The Kids Know They Are in Danger from Racism

The kids living in our small town know African American boys are in danger from racism.

Our foster grandchild and two of his friends were over at our house. They started talking about where they might live as adults.  Our foster grandchild Xavier, who is black, said he thought he might live in the country.  

"Yeah, it's safer out there," his white friend Matt replied.  They moved on.  

The kids should not have to be afraid, and we are afraid for them.

From left, Xavier, Matt and Tyler at our dining room table.

Comments

[David Lubic]

Having said what I have, I will still say he was and still is the best we had available. He has shown the patience and restraint of a wise saint in dealing with the disrespect and abuse sent his way. That is presidential character.

If it had been me, with the scale of this abuse, someone would have had at least a busted head by now.

And I still don't agree with everything he has done. I have to admit I'm still uncomfortable with the same sex marriage bit--goes against everything I was taught. Doesn't seem natural. But at the same time, how many people are identified by sexuality? How many are more identified by wit, by intelligence, by courage?

Still uncomfortable, but how can we not treat the same-sex people with respect as well?

[David Lubic]

When Barrack Obama was first elected, I was quite proud. I'm a white person who has had to deal with discrimination and name calling myself because I'm of Polish descent ("dumb Polack" jokes) and from West Virginia ("dumb hillbillies"), and I thought we might have finally slain that demon of racism, or at least cut it down to size. Looks like I was wrong, and worse yet, Obama's victory has brought out even more racism than before.

Some people can criticize some aspects of his judgement or policies, but he has also been subject to a tremendous amount of disrespect that has to come from this.

I dare say much of the opposition he has gotten from the Republican side of Congress at least has racism laced into it. Nothing else explains the fight over Obamacare, which was and is largely a conservative-Republican program! Expanded Medicare would have been the traditional liberal approach.

I'm afraid racism seems to be part of the human condition, like greed. We can make progress against it, but we'll never eradicate it.

Very discouraging. . .