Archibald: This is on us, White America

[aubiefifty 16,775]

Archibald: This is on us, White America

By John Archibald | jarchibald@al.com

5-6 minutes

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This is an opinion column.

This is on you, White America.

On me.

The best among you – among us -- were too passive, too quiet, too accepting of a heinous status quo, too slow to see and stand and act for justice and decency.

The worst among you – among us – were too fearful, too selfish, too insulated to look outside ourselves, too willing to exploit and belittle others to try to make ourselves look bigger and stronger and more successful than we are.

The very worst among us killed people who did not look like us. Hung them from trees in the name of justice. Sat in jury boxes and ignored evidence. Looked the other way. As the best of us – with only the fewest of exceptions – said nothing.

Your people – my people -- would fight for freedom. But not equality.

For generations, centuries, your people – my people – pushed those of color down to raise themselves up. Your ancestors – mine too – did all in their inherent power to give people with darker skin less, to make them think they deserved less, to burden them with poverty and separate them from white people so those on all sides would know “their place,” as defined by our people.

Your people – my people – tried to make them think they were dumber, and less deserving, and uglier, and somehow more flawed, and made laws to give those lies weight.

So the boast that “all men are created equal” became an ironic joke. An insult. Another lie.

When it became so painfully clear that those acts of separation and inequality were in direct contrast not only with decency but the pesky U.S. Constitution, it seemed the world might change.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. marched in the streets to claim those rights, demanding a strict adherence to a strategy of non-violence. He knew coming to places like Birmingham, Ala., would trigger violence on the part of police and the public, and that violence would show itself to the world. And it did.

White people blew things up. Buildings and churches and little girls. And black people protested in the streets, and were beaten and bitten and hosed, and finally Congress acted, because even that body saw the hypocrisy. King was killed in cold blood in ‘68, and Bobby Kennedy later that year, and riots followed, and white politicians vowed that looting leads to shooting, just like the current president did Friday.

It seemed, after that, if only for a minute, that your people – my people – began to see the wrongs, and the shame, and our own culpability. Schools in places like Alabama were ordered to desegregate, and the most hopeful saw it as a golden age of integration.

But it lasted only a minute.

Because it was another lie. Because White America was still not willing to make equality more than a slogan.

Your people – my people – abandoned their homes and schools and paid premium dollars to move away from black people.

Your people -- my people -- militarized police forces, and criminalized black people at rates far different from whites. Police staked out corners in poor neighborhoods and politicians made harsh laws to punish those who sold drugs there, and ignored those who did the same in suburban basements. Black people were blocked from the banking system whites take for granted, and forced to turn to payday loan sharks. They were redlined into unsafe and polluted neighborhoods, gerrymandered out of political power, told they were not good enough, that they should work harder.

Authorities regularly sent black drug users to prison, and white ones to rehab. They approached black people with doubt, and gave whites its benefit. And black people died. They still do. In the streets on their faces, in their homes, in their cars, as if hung from trees.

And White America – or much of it -- looks away. White America calls them “thugs,” and refuses to acknowledge its role. Our role.

Now Minnesota simmers, and a police precinct burns in Minneapolis after the death of George Floyd. Louisville erupts – at least seven people were injured – with protests of the police shooting of Breonna Taylor in her apartment. It all seems to be coming apart, like it did in ’68. Perhaps it needs to.

Do not blame black people for wanting equality, for demanding it after all this time.

This is on you, White America.

On me.

John Archibald, a Pulitzer Prize winner, is a columnist for AL.com. His column appears in The Birmingham News, the Huntsville Times, the Mobile Register, Birmingham Magazine and AL.com. Write him at jarchibald@al.com.

[DKW 86 7,419]

[Mikey 16,580]

Oh my God, the guilt is crushing me! Oh wait, it isn't.

Why am I not riddled with guilt? Because I never hung anybody. I hired people into good jobs as the law required, "Without regard to race, creed, color, sex, national origin or sexual orientation". I've treated people equally. In my coaching days the best players played, "regardless of...". Opportunity is there for those willing to take it.

The current barbarism is on those committing it. There is no excuse for it and nobody is to blame except those individuals who are committing the criminal acts.

Try tossing that mantle of guilt on people gullible enough to accept it. I won't wear it.

[Grumps 3,704]

10 minutes ago, Mikey said:

Oh my God, the guilt is crushing me! Oh wait, it isn't.

Why am I not riddled with guilt? Because I never hung anybody. I hired people into good jobs as the law required, "Without regard to race, creed, color, sex, national origin or sexual orientation". I've treated people equally. In my coaching days the best players played, "regardless of...". Opportunity is there for those willing to take it.

The current barbarism is on those committing it. There is no excuse for it and nobody is to blame except those individuals who are committing the criminal acts.

Try tossing that mantle of guilt on people gullible enough to accept it. I won't wear it.

