“We’re unprotected out in the world,” the wife said.
But what exactly are they unprotected from?
The reporter explained: It’s not that they have been harassed by a rogue police officer…It’s the thousands of other ways they are made to feel less than. A hotel employee ignored their family at the front desk, only to help a White customer in line behind them. A White guy at the airport rolled over (the wife’s) foot with his suitcase and refused to apologize. Kids at school joked that their son and other Black students looked like a gang.
When will it stop? The reporter asked.
It will stop when reporters stop confusing racial paranoia with racism. Racial paranoia, in this case, is the fear of being treated like non-accomplished Blacks, personal prejudice can hurt feelings but it’s not racism. The questions concerning racism in the 21st century is to what degree does it hinder human development or prevent individual achievement.
These insignificant slights hinder and prevent nothing.
Now imagine if a boy in a war-torn, famine stricken, region of sub-Sahara Africa heard about this Black family in Dallas. He would think—wow—in America, a Black man can go to an Ivy League school, be a lawyer, and own a huge home with a pool. Do you think he would refuse a chance to come to America because of the racial slights described by the reporter?
Now imagine a girl born in a region of the world where she is denied an education because of her gender and she heard about this Black family in Dallas. She would think—wow—in America a woman can go to a university and become a religious leader. Do you think she would be concerned about someone not apologizing to her in an airport?
Now imagine when Black children in the United States read this story about a wealthy Black family in Dallas that endures racism daily. What are they going to think? No matter how successful they become in America, they’ll always suffer some form of degradation because they’re Black.
And the paranoia is passed down, which can prevent ambition.
(J. Pharoah Doss is a contributor to the New Pittsburgh Courier. He blogs at jpharoahdoss@blogspot.com)
Like us at https://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Pittsburgh-Courier/143866755628836?ref=hl
Follow @NewPghCourier on Twitter https://twitter.com/NewPghCourier
About Post Author
