There are times when Americans on a national level are forced to confront matters of racial inequity and injustice. Its as if these events are separated on either side by periods of outward temperament and calm. Yet, there is no greater harm done to the cause of Civil Rights than when we assume that racism, as the Supreme Court insultingly posited, is over or fading away for nothing could be further from the truth.
As outrage over the killing of Trayvon Martin turns into Action and in many cases a deepened disillusionment, one should consider the possibility of a New National Discourse on Race in America. To continue to hold that racism is a sickness relegated to the past or merely an affliction limited to 'other people', uneducated and filled with hate is not only inaccurate but also makes for a society based on Universal Equality unreachable or at best the punchline of a very sick joke.
Consider that racism and the rejection of that which is different from ourselves is a natural component of the Human psyche inherent in all people. Accept that there is no cure for narrow mindedness, for hate, or bias. Only through continual self-reflection and attempts to understand the perspective of others can such things be managed, both in ourselves and in society.
Beyonce and Jay-Z made an appearance with Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon’s mother, and Al Sharpton at the rally in NYC
Accepting these bits of truth is not so easy, yet they have the potential to serve as a powerful reminder that while capable of miraculous good, each of us without exception is also capable of horrific evil. Once we accept the fact that people are fundamentally the same on a personal instead of an abstract level, you may find that the change you seek in others must begin within you. Such realizations take time to properly form in the mind and challenging and difficult though they are this represents the beginning of a struggle and not the end of one.
To approach the subject of race solely from the context of your own experience is an excellent way to encourage divisive critique. However, this is still a way to begin a conversation - no matter how unpleasant and this is one of the most important things we can do as individual members of a shared community. When you see someone lashing out, "white people this" and "black people that" take a brief moment to understand and consider how a person could end up in such a state - there are always reasons both known and unknown which contribute to a person's perspective.
No one is asking you to suppress your feelings, to hide your views no matter how angry or vengeful they may be - quite the opposite as only in the open air can wounds begin to heal. But, before you conclude that only others are racist or that all is lost with no hope for change, just consider that each of us has come to where we are today through a set of experiences and that at the end of the day every one of us is racist.
Pretending that racism is over or non-existent is the best way to perpetuate inequity, instead try to remind yourself that people cannot escape the subject of race and the history of racism itself. The more we try to avoid it the more painful having this long needed discourse on race will be and the more the unity of our nation will remain as unattainable as perfection itself.