Maybe it's not about guilt. Maybe it is about trying to understand.

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

40 minutes ago, Grumps said:

Maybe it's not about guilt. Maybe it is about trying to understand.

I wish I could like this more than once.

[aubiefifty 16,775]

i knew mikey would neg this or have something to say. part of the problem is some folks do not want to speak up when something bad happens which is just as bad to me.  i said this would happen bird on that post you nicely disagreed with. those that claim this is none of their business are part of the problem. and i am still waiting for someone to blame the dems for all this mess.

[Grumps 3,704]

I just watched a race discussion between John Gray,  a black man who pastors a church in Greeneville, SC and Steven Furtick, a white man who pastors a church in Charlotte, NC. I believe that every white person, regardless of your religious background and how "woke" you are, should watch this. It will be shown again at 1:00 pm, 4:00 pm, 7:00 pm, and 9:00 pm today.  The discussion will start 15 to 20 minutes after the hour. Here is the link:  https://elevationchurch.online/live/

It should be available on demand starting tomorrow and I will post the link. It really is THAT good.

[wdefromtx 3,159]

56 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

i knew mikey would neg this or have something to say. part of the problem is some folks do not want to speak up when something bad happens which is just as bad to me.  i said this would happen bird on that post you nicely disagreed with. those that claim this is none of their business are part of the problem. and i am still waiting for someone to blame the dems for all this mess.

Putting our head in the sand just helps to keep perpetuating the problem. 

[Mikey 16,580]

11 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

i knew mikey would neg this or have something to say. part of the problem is some folks do not want to speak up when something bad happens which is just as bad to me.  i said this would happen bird on that post you nicely disagreed with. those that claim this is none of their business are part of the problem. and i am still waiting for someone to blame the dems for all this mess.

I spoke up. I said this looting and rioting is the responsibility of the hoodlums that are performing the criminal acts. It's their responsibility and nobody else's.

 

14 hours ago, Grumps said:

Maybe it's not about guilt. Maybe it is about trying to understand.

The article in the OP was indeed all about assigning guilt. From the heading: "This is on us, White America".

People trying to understand aren't out stealing from their neighbor's stores and setting them on fire. People trying to understand are calmly talking to each other.

[aubiefifty 16,775]

7 hours ago, Mikey said:

I spoke up. I said this looting and rioting is the responsibility of the hoodlums that are performing the criminal acts. It's their responsibility and nobody else's.

 

The article in the OP was indeed all about assigning guilt. From the heading: "This is on us, White America".

People trying to understand aren't out stealing from their neighbor's stores and setting them on fire. People trying to understand are calmly talking to each other.

why were they not talking when kap took a knee instead of making fun of him and smearing him constantly? why did they kill martin luther king? why did people not want to talk after bombing that birmingham church that took the life of four little girls? and how long did it take to get justice for them? no people are not trying to understand which is how we got here in the first place. how many times was obama hung in effigy? where was the outrage when white nationalists shot shot up black churches? i remember folks on this very board saying it was not racism. but then most of you trump supporters claim he is not racist after people try to explain he is and why. hell i mentioned racism had gotten worse under trump only to get attacked by one of the texas boys on here. hell we can do this all damn day. many of you say you have no dog in this hunt until the violence starts and then you are outraged.. and they are identifying white agitators that moved in after floyd was killed and burning buildings to the ground. some have even talked of the sorrow of watching confederate monuments being removed. here is some more news for you.

Most Confederate Monuments Weren't Built Until the Rise of ...

www.townandcountrymag.com/.../confederate-monuments

Aug 16, 2017 · Because largely, Confederate monuments were built during two key periods of American history: the beginnings of Jim Crow in the 1920s and the civil rights movement in the early 1950s and 1960s.

and a lot of white folks got mad as hell about it even though most were built as a **** you to blacks. so you have fun with that trying to understand each other. meanwhile people of color have been murdered in this country for things a white person would not be killed for. silence is consent. too many people have stood by and done nothing and it is biting our ass right now............

[Mikey 16,580]

1 hour ago, aubiefifty said:

why did they kill martin luther king?

"They" didn't kill anybody. James Earl Ray killed Dr. King. Similar to my above posts, while I deplore Ray's action I am not responsible for it.

[DKW 86 7,419]

3 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

why were they not talking when kap took a knee instead of making fun of him and smearing him constantly? why did they kill martin luther king? why did people not want to talk after bombing that birmingham church that took the life of four little girls? and how long did it take to get justice for them? no people are not trying to understand which is how we got here in the first place. how many times was obama hung in effigy? where was the outrage when white nationalists shot shot up black churches? i remember folks on this very board saying it was not racism. but then most of you trump supporters claim he is not racist after people try to explain he is and why. hell i mentioned racism had gotten worse under trump only to get attacked by one of the texas boys on here. hell we can do this all damn day. many of you say you have no dog in this hunt until the violence starts and then you are outraged.. and they are identifying white agitators that moved in after floyd was killed and burning buildings to the ground. some have even talked of the sorrow of watching confederate monuments being removed. here is some more news for you.

