Racial Truths

I grew up in a small town that was mostly 100% white. We did not have a black kid in our high school. We had a few kids who were of Hispanic origin, but for the most part we were lily white.

We heard a lot of ethnic jokes, but there were also polish jokes, jokes about women and Italian jokes. I thought that most of the jokes were not malicious, but I was a kid.

What did I know?

When I was ten years old the family went to Florida as that’s where Dad’s job was. That was where we first saw a black man.

In fact, Bernie & Gloria were a black couple who were tasked with babysitting six Fuzzy kids!

No easy task.

We all loved Bernie & Gloria. When I close my eyes, I can still hear Bernie’s booming laugh.

Another man, Buck, was a laborer on Dad’s job. Buck took us fishing and crowed in amazement when my brother, John, caught a 5-pound bass in a bucket.

And that was it.

For a long while.

We watched black athletes play professional sports. Henry Aaron and Wilt Chamberlain were my favorites. Then Reggie Jackson joined the Yankees and I loved him too.

I never once thought about any sort of racial tension, but began reading about the hatred directed to Aaron as he approached the home run record.

“Why do they hate him?” I asked my Dad.

“Because they’re stupid.”

I thought of that wonderful response as I considered the weekend.

As a teenager we played basketball in an all-white conference.

One night the visiting team showed up with 3 black kids on the team.

We were shocked!

Halfway through the game we realized that we all were just playing ball.

Of course, as an adult I’ve met, known and enjoyed the company of men and women of all ethnicities and cultures.

And I have often wondered why white men and women have a shocking feeling that for one reason or another they are better than anyone else.

“It’s a learned behavior,” a friend said.

And I certainly agree with that, but if they are learning it, someone is doing the teaching.

A few years back I texted my children saying:

“You’re no better and no worse than any other man. If you ever got an impression that I ever felt that way, I’m sorry. I never intended to teach you that. Treat every man and every woman on the persons that they are without pre-judgement.”

My boys thanked me for saying that.

“Why do these white nationalists hate the black?” Jake asked me as we watched the news coverage.

“Because they’re stupid,” I said.

Sometimes the best answers are the easiest ones.