Juneteenth 2023

A badly slanted worldview.

There is a disease of the mind, an awful meme, usually passed from parent to child, that sees a person’s paint job as an all-defining aspect of their personality. This disease blinds the mind’s eye, disabling it from seeing past the color of someone’s skin.

Historically this disease has been one of the great sources of human evil. It’s bestial, a hearkening back to the primitive animal reactions of the perceived other. Tragically, the same minds that rise us so far up give us tremendous power to conceive hate, evil, and destruction.

At its worst, this disease — racism — leads to casual murder of human beings.

A while back, the TV show South Park (1997-present) pointed out how we’ve become inured to multiple first-degree murders of our children in school. About a year ago, the TV show Grown-ish (2018-present) made the point we’ve become inured to the ongoing murders of young Black men.

These should make us weep and rage and demand change; there is no other justified response from our hearts.

The hard part is the response from our heads. I’ve always said the heart pushes while the head steers. Our better angels come from both, but alas, so do our demons. How is it possible we stand by while this awful drumbeat of murder continues. Have the narcissistic creature comforts of modern living insulated us that much?

But the pot continues to boil; rage becomes destructive action; the circle closes; hate faces off against hate. (A very long time ago, wondering what the distant future of 2001 would be like, I predicted these things would have set the world on fire. Even back in the 1970s and 1980s the tensions over injustice raged. But the many opiates of modern life seem to have kept us mostly asleep.)

But do not ever think the cases are the same or even balanced. The hate that grows from the foul shit of racism is an evil choice without rational basis. It is the reason for the reactive hate by those treated as subhuman by racism. And those who stand on the sidelines despair that humanity will ever grow up.

How can one help but despise those who refuse to acknowledge someone’s basic humanity just because their paint job and accessories are different?

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As a white male, this is a topic I’m not qualified to fully understand. There are aspects of my life I can try to translate — times when, just because of personal traits, I’ve been rejected, disdained, or humiliated.

But it’s a dim patch on what is well described as surreal. I heard a phrase recently that seems to sum it up: Being Black in America is a surreal experience.

Indeed, it must be. When cops pull people over simply for driving while Black, yeah, it must be surreal AF. When just your name on a resume, let alone your picture, pushes that resume to the bottom of the pile (if not into the waste basket), yeah, it must be surreal AF.

And awful and soul destroying and rightfully enraging.

For what little it’s worth, I am not entirely without credentials. The first five years of my life were in New York City — the Bronx, specifically — which back in the late 1950s was a mix of Black, white, Latin, Italian, and Puerto Rican. What we had in common was that we were all poor. I learned from day one that skin color and ethnicity don’t matter; character is everything.

Then there were the grade school years in nearly all white Minneapolis (my literal and metaphoric Wonder Bread years). We moved to Los Angeles in the middle of my seventh-grade year. I lived there during my high school and college years in Inglewood, just west of Watts. At the time, Inglewood was transitioning from mostly white to mostly Black as folks moved out of Watts and closer to the ocean.

My high school was also transitioning, which made those years challenging. Plenty of racial tension. This was just after the Watts insurrection in 1965 and echoes still lingered. It was the first time I experienced racial conflict. In the New York of the 1950s, the racial injustice and imbalance hadn’t boiled over yet. My white Lutheran pastor father had often presided over funerals in Harlem.

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I’ve been back in Minnesota for almost four decades, but it took me a long time to fully appreciate the cracks in the facade of progressive liberalism Minnesota reaches for but doesn’t always grasp.

In part because, as in a number of states, the “out state” areas are conservative — there were a lot of trump signs in rural Minnesota — while the cities tend to be more progressive. The out-state folks hate that we “cidiots” outnumber them and sway elections.

But there is a strong conservative ethic that lurks even here in the Twin Cities. And while I support a rational conservative worldview — even share some of its thinking (such as small government, fiscal responsibility, and a certain degree of national isolationism) — conservative thinking often harbors racist thinking. The last administration seemed all too often to give it a wink, wink, nudge (if not, on some occasions, giving it apparent outright support).

It contributed, on May 25, 2020, to the public killing by Minneapolis police of George Floyd (1973-2020).

It rocked this city, led to civil insurrection, and shattered my naive belief that we were above that kind of evil. In retrospect, I should have known better. I just wasn’t paying attention.

Very little changed. Newsweek exactly one year later reported that 229 Black people were killed by police during that period. And suggested that number was probably an underestimate.

Some heart-rending statistics about Black people killed by police from the Mapping Police Violence website:

• 256 in 2020
• 274 in 2021
• 280 in 2022
• 90 so far in 2023

Not just that very little has changed. The problem is clearly getting worse. Our society is tragically broken (in more ways than one).

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There is the lovely old Twilight Zone idea that one can be shocked by a powerful enough experience to alter one’s core worldview.

I’m not sure I entirely buy that people can change like that, but I used to wish for the superpower to impose such an experience. With a snap of the fingers (or a wiggle of the nose), to make a racist have the mental experience of a few months in a slave ship. Or of just being Black in America.