Most Confederate Monuments Weren't Built Until the Rise of ...

www.townandcountrymag.com/.../confederate-monuments

Aug 16, 2017 · Because largely, Confederate monuments were built during two key periods of American history: the beginnings of Jim Crow in the 1920s and the civil rights movement in the early 1950s and 1960s.

and a lot of white folks got mad as hell about it even though most were built as a **** you to blacks. so you have fun with that trying to understand each other. meanwhile people of color have been murdered in this country for things a white person would not be killed for. silence is consent. too many people have stood by and done nothing and it is biting our ass right now............

Link is broken

[Grumps 3,704]

Here is a link to the somewhat raw conversation between a prominent black pastor and a prominent white pastor that took place yesterday. I thought it was quite powerful. Forward to 47:18 to start with the intro to the conversation.

https://elevationchurch.org/online/

[Gowebb11 9,319]

22 hours ago, Mikey said:

People trying to understand are calmly talking to each other.

Colin Kaepernick tried to calmly and peacefully speak to our nation, and his career was destroyed for it. There are way too many people who aren’t interested in listening, much less understanding. 

[ShocksMyBrain 9,364]

6 minutes ago, Gowebb11 said:

Colin Kaepernick tried to calmly and peacefully speak to our nation, and his career was destroyed for it. There are way too many people who aren’t interested in listening, much less understanding. 

“You’re not protesting the way I want you to”. 

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

16 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

hell i mentioned racism had gotten worse under trump only to get attacked by one of the texas boys on here.

Wrong sir. I did not attack. I entered in a discussion with you about racism increasing across the board in all groups which you denied. You also presented articles with figures that conflicted each other. For instance you claimed that the KKK was on the rise.

Quote

The SPLC’s spring 2019 report, The Year in Hate and Violence argues that in the US, “White Supremacy flourishes amid fears of immigration and [the] nation’s shifting demographics”. Yet it offers one glimmer of hope, in the rapidly falling membership of the nation’s various KKK groupings.

The report, headlined “Rage Against Change”, states that the number of Klan groups has dropped significantly since 2016, when there were 130. There are now 51. The SPLC concludes: “It may be that the KKK, having somehow endured since 1866, is finally on its last legs.”

https://theconversation.com/the-kkk-is-in-rapid-decline-but-its-symbols-remain-worryingly-potent-112320

You then refused to address the increase in any groups that were non-white (can't find the original article but here is numbers):

Quote

Number of black separatist hate groups listed over time^{[10][22][40][2]}

Year	Number listed
2003	136
2004	108
2005	106
2006	88
2007	81
2008	112
2009	121
2010	149
2011	140
2012	151
2013	115
2014	113
2015	180
2016	193
2017	233
2018	264

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_organizations_designated_by_the_Southern_Poverty_Law_Center_as_hate_groups

You misrepresented where the increases were and would not acknowledge all parties involved in said increase. By your own admittance you claim not to understand my writings which obviously has an impact on your thoughts of previous interactions.

I have been nothing but respectful to you since our last interaction(ignored personal comments about me, and no petty emoji BS, kept my promise not to engage with you since you never understand me) despite your public announcement that you dislike me and that I hate gays that was absolutely unwarranted.

I will continue after this post to be respectful to you. IE I won't s*** talk you to others, petty emoji you, or engage in conversations with you since our line of communication does not work. I respectfully request the same sir.

[aubiefifty 16,775]

7 hours ago, Texan4Auburn said:

Wrong sir. I did not attack. I entered in a discussion with you about racism increasing across the board in all groups which you denied. You also presented articles with figures that conflicted each other. For instance you claimed that the KKK was on the rise.

https://theconversation.com/the-kkk-is-in-rapid-decline-but-its-symbols-remain-worryingly-potent-112320

You then refused to address the increase in any groups that were non-white (can't find the original article but here is numbers):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_organizations_designated_by_the_Southern_Poverty_Law_Center_as_hate_groups

You misrepresented where the increases were and would not acknowledge all parties involved in said increase. By your own admittance you claim not to understand my writings which obviously has an impact on your thoughts of previous interactions.

I have been nothing but respectful to you since our last interaction(ignored personal comments about me, and no petty emoji BS, kept my promise not to engage with you since you never understand me) despite your public announcement that you dislike me and that I hate gays that was absolutely unwarranted.

