I realized that in order for change to effectively happen we as a society can not keep standing behind these issues and can not be afraid of talking about it. That is the purpose of all the statements that were made by people in leadership positions who have a strong voice. They are saying "enough is enough" and it is time that we all become aware of this situation and educate ourselves in order to solve the deep rooted, long standing issue of systemic racism in our country.
I have to thank countless educators, friends and others who challenged my thinking throughout high school and college about White Privilege. Whether it was an educator telling us at Grafton High School about a friend who he knows who got pulled over in Ozaukee County for "DWB" (Driving while Black) or a Diversity in Education course at UWEC with one of the most powerful and challenging professors I ever had, all these educational opportunities opened my eyes to the systemic racism problem in our country.
Now for those of that do not know, I grew up in a predominately white suburb of Milwaukee where in the early 2000's we were one of the top 20 richest counties in the country and had a top 5 lowest unemployment rate in the country. I was very fortunate to grow up in this area and community that also had a very strong education system. Now for those of you familiar with the streets of Milwaukee, I want you to imagine that I was born, lived, and grew up on 35th and Center St. Think about the lack of experiences I would have had growing up (Little League, Mel's Charities, strong church family, strong neighborhood, strong education system, etc.) and how different my white life may be. Why does where I was born and raised affect so much of the opportunities given to me, it goes back to Redlining (please read the link for a history on Redlining) and segregating neighborhoods which has oppressed black and other races for years in this country. So just imagine how different my life would be if I did not have these opportunities to grow and flourish in a nurturing and strong educational environment. THAT IS WHITE PRIVILEGE. Taking all those things into account, now I want you to imagine that while I was growing up on 35th and Center I was black. The idea of growing up and seeing Police as being safe is now gone and out the window. Not only do I not get the same athletic, academic and social opportunities but now the people who you are supposed to trust the most who are there to protect you, I cannot trust. And due to longstanding issues with not only the Police but other white Americans, I cannot feel safe and protected in America (land of the free). I am looked at as different all because I was born 20 miles south from where I grew up and am a different color.
So no I did not work harder to get where I am today, I was given opportunities to succeed because of where I was born and my race. THAT IS WHITE PRIVILEGE AND SYSTEMIC RACISM.
And that is just the beginning of the difficulties of growing up as a black individual in this country means. I heard Emmanuel Acho (former NFL player) this week while describing what it was like to grow up as an African American in the US and it had a profound impact on me. He said something as simple as he always tries to be the first one off the elevator so the white people on the elevator are not threatened and do not think that he wants to cause harm. How crazy is that?! African Americans in this country not only cannot feel safe out in the community, with police officers but they have to even question and worry about being black while being in an elevator. THAT IS SYSTEMIC RACISM.
I also want to state that people who try to make this a political debate or a debate about the flag, you are missing the point. This is about bringing awareness to a social injustice that has been going on way too long in this country. I do not care if you are Republican, Democratic, part of the Green Party or any other political system, we need to bring this issue to light because it is the right thing to do and an issue that needs to be solved for Black Lives to Matter in this country and to feel safe and respected. And for those of you who are upset with "protesters" looting buildings, people have tried for years to bring light to this SYSTEMIC RACISM issue peacefully (Colin Kaepernick) and we (myself included) have ignored it. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (who also protested peacefully over 60 years ago) said "A riot is the language of the unheard".
The goal of this piece is not to cause a debate or argument but it is to try and educate and create civil conversations about this very strong issue in our country. Thank you to all the people who have impacted my view on this and shared their thoughts and stories, I now feel it is time to share mine. Once again we need to begin this conversation because things will not change without these uncomfortable conversations. My hope is that by reading this your eyes are opened a little bit and you begin to understand the systemic racism issue in this country. One of the best things we can do right now to begin to tackle this issue is to educate ourselves, have difficult conversations, and bring awareness to this pandemic that is going on in our country.
Above is an impactful 3 minute video by Gregg Popovich and his thoughts on this situation and race. Below are some ways you can begin to educate yourself and begin to fight this systemic problem in our country. Thank you to LaVall Jordan (Butler Basketball Coach) for sharing these resources.