If a genie granted me three wishes, one of them would be to eliminate racism (and sneaking in the elimination of sexism as a rider to that bill).

[For the record: One wish fixing racism and sexism; one wish that no dog ever suffers again; and one wish to go back and fix some personal mistakes.]

As I said above, as a white male I’m not able to fully appreciate what it means to be non-white. Or non-male. Let alone a non-white non-male. Women know the feeling; people of color certainly know the feeling; women of color especially know the feeling. It’s not a warm fuzzy feeling. At best, it’s a constant weight; at worst, it’s life-threatening.

I can’t claim to be entirely free of racist (or sexist) impulses. But being intelligent and rational, I try to recognize them as the primitive bestial emotions they are. It’s a very old cliche that we don’t judge books by their covers, but that’s exactly what we’re doing when we react to skin color, accessories, or plumbing.

As if any of that matters to the mind inside.

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Many have noticed that tribalism is on the rise, so it’s not surprising racial tensions have grown. The previous administration frequently fed the fires of tribalism, discontent, and hate. If it makes me sick and angry, the surrealistic horror is many times amplified for those caught in its jaws.

In a 1961 radio interview James Baldwin (1924-1987) said:

To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a state of rage almost, almost all of the time — and in one’s work. And part of the rage is this: It isn’t only what is happening to you. But it’s what’s happening all around you and all of the time in the face of the most extraordinary and criminal indifference, indifference of most white people in this country, and their ignorance. Now, since this is so, it’s a great temptation to simplify the issues under the illusion that if you simplify them enough, people will recognize them. I think this illusion is very dangerous because, in fact, it isn’t the way it works. A complex thing can’t be made simple. You simply have to try to deal with it in all its complexity and hope to get that complexity across.

True words then and ever since. True until we manage to mature as a species. True until we shed our ape-descended bestial mindset. True until we recognize and acknowledge the fundamental humanity of every human.

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Today is Juneteenth, a celebration of the proclamation of freedom for enslaved people in Texas on June 19, 1865. It was the last official act of emancipation — two-and-a-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.

And yet here we are today. 900 Black people so far killed by police in the 2020s. Many, many hundreds since George Floyd was killed. (And how many of our children have been shot to death while in school?) When and where do we get the will to change this horror show?

George Floyd (1973-2020)

On this day — if not every day — take the time to learn, reflect, and grow. Read about Juneteenth. Learn the names and stories of the dead.

Remember their names. Say their names.

