When will White people see our children like they see their own children? Black mothers have asked this question since Africans were brought to America and enslaved. What makes my Black son different from your White son? He is an intelligent 8th grader in advanced placement courses, a talented percussionist in his middle school band and a four-sport athlete. Yet, is his life less precious? His young life hangs in the balance because you see him as criminal, violent and less than human. I think he is a gift from God that deserves to be protected and nurtured. I am afraid for my son’s life. I am fearful that I will not have the opportunity to see him graduate from high school or college, start his career, buy his first house, find love, or have children of his own. Fear can be a powerful force…Black families witness the fear in White people’s eyes when they look at our children. However, my fear empowers me. Empowers me to talk about the very thing Americans want to ignore. Racism.
Racism in this country is very complex. It is not racist acts, but institutionalized racism that destroys this nation. Institutionalized racism is a system of advantage that benefits White people (Marx, 2006; Tatum, 1999). It is so embedded in the fabric of this country that it is like the air we ALL breathe. All Americans suffer because as a nation we cannot or will not address the issues of institutionalized racism that carries out the destruction of masses of young Black men. Educational inequity, the mass incarceration of Black and Brown people and mass killings of young Black men all stem from institutionalized racism. We don’t want to believe that racism exists, but for the sake of our sons’ survival we must begin to grapple with and undo racism. Everyone has a part to play in undoing racism: 1.) We cannot pretend there are simple answers to this complex problem. 2.) Everyone has to be a part of the solution otherwise you are a part of the problem. 3.) One person cannot do everything but everyone can do something. In my undergraduate class, which consists of predominately White, female pre-service teachers I have often said…each one teach one. It simply means we all have power. We have the power to influence, to change, to improve, to dismantle institutionalized racism…if we use our powers for good.
How will you use your power?
My prayers go out to the family of Michael Brown the latest death of an unarmed Black teenager.
Another instance of lost potential, a Black child that will not have the opportunity to make his mark. When faced with racism head on you develop a survival instinct, an understanding of how to deal with the “threat”. Our children are much more insulated from racism than previous generations. Does that innocence make them a target? Lot’s of questions and concerns.
Thank you for a great conversation starter Dr. Robinson.
Treva,
Thank you for your response. I hope that the conversations we start lead to action. My goal is to be a part of the local and national change by addressing this problem through a variety of systems. To combat the problem we have to help the systems (educational,legal,CPS, etc.) that put our children at risk. We have to encourage our lawmakers to create laws that are good for our youth and then we have to support teachers, principals, law enforcement and judges with implementation on the ground.
Dr. Robinson, thank you for your work with helping us understand school disciplining policies and related police and arrest patterns that have in the past and now continue to entrap and victimize african american youth, particularly african american males. Michael Browns shooting death by a police when he was unarmed is more reason to continue your work and effort to save our son’s and grandsons.
This latest occurrence of an unharmed teenage african american male being shot to death by police begs for the insight and clarity you offer in your work and literature on institutionalized and systematic school discipline and police patterns. Something must be done. I want to live to see my grandson reach his full potential and to see the grandsons of my family and friends reach their full potential in life without being entrapped and victimized, resulting in their imprisonment or sadly in their death.
You are absolutely right. There are no easy solutions, everyone as to be a part of the solution, it will take a collaborative effort to overcome this enormous problem that has brought such fear into the hearts of mothers, fathers, and grandparents that the potential packed futures of our children can be disrupted or even cut off by the injustices of school disciplining policies and police patterns of excessive enforcement.
Thank you for waking us up. Keep up the work and your fight to save our children.
Donnie,
Thank you for your response. I appreciate it. There is a lot of work to be done, but if everyone works together we can get it done. If we can create Race and Racism we can undo it! Instead of the rhetoric of a “post-racial” society we should be a nation that is pro-racial…one that embraces, understands (own and others) and is inclusive of all cultures…not colorblind but culturally responsive
I always say that black men an endangered species. It saddens my heart that my nephews who are intelligent, musical, athletic, funny, kind, and so much more are perceived as violent and a threat in school and outside. When reality is, it’s not our sons going into classrooms and shooting them up, bombing them or trying. How do we teach our children to be less threaten when the essence of them being children should be enough.
But you’re absolutely right. This nation will never move forward until we can have a REAL conversation about race. We have to be willing to hear and listen to each persons thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and experience and not be on the defense and in our own feelings.
Kasey,
Thank you for your response. You are right it isn’t about teaching our boys to be less threaten because that is only a perception not the reality. We have to teach adults to understand their own feeling about African American males. From my experience, it is tough work but I do it because I think their lives matter.
Soror Robinson,
I am always amazed at how God connects people who he has assigned to the same battlefield. This post is amazing as it addresses some of the key issues that are destroying our communities and our families. I am confronted with issues every day in the work that I do that stem from FEAR, INSTITUTIONALIZED RACISM, MASS INCARCERATION, AND OUR INABILITY AS A COMMUNITY TO JOIN FORCES AND DEMAND CHANGE.
I too have been guilty of sitting back too long and watching. I have since changed my stance and have moved to the front-line. It’s time to use our power!
Your work is amazing. Thank you for your contribution. I look forward to working with you.
Dori Ray
Soror Ray,
Thank you for the work you do! It will take a collaborative effort! I look forward to working with you.
DR. ROBINSON:
This morning, as I sip my Tazo Zen Green tea and reread your blog posting–for what must be the fifth time–I am haunted by this question that you pose regarding the significance of your son’s life, here in the United States: “Yet, is his life less precious?”
Dr. Robinson, this is a brave question for we know that our society does not want to truthfully answer this question for sadly we all know the answer to your posed question. Your posting issues a clarion call for us to use our powers for good to “be a part of the solution otherwise you are a part of the problem.” I have spent many nights thinking about a tentative, workable solution to this “American Dilemma.” My background in the communicative fields of media studies and journalism lends and leads me to believe that the solution lies in the creation of media content–from television programming to radio programming to online programming–which shows and honors the value of all human life across all hues, across all socioeconomic strata, and across all educational levels. Programming content must teach us to embrace each other’s story so that we in turn may learn to respect each other’s story.
Dr. Robinson, I will conclude my comment to your powerful post with two quotes. The first quote is from the pens of LBJ’s 11-member National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, in a powerful polemic known as The Kerner Report. This quote is from 1968, “The summer of 1967 again brought racial disorders to American cities, and with them shock, fear and bewilderment to the nation…This is our basic conclusion: Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white—separate and unequal.”
And specifically for you Dr. Robinson, a quote from playwright George Bernard Shaw, commending you as a Scholar for the work that you do, “I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”
With brio,
AUTUMN CAVINESS
Ms. Caviness,
Thank you for your thoughtful read and your willingness to consider solutions! Your media project sounds like a wonderful idea!