I will continue after this post to be respectful to you. IE I won't s*** talk you to others, petty emoji you, or engage in conversations with you since our line of communication does not work. I respectfully request the same sir.

no. i said racism was on the rise after trump was elected. and i said i believe the white nationalist cat that murdered  those blacks in church was racist and someone was trying to argue that was false. those two things were all i remember. and i was not attacking i was making a statement. the fact is i said racism was on the rise and if you were the texas cat i am referring to claimed that was not true. i was right then and i am right now. and yes you have been respectful since we got in to it. i have the right to say something about being right after i was told i was wrong on racism. it was not an attack it was a statement and i am pretty sure this is a discussion board. i have no personal feeling toward you one way or the other as i do not know you. but if i am called out being told i am badly wrong i do have the right to come out and say i was right after all. i was not trying to disrespect anyone but you came on pretty hard towards me if memory serves. and when did i say i dislike you? i am not saying you are lying because i can get fired up on here. if i personally insulted you i will apologize but i will not apologize for my beliefs especially when i believe i am speaking the truth.

[Mikey 16,580]

9 hours ago, Gowebb11 said:

Colin Kaepernick tried to calmly and peacefully speak to our nation, and his career was destroyed for it. There are way too many people who aren’t interested in listening, much less understanding. 

Can't agree with that. Kaepernick's tactic of kneeling for the anthem was an aggressive, infuriating way of getting started.  He made an awful lot of people mad at him before the first word of any discourse could be exchanged. If you want to have a reasoned discussion on a subject, it's best not to spit in the other guy's coffee cup right before he sits down at the table. That's what Kaepernick did.

[homersapien 11,369]

10 hours ago, Gowebb11 said:

Colin Kaepernick tried to calmly and peacefully speak to our nation, and his career was destroyed for it. There are way too many people who aren’t interested in listening, much less understanding. 

I'm sure Mikey "deplored" the way Kaepernick was treated. 

[homersapien 11,369]

45 minutes ago, Mikey said:

Can't agree with that. Kaepernick's tactic of kneeling for the anthem was an aggressive, infuriating way of getting started.  He made an awful lot of people mad at him before the first word of any discourse could be exchanged. If you want to have a reasoned discussion on a subject, it's best not to spit in the other guy's coffee cup right before he sits down at the table. That's what Kaepernick did.

Ha, Mikey beat me to it.

 

[McLoofus 35,182]

Well, yeah, it was aggressive and infuriating to you chicken s*** snowflakes who chose to get mad about it. Y'all are all about some constitutional rights until it offends your fragile sensibilities. 

Just be honest. There is no way that you will accept a black man challenging the status quo. 

[wdefromtx 3,159]

I think the problem that occur with Kapernick is that most people were just associating the flag with sacrifice from fallen soldiers and not the fact that the flag should provide freedom, and protection for all Americans. But, then again some people probably used that association to keep their head in the sand.  

[Gowebb11 9,319]

1 hour ago, Mikey said:

Can't agree with that. Kaepernick's tactic of kneeling for the anthem was an aggressive, infuriating way of getting started.  He made an awful lot of people mad at him before the first word of any discourse could be exchanged. If you want to have a reasoned discussion on a subject, it's best not to spit in the other guy's coffee cup right before he sits down at the table. That's what Kaepernick did.

Kneeling in silence is not aggressive. Strapping a semi-automatic rifle to your back and parading around a state Capitol on the other hand might be construed as that. The difference in how our citizenry and media portray those different scenarios: Race. Period. 

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

3 hours ago, Mikey said:

Can't agree with that. Kaepernick's tactic of kneeling for the anthem was an aggressive, infuriating way of getting started.  He made an awful lot of people mad at him before the first word of any discourse could be exchanged. If you want to have a reasoned discussion on a subject, it's best not to spit in the other guy's coffee cup right before he sits down at the table. That's what Kaepernick did.

He took a silent knee that threatened no one.  There's nothing aggressive about that.  And the worst part is that the issue he was calling out, police brutality against minorities, was completely whitewashed by some fanciful "you hate the troops if you don't stand for the anthem" agenda that was made up by people who simply didn't want to hear what the man had to say.

This all in spite of the fact that Kaepernick's taking of a knee was suggested to him by a former military member as the best way to protest using his platform because Colin was cognizant of not wanting to disrespect them.

[aubiefifty 16,775]

4 hours ago, Mikey said:

Can't agree with that. Kaepernick's tactic of kneeling for the anthem was an aggressive, infuriating way of getting started.  He made an awful lot of people mad at him before the first word of any discourse could be exchanged. If you want to have a reasoned discussion on a subject, it's best not to spit in the other guy's coffee cup right before he sits down at the table. That's what Kaepernick did.

how would you like to see minorities handle the situation mikey? i served four years and our drill instructor said protests were an american right. also a navy seal is the one that told cap exactly how to protest with respect. i believe before they were taking a knee they just refused to stand. i am interested in your thoughts if you would care to explain. personal feelings aside i have more respect for kap than say a draft dodger that refused to go which means that some other poor soul had to go in his place.