Let’s
start with a quiz based on recent headlines. Can you correctly match each item
in column 1 with one in col. 2? When
finished, reflect on the question that follows
.
|
1.
Breonna Taylor and George Floyd
|
A.
pejorative name for indigenous people
|
|
2.
Mt. Rushmore and Keystone oil pipeline
|
B.
excessive force by police
|
|
3.
Washington pro football team
|
C.
questionable use of confederate flag
|
|
4.
Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton
|
D.
violation of native American land rights
|
|
5.
Mississippi state flag and NASCAR
|
E.
slave owners
|
The
question: What do these have in common?
A
few random observations:
·
One popular TV reality
cop show most often depicts the culprit as from a minority race, often black.
Have you ever wondered why stories rarely depict a black victim and white
culprit? After all, white people are much more numerous in our society. Does
this mean white people are much more law abiding or could it be that it’s
easier to believe black people guilty of a crime? Because of this newly realized imbalance, the
producers of one of these shows have recently pulled it off the air.
·
Some states are
still tightening access to the voting booth apparently oblivious to who will now
not be able to vote. As a result, the
poor are often disenfranchised by their own government because they can’t
afford picture ID or cost of transportation to more distant polling places or they
would have to miss work because the hours to vote have been reduced.
·
How many of us,
including our president and people in congress, speak of how our freedom was enshrined
into the constitution and declaration of independence? When we hear this, do we
remember that women and slaves were not considered people? This was obvious when
the founders were talking about owning land or voting. Women had to protest for
decades before they gained the right to vote; that was just 100 years ago. In
our own time they and black people are still fighting to be considered equal. Despite
amendments to the constitution, both groups are still struggling, women for
equal pay for equal work, black people often for their very lives.
·
How often do we
recall that our country has struggled with racism in one form or another since
its beginnings. Even our sanitized history books refer to how various waves of
immigrants were treated like inferior people - Germans, Irish, Chinese, Japanese
Americans during WWII, and of course citizens of Africa who were not even
considered human, but rather property. Have we outgrown these judgments?
Where
do these thoughts lead us? They lead me to wondering what can be done. It all
seems so entrenched. What can one person do? Here are some ideas gathered from
various sources.
·
Be willing to look
at our personal and collective history with more openness. Remember that the
history written by victors is probably what we were taught, then consider how
the stories might have been different if there had been “minority reports.”
o A.
Would we have learned about lynchings? child enslavement? separation of
families? Would “Gone with the Wind” have painted a different picture?
o B.
Would we have learned that the plantations and industry that built the South were
built on the backs of black men, women, and children?
o C.
Would we have studied about horrors of the Trail of Tears or Wounded Knee?
o D.
Would we have spent some time reflecting on how our government cheated the
native tribes in buying Alaska and Manhattan for a few beads and furs? Was this
a “great deal,” imposing our system on a culture that believed no one could
“own” land because it was given by the creator for everyone to use?
o E.
Would you be willing to read Sojourner Truth’s speech in 1851 and/or Frederick
Douglass’ about 4th of July in 1852? (Both are fruitful reading
these 160 years later.) If so, try these links: HERS: https://www.thesojournertruthproject.com/compare-the-speeches
; HIS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h2927.html
It’s
not too late to reflect honestly on these questions and re-educate ourselves
about things we as the majority culture have taken for granted.
Often
we act as though truth is simple; it rarely is. Because of this, we must learn
to open our minds and hearts to the Spirit who is wisdom and insight. God is
constantly blessing us with opportunities to become more than we are at the
moment. To quote the iconic John Lewis who died just recently, “Hatred is too
heavy a burden to bear.” So are ignorance and apathy.
Sr. Colleen Winston, OSB
