America needs to straighten out its racism

How did we end up in this situation? Blatant racism in the news every day.

I’m seeing my black friends on social media and my heart cries out for them. Especially the ones with sons.

America is in a bad place where racism is concerned. But how can this be? The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was 56 years ago. Why is racism still as prevalent as it is?

And not just in the South. Last week’s blatant racism was in New York City and Minneapolis.

How does racism infect people’s hearts?

Is it taught? Is it a learned behavior from observation?

I was born in 1963. My parents definitely lived through a time before 1964 but it either didn’t affect them or they made a conscious decision not to be discriminatory. And they raised their kids not to be either.

I just don’t get the whole “white supremacy” thing.

How do you carelessly murder someone while doing your job? How do you carelessly call the cops on someone who is not doing anything wrong and mention their ethnicity, knowing that calling the cops on black people these days can lead to death. The sixth leading cause of death for young black men to be exact.

And no, I’m not talking about Rockdale, but nationally.

I learned a lot of lessons when I was a child from a black man named Frank “Big Rock” McKee, although it was later in life when I realized how much he had taught me.

I was one of the kids who rode his big blue bus home after school for a dime.

Mr. McKee took the black kids home first and the white kids home last.

He taught me that not everyone lives the same kind of life, while at the same time teaching me that while we may be different on the outside we are the same on the inside.

He taught me that I wasn’t in any way better than anyone else.

He taught me that my black schoolmates’ lives were just as important as my own.

He introduced me to Sam Cooke on his eight-track tape player.

Except for that last one, these are also things I learned at home. Mr. McKee just had a more subtle way of teaching.

I think kids today have already figured this out.

I think there are a lot of people who have yet to figure this out, as was blatantly obvious last week in the news.

I don’t know who wrote this, but this is exactly how I feel:

I’m not black, but I see you.

I’m not black, but I hear you.

I’m not black, but I’ll stand with you.

I’m not black, but I mourn for you.

I’m not black, but I mourn with you.

I hope America and the rest of the world finally figures this out one of these days.

kyle@rockdalereporter.com