The Reality of Race

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/18/us/george-floyd-timing.html

What is race today? Race today is the backbone of all segregation and underlying issue of the lack of progress. Without the thought of race today we should already be moving into a society with less hate, crime (many falsely accused crime) and judgement. Although some judgement is good, when there is room for improvement, it is not okay to judge another being based on their skin tone. So why do people judge based of skin color, and why do some of those of color not have as many or as great of opportunities as white people? Why can’t everyone have fair places in society?

Michael Omi and Howard Winant summarize it as, “the process by which social, economic and political forces determine the content and importance of racial categories, and by which they are in turn shaped by racial meaning.” (Racial Formation in the United States from 1960s to 1990s) The thought that we as a society are still thinking about these people as an economic or political benefit, is the issue. Personally, over the years I think we have consumed ourselves so much with race that it has truly brought out the ugly in certain people.

This hate is not just white people against black people, it is the same way with black people against and white people, or anyone against other people that do not look like them. For example, a white truck driver named Reginald Denny was attacked and pulled out of his truck by two black men, I will say we do not know if there was any form of conversation before, they attacked Denny, but either neither situation is right. During the beating as news helicopter was flying above, luckily four other black men saw this happening and reacted in time to save Denny from death. This shows that not everyone hates everyone, some people know and see that there is room for improvement.

In the beginning of Dr. Cornel West’s speech, David Lee defined race as, “Race… is not a thing, but a relationship. It is a biological irrelevance with fatal social consequences.” (“Race Matters”) This is a very clear and concise definition that does not explain every part/detail of race, but it says enough to make you feel and understand how those who suffer from racial drawbacks feel. Dr. Cornel West said, “These are names, these are people caught within white supremacist bombardment, but mustering forms of weaponry intellectual, moral, political, spiritual weaponry tied to bonds of sympathy in ties of empathy. That’s for me where Race Matters begins.” (“Race Matters”) If you are not trying to learn of do better for those who are suffering, then you do not truly understand what it means to say race matters. Because the effects of racism are more than just being called names or being looked at different. It affects those people’s success, pursuits and lives as a whole.

Furthermore, the abuse of these people does not just lie on the surface, people of color have built this country just as much as any other, if not more. But they are not thanked or rewarded for their hard work. For some colored people, this was there home, that they built, Dr. Cornel West said, “yet their labor would produce the wealth which is the precondition of the mark of the Democracy with the fundamental presupposition and precondition. Which is of course our precious indigenous brothers and sisters and their land, their children, their women, their men, so let us never ever say that slavery was America’s Original Sin.” (“Race Matters”)

We must give credit to those and their hard work. Instead of believing that they are so different than us. For example, Rodney King was beaten by an officer of the Los Angeles police department and it was recorded on a neighbor’s phone and posted. The video was over a minute long. This was the beginning of everyone seeing what has been going on behind closed doors and in alley ways. This was the beginning of the accessibility to home video. Now when it was published on tv, “Intimacy with the King video meant moving beyond the ocean of passivity that usually defines television viewership to become not simply a witness of, but a witness for King.” (Reality) No longer were people just hearing about these horrible actions, they were witnessing it via television. Which starts the movement of holding people accountable for each other, Dr. Cornel West said, “quit lying, keep track of human beings.” (“Race Matters”)

Now for our current issue, later it was said that King was on drugs and acting erratically. The police department said King was on PCP and needed to be put down because he was going to harm another person. This is not an uncommon occurrence, where the attacker, AKA the police department flips the script and defines themselves as the victims, “the victim becomes the victimizer” (Reality). A recent tragedy we can relate this to is the George Floyd case. Many of us, if not all have seen the video of a man being pinned to the ground and then later died from the abuse.

Race has formed over many years of sins and continues to prevent us as human beings from progressing. We must heal from the trauma of the past, support and acknowledge that not all of us have it easier in life. Race is not a simple topic, but it is not difficult to be understanding and open to learn.