Gregory Freeman: Racial Harmony Requires Effort. 1/16/1994

Headline: RACIAL HARMONY REQUIRES EFFORT
Reporter: By Gregory Freeman

Publication: ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Last Printed: Sun., Jan. 16, 1994
Section: NEWS, Page: 4D, Edition: FIVE STAR

WHEN IT COMES to race in America, I suspect that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - borrowing from Charles Dickens - would find this to be the best of times and the worst of times.

We have made tremendous strides on matters of race since the mid-1950s when King first burst onto the national scene.
   Restrictions no longer exist that prevent African-Americans from going to the polls and making decisions about what types of individuals we want representing us on city councils, the mayor's office, the governor's mansion and the White House.
   No longer are we forced to buy meals to go because of policies that prevent blacks from getting sit-down service at restaurants.
   No longer are we prohibited from attending functions or watching films at particular theaters because of policies that refuse admittance to blacks.
   And, of course, no longer are we forced to sit at the back of the bus.

I suspect that when my grandfather was born, in the latter part of the 19th century, such strides would have been considered unthinkable.
The thought that blacks and whites could mingle in public places, work together in offices and other settings, even date or marry if they so desired surely would have been considered radical.
What a difference a century makes.

We have many people of different colors to thank - King being among them - for those achievements.
Indeed, in many of these areas, these are the best of times.

But other problems remain that, in some ways, suggest that these are the worst of times.
Despite tremendous strides, the dialogue between blacks and whites seems worse than ever.

Although some refuse to even discuss racial issues out of fear of what others might think of them, others seem to use intentionally inflammatory language to get a rise out of people.
   How else could you explain the use of the "n" word, or the phrase "white boy" when talking about adults?
   After all, wouldn't whites be offended by the use of the "h" word? Wouldn't African-American adults feel insulted if they were called "black boys?"
   Resentment of whites by some blacks and disgust with blacks by some whites add more venom to the already poisonous mixture.

But the tensions go beyond words.
   Blacks and whites continue to exclude one another from activities. When was the last time you invited someone of another race to your home or were invited to the home of someone of a race different from your own? If your answer is recently, you're probably in the minority.
   How many social activities are planned in which people of different races are encouraged to participate? Again, probably not nearly as many as you might think.
   Although blacks have more of an opportunity for an education today than 40 years ago, the job opportunity still isn't equal. The black unemployment rate is much too high. Although blacks can get into corporate settings much more easily than 40 years ago, invisible ceilings still prevent many of them from getting beyond a certain point.

The answer is not to turn the tables and to discriminate against whites. It's no more fair for me to discriminate against you than for you to discriminate against me.

No, the answer lies in greater inclusiveness on both sides and on all levels.
   Such inclusion is what Martin Luther King fought for throughout his life, despite unbearable odds.
   It was this inclusion that King talked about when he spoke of transforming "the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood."
   That symphony hasn't yet begun, and more than a few people - white and black - suggest today that we should abandon any hopes of making music together.

I'm sure that if King were alive, he would suggest that it's easy for us to throw up our hands and give up on the idea. It's much harder to continue work on improving our lives together. That takes work.
But, as my father used to say to me, "Nothing good comes easy."
If a goal is worthwhile, it's worth working for. And although we may never have a perfect society, we can surely all take steps to improving the one we have.

These are the best of times; these are the worst of times. King's challenge to us on racial matters would surely be for us to work toward making these times the best ones possible for everyone.

Daniel Schesch - Webweaver

back