crow era.
When
people
start
having
these realizations, maybe we
will be greeted with compassion
rather than condemnation. But
I’m not holding my breath.
—Jason Rowland is an
LSA sohpomore.
5
OPINION
Thursday, July 14, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Nothing has changed
On race relations
Dear Constituents,
Once again, race and racial
interactions are front and center
in our national conversation. Our
collective thoughts and prayers
are with the families, loved
ones, friends and community
of those lost during the acts of
violence perpetrated in the week
that our nation celebrated its
independence. Alton Sterling,
Philando Castile, Sgt. Michael
Smith, Senior Corporal Lorne
Ahrens, Officer Michael Krol,
Officer
Patrick
Zamarripa
and Officer Brent Thompson
represent a growing number of
Americans who have fallen as a
result of indiscriminate violence
and brutality.
Death is neither Black nor
white. Every life is valuable, and
each loss of life is a tragedy. It
is evident, now more than ever,
that our country must continue
meaningful
and
relevant
dialogues on race relations, hate,
fear and healing.
As student leaders we hear you,
we are grieving with you, and we
too are struggling to make sense
of it all. There is nothing that
could ever be said to rationalize
the lack of compassion and
aggression that has plagued our
country so much this summer
and for decades. Unfortunately,
these tensions are not new,
and they can even pervade our
campuses.
They
stem
from
deep-seated
frustrations
and
learned resentments, creating
a false sense of “us and them.”
Let us not allow these ideas
to consume and divide us. Let
us continue to challenge our
perceptions, our peers, our
professors, our administrators
and our public servants at all
levels.
How do we overcome? Is it
possible for us to ever reach
race equilibrium?
As students, the exchange
of
perspectives,
ideas
and
understanding is critical in
moving us forward. We need
to cultivate a campus culture
that is safe and inclusive of all
students; one that encourages
honest, uninhibited dialogue
on racial issues. We must
bring these conversations into
spaces that students occupy,
whether they be our labs,
departments, classrooms and
beyond. It is necessary to
develop avenues to engage the
ally and majority community to
support marginalized groups.
Don’t be afraid to participate
in these discussions. Talk to
one another. Inaction is not an
option.
Across our campuses, we
must be more resolved in our
demand for unity, justice and
structural equality in all phases
of
our
education.
Request
racial literacy training. Enroll
in culture and race theory
courses. Explore racial and
ethnic intolerance subjects.
We
are
grateful
for
the
opportunity
to
serve
our
graduate
and
professional
student colleagues at each of
our
institutions,
no
matter
how difficult the challenge.
As presidents of the graduate
governments
at
Michigan
State
University
and
the
University of Michigan, though
competitors in the Big Ten, we
stand united in our resolve to
empower you to challenge the
status quo, confront all forms
of inequity and create the
best campus environments for
graduate education in the state
of Michigan.
—Dee Jordan is the
President of the Michigan
State University Council of
Graduate Students. Chukwuka
Mbagwu is the President of
Rackham Student Government.
DEE JORDAN AND CHUKWUKA MBAGWU | OP-ED
JASON ROWLAND | MICHIGAN IN COLOR
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