I have been taking daily walks through the greenway system that runs along the Stones River in my home town. Today’s walk was not too different- quite a bit busier with today being 7/4 and people are off work, but otherwise pretty typical. As I passed various people, and as they passed me, I really started thinking about what freedom means to me and how it might be different from the freedoms that other people enjoy.
I passed several white families, boating or fishing in the river, or riding bikes, walking, or jogging.
I passed a Hispanic family, a man and woman with their infant child, resting on a bench beside the river.
I passed a large black man riding a bicycle. I gave him a little nod and wave, and he returned it.
I passed an Asian family, three generations (grandmother, mother, children), picking plants along the side of the trail.
I passed a man of Arabic heritage, and extended him the same nod and wave, which he returned.
I passed several young women walking or jogging alone. I typically do not choose to initiate contact with women who are on the trail by themselves, but I always return whatever greeting may be extended. If they would rather ignore, that’s fine.
I passed several other people as well, but I wanted to talk about all of these for a minute. All of these people were in the same place, on the same day, July 4th 2018, Independence Day. We all have the same Constitutional rights. We do not have the same freedoms.
The Hispanic family is likely to be harassed or intimated based on their immigration status. Even if they speak fluent English, even if they were born here and their parents were born here, they LOOK like they might be here illegally, so they might have to answer questions that I never will. Their child will attend school and will likely be disadvantaged, based either on the amount of English he was exposed to before Kindergarten, or just because he will enter school as a minority. Because of how he looks.
The large black man is most likely to be a victim of gun violence, because big black men look scary to some white people, even some white people who carry guns, badges, and body armor.
The Asian family serves as the most recent reminder of completely legal and lawful discrimination of the worst kind. Not too long ago a family such as this could have legally been rounded up and rehoused because they look like the enemy. It’s happened before, in this country, with the same Bill of Rights and Constitution as we have now.
The man of Arabic heritage, in shorts and a t-shirt, is likely to be discriminated against everywhere he goes. I used to work with a man whose family was originally from Jordan, but he and his mother were both born here. He has recently been confronted at a restaurant and ordered to “go back home.” This is his home, just like it is mine. But no one will ever tell me that, because of how I look.
Even young white women travelling alone are at a disadvantage because of how they look. Maybe I’m over-reacting, but a part of me thinks that they have no choice but to ignore men as they walk, so they don’t give them the wrong idea or attract too much attention. Statistically speaking, at least one in three women who I pass has been a victim of sexual harassment or assault, because of how they look- female.
So as we celebrate our independence this evening by blowing shit up, think about where we are, where we have been, and where we are headed. Think about what we can do to make sure we share the freedoms that I enjoy as a middle class, middle aged white guy, with those who do not have the luxury of being born into privilege. Voting, sure. What else?