Aaron Bailey, Abner Louima, Abram Smith, Adrian Medearis, Ahmaud Arbery, Aiyana Stanley-Jones, Akai Gurley, Albert Joseph Davis, Albert Woodfox, Alberta Spruill, Alexia Christian, Alonzo Smith, Alteria Woods, Alton Sterling, Amadou Diallo, Amanda Milan, Amber Monroe, Anarcha, Andrew Wright, Anthony Anderson, Anthony Ashford, Anthony Hill, Anthony Lamar Smith, Antron McCray, Antronie Scott, Antwon Rose Jr., Arminta Cobb, Arthur McDuffie, Ashanti Carmon, Ashton O’Hara, Asshams Pharoah Manley, Atatiana Jefferson, Benjamin Chavis, Bennie Lee Tignor, Betsey, Bettie Jones, Billy Ray Davis, Bobby Hutton, Botham Jean, Brendon Glenn, Brian Keith Day, Breonna Taylor, Brooklyn Lindsey, Calin Roquemore, Cariol Horne, Carter Howard, Chanelle Pickett, Charleena Lyles, Charles Bruce Charles Greenlee, Charles Kinsey, Charles Lang, Charles Weems, Charlie Pollard, Christian Cooper, Christian Taylor, Christopher S. Brown, Christopher Davis, Christopher McCorvey, Christopher Whitfield, Claire Legato, Clarence Norris, Claude Neal, Claude Reese, Clementa Pinckney, Clifford Glover, Connie Tindall, Corey Jones, Cornelius Fredericks, Cynthia Hurd, Dana Martin, Daniel Simmons, Danny Ray Thomas, Danroy “DJ” Henry Jr., Dante Parker, Danye Jones, Darius Robinson, Darrius Stewart, David Joseph, David McAtee, Deborah Danner, Decynthia Clements, DeeNiquia Dodds, Dejuan Hall Delrawn Small, Demarcus Semer, Demetrius Bryan Hollins, DePayne Middleton-Doctor, Derrick Scott, Diamond Bradley, Dominic Hutchinson, Dominique Fells, Dominique Clayton, Donald Ivy, Dontre Hamilton, Dravon Ames, Dreasjon Reed, Duane Wight, Dyzhawn Perkins, Edmund Perry, Eleanor Bumpurs, Elijah McClain, Elisha Walker, Emmett Till, Eric Garner, Eric Courtney Harris, Eric Reason, Ernest Green, Ernest Hendon, Ernest Thomas, Ethel Lee Lance, Eugene Williams, Eugene Williams, Ezell Ford, Fannie Lou Hamer, Felix Kumi, Floyd Dent, Frank Smart, Frankie Perkins, Fred Hampton, Fred Simmons, Freddie Blue, Freddie Gray, Freddie Lee Tyson, Frederick Moss, Frederick Taft, George Floyd, George Key, George Mann, George Stinney Jr., Gregory Riley, George Robinson Harvey E. Clark Jr. Hayes Turner, Haywood Patterson, Henrietta Lacks, Herman Wallace Herman Shaw, Iesha Harper, India Kager, Isadore Banks, Jacob Blake, Jacqueline Craig, Jaisha Akins, Jamal Williams, Jamar Clark, Jamel Floyd, James Cobb, Sr., James “Bun” McKoy, James Byrd Jr., James Cameron, James Chaney, James Mincey Jr., James Powell, Janet Wilson, Janine Africa, Javier Ambler, Jazzaline Ware, Jemel Roberson, Jerame Reid, Jerry Dwight Brown, Jerry Jacobs, John Crawford III, Johnnie Jermaine Rush, Jonathan Ferrell, Jonathan Sanders, Jordan Davis, Jordan Edwards, Joseph Mann, Joyce Curnell, Julian Edward Roosevelt Lewis Junior Prosper, Justus Howell, Kaia Rolle, Kalief Browder, Kathryn Johnston, Kayla Moore, Keith Childress Jr., Keith Harrison McLeod, Keith Scott, Kendrec McDade, Kendrick Johnson, Kenne McFadden, Kevin Hicks, Kevin Matthews, Kevin Richardson, Kisha Michael, Kiwi Herring, Korey Wise, Korryn Gaines, La’Vante Biggs, Lamontez Jones, Laquan McDonald, LaTanya Haggerty, Latasha Harlins, Lateisha Green, LaVena Johnson, Lennon Lacy, Leroy Wright, Lionel Morris, Lucy (last name unknown) Malaika Brooks, Malcolm Harsch, Malissa Williams, Manuel Ellis, Marco Loud, Mario Woods, Mark Clark, Marshall H. Dunbar, Marvin “Chili” Patrick, Mary Truxillo, Mary Turner and her unborn child, Matilda Heslip, Matthew Ajibade, Maurice Gordon, MeShon Cooper, Michael Brown, Michael George Smith, Jr., Michael Lee Marshall, Michael Lorenzo Dean, Michael Noel, Michael Sabbie, Michael Stewart, Michelle Cusseaux, Michelle Shirley, Michelle Washington, Miguel Espinal, Miriam Carey, Monika Diamond, Muhlaysia Booker, Mya Hall, Myra Thompson, Nania Cain Jr. Natasha McKenna, Nathaniel Harris Pickett, Nia Wilson, Nina Pop, Nizah Morris, Oluwatoyin Salau, Oscar Grant, Otis “Titi” Gulley, Otis Byrd, Ozie Powell, Pamela Turner, Paterson Brown, Paul O’Neal, Pearlie Golden, Peter Gaines, Philando Castile, Phillip White, Prince C. Jones, Jr., Quintonio LeGrier, Raheim Brown, Ralkina Jones, Ramarley Graham, Ramona Africa, Randolph Evans, Randy Nelson, Raymond Santana, Rayshard Brooks, Recy Taylor, Reginald Epps, Rekia Boyd, Renisha McBride, Riah Milton, Richard Collins III, Richard Perkins, Rita Hester, Robert Fuller, Robert King, Robert Russ, Rodney King, Ronell Foster, Rumain Brisbon, Safiya Satchell, Saheed Vassell, Salecia Johnson, Salvado Ellswood, Sam Doner, Samuel DuBose, Samuel Shepherd, Sandra Bland, Sean Bell, Secoriea Turner, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, Sheffield Collins, Shereese Francis, Steven Taylor, Stephon Clark, Sterling Higgins, Susie Jackson, Sylville Smith, Taemon Blair, Tamir Rice, Tanisha Anderson, Tarika Wilson, Terence Crutcher, Terrance Franklin, Terrill Thomas, Thomas Shipp, Timothy Coggins, Tionda Bradley, Tony McDade, Tony Terrell Robinson Jr., Torrey Robinson, Trayvon Martin, Troy Robinson, Tyre King, Tyree Crawford, Tyrone West, Tyshawn Lee, Tywanza Sanders, Victor Manuel Larosa, Walter Irvin, Walter McMillian, Walter Scott, Wayne Moore, Wendell Celestine, Willa Bruce, William “Joe” Wright, Jr., William Chapman II, Willie Earl Vereen, Willie Jones Jr., Willie Roberson, Willie Tillman, Williemae Mack Winfred Rembert, Yusef Salaam, Yvette Smith, Yvonne Smallwood, Zella Ziona.

How many more until we overcome our worst demons?

Stay mindful, my friends! Black Lives Matter!

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