All four of the Sunday morning news magazines and major newspaper polls are now asking the questions. Is there a racial problem in the U.S.? Has it gotten worse over the years, especially since we now have a Black president? Both Blacks and Whites, according to polls, are saying it has gotten worse while Obama has been president.
Wow. Just when I thought I was out of a job. That there was no more need for the Black press. That the White media was covering the Black community and everything was just great with the races. Now the White media is telling me there’s a racial problem and that the protests around Ferguson and New York City are not just about these incidents but much deeper issues nationwide.
Wow, surprise, surprise, surprise.
What the majority of responsible Black people are saying with these marches, rallies, and protests are that they are sick and tired of working their butts off at these low paying jobs then have to worry about coming home and being stopped because they are Black. Or even worse having to worry about their children. Especially the males, when they are driving, walking, and especially if they are hanging with friends, because a White police officer, not from the community, who sees all Blacks as criminals decides to start a confrontation in which your child can end up dead. Or even if the youth starts the confrontation, the person ending up dead is going to be the Black person.
Police are there to serve the people, not to dictate. They should approach everyone with respect, but many don’t. And our youth need to be taught to give that same respect back.
It’s really good to finally hear Whites say there’s a racial problem and something needs to be done to correct it. A whole lot of Whites are actually protesting with Blacks, especially here in Pittsburgh.
Before polls had Whites saying there was no racial problem in this country. It was all in Black folks minds. The more affluent the less they felt there was a racial problem, which really means that they live in their lily White suburbs way away from Blacks or Latinos so they could care less about problems in the Black community. And when Blacks move in they simply move further out.
On Face the Nation one police chief of a city that had been rated as one of the worst a few years ago now is one of the best. The chief said the way they turned things around was better communication between the police and the community which changed the mind set of the police from an occupation force to servants of the people. He said more police out of the cars walking the beat, and in the community was the key, especially in high crime areas. Why? Because people in high crime areas want and need police protection from the thugs and hoodlums, without having to fear the police as well.
He also said that cameras are the future and will cut down the number of police community confrontations because there will be a clear record kept of what really happened instead of having to rely on the word of the police vs. the word of the accused.
Hopefully all these marches and protests will lead to more attention and more action being taken to address the racial disparity in this country. I think it all comes down to income. When Blacks are equal to or close to White America in income, most of these problems will go away.
Why?
If we have the income then we can repair and rule our own communities. Then we can write the tests that determine who is hired on the police force, the fire department or any other walk of life be it private, or public.
And of course some of the blame falls on us. If we want power, then we must vote. Just about everyone with power in Ferguson is White even though Blacks make up more than 62 percent of the population. I wonder what part of the wealth do Blacks make up in that city, how many own businesses?
No, we are a long way from racial equality in this country, and having a Black president doesn’t do anything for those of us living in the Black community trying to move forward, while a White Congress and a large segment of Whites in this country are trying to do everything in their power to make sure this man fails, primarily because he’s Black.
That lady in Tennessee is not alone in her feelings about a Black in the White House, and she is not sorry for what she said about the President, the First Lady and their children. She simply said what many are feeling.
(Ulish Carter is the managing editor of the New Pittsburgh Courier.)
