Racism is a white people problem and it is the majority community who will solve police brutality...when they are ready.
Colin Kaepernick’s brave stand against police brutality and the predictable backlash from patrioteers (ha!) and mealy-mouthed liberals have served to expose the chasm between the races when it comes to entertainment in general and sports in particular. While there has always been discussion about black athletes and the need for them to give back to their communities and to publicly and repeatedly show that they are socially engaged, white athletes, on the other hand, are allowed to blithely skate on by. It is quite okay for them to see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil. They are a privileged class of people if ever there was one, and as such, it was neither expected nor encouraged for them to acknowledge that for some this world is not a bed of roses. Never been any pressure placed on them to speak out against injustice in particular or social ills in general. Why not, I wonder?
"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," Kaepernick told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way.There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
In last Friday's diary, we tried to show that there is indeed a problem and that it is going to take a rainbow of hands on deck to make a difference. Consider the protests we have had since the acquittal of the Trayvon’s Martin murderer. The protest over the killings of Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, and Freddie Gray. The “hands up don’t shoot” and the “I can’t breathe” nationwide protests. And yet evidence shows that the issue of police killing has only gotten worse and with even less accountability if that were possible. Ninety-two people died at the hands of police for the month of August. Alarmingly, since we posted last Friday, another 24 people have met their untimely demise at the hands of law enforcement officers in the USA. And the white athlete remains silent, and when they do speak, it is usually to castigate those who have taken a stand for justice.
In the words of Doughboy from Boyz n the Hood, “I started thinking, man, either they don't know, don't show, or don't care about what's going on...”
Enter Megan Rapinoe
Megan Rapinoe is not a household name. Did you know of her before? But the soccer player will certainly be remembered as the only white athlete (to date) to take an unambiguous stance against police brutality and for equal rights and justice for all. Activism, it seems, is not new to Ms. Rapinoe.
Rapinoe is an advocate for numerous LGBT organizations, including the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and Athlete Ally. In 2013, she was awarded the Board of Directors Award by the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center.
About Kaepernick, she had this to say:
"I think it's actually pretty disgusting the way he was treated and the way that a lot of the media has covered it and made it about something that it absolutely isn't. We need to have a more thoughtful, two-sided conversation about racial issues in this country."
I welcome Ms. Rapinoe to the table. I applaud her for her bravery and for caring about her fellow travelers on this earthly journey. I only have one small quibble; she said this:
"It's important to have white people stand in support of people of color on this. We don't need to be the leading voice, of course, but standing in support of them is something that's really powerful."
White people must absolutely be the leading voice on this issue. The police have no respect for our [black] voices. It is the loved ones of white people who are the perpetrators of violence against unarmed people of color. This is a problem that white people can solve; indeed, this is a problem that they must solve. Maybe, just maybe the white athlete can use their visibility to effect change where all else have changed. Maybe, just maybe we can start the proverbial ball a-rolling by getting a few white athletes woke and vocal. Where you at, guys?
To be fair, there hasn’t been a lot of support for Kaepernick from black athletes. Most of them have adopted the Michael Jordan/O J Simpson philosophy of burying their heads in the sands and conveniently forgetting from whence they came. Until their asses are in trouble that is. Then they come looking for support from the very people they scorned when they had the fair weather support of the majority community.
I was looking for a quote from Martin Luther King when I came across this amazing article written by Sam Laird. It says many of the things I wanted to say. It’s worth a read. In the meantime, MLK has a message for those who refuse to take a stand...or a knee:
In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends