Racism and hatred have become acceptable in American society again. It seems absurd to say that. I believed that society had grown past most of the most harmful effects. Lately I have come to realize that it was just laying dormant.
A few weeks ago I was driving back to Seattle from Yakima. I wrote a diary about an incident that happened when I stopped off to get something to eat. It brought back memories that I thought would stay in the past. It also sparked a conversation with my wife. Recently events in Jena, Louisiana have rekindled that conversation.
It is in this vein that I wish to spur such a dialog here, on Daily Kos. I don't pretend to be an expert. I know what I have experienced and have seen and I am encouraging others to do the same. I can't help but feel recent statements on the floors of the House and Senate have encouraged others to speak and act out on their own racist and prejudiced ideas.