Sunday, August 03, 2008
A story we must all hear, a story too many already know
Sunday's must read: "Held Suspect" by TerranceDC at Pam's House Blend. He eloquently recounts his own experience, as well as that of family and friends, as a black man in the U.S. who must always be aware of the very real possibility of police violence if he is stopped for driving while black, walking while black, being black in America. I have several friends and acquaintances who have lived through some version of this experience as darker-skinned Latinos or Latin Americans living in the U.S. as well. One of the definitions of white privilege is that those of us who are white have the luxury of being ignorant of these realities, without risk. All black parents must confront that moment when they have to teach their children to survive in a racist society.
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A friend and I shocked our lighter complected friends as we casually discussed what we do if pulled over by the police:
~ put both hands on the sttering wheel or dashboard, and keep them there until asked for registration.
~CLEARLY state where the registration is and that we are retrieving it.
One of my colleagues, who is from a Latin American country, was stopped in the hallway of our office building where he was working on a Sunday by the campus police. He was on the way to the bathroom. He was asked to show ID and when he said he didn't have one in his pocket, they called backup and held him there until he could go back to his office and show that he was a professor. No apologies. I know he filed several complaints.
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