Dear Editor: What happened? Shirley Sherrod was fired from her federal job after clips of a speech appeared in a blog and were aired on Fox News. The clips seemed to indicate that she had discriminated against a white farmer. The full speech showed that her point was how she had overcome racial prejudice.

What didn’t happen?

1. An opening up of the conversation about race. When questions of racism occur, or someone uses a racially sensitive word, we need to move beyond “gotcha” to having a discussion within ourselves, among our friends and the media about how each of us has been affected by the conversations about race or ethnicity that we grew up with. We also can honestly acknowledge past and present racism. There was little discussion about the documented discrimination against black farmers for decades or about the continuing evidence that minority drivers are more likely to be stopped by police for speeding than white ones.

2. Discussion about the desire by some to stir up racial tensions, even hatred. Hate crimes have been rising since the election of a black president. Stirring up racial hatred is dangerous. Demonizing an individual or a group is dangerous. Calling illegal immigrants “aliens” implies that they are not human. Demonizing a population is what trainers do when they want to make soldiers feel comfortable killing the enemy or mistreating prisoners.

3. Discussion of Sherrod’s point that the crucial question is not whether someone is white or black but whether they are rich or poor. The media did not talk much about how the president’s success in passing bank reform would protect average Americans or the fact that the extension of the unemployment benefits would help people avoid foreclosures, the very thing that Sherrod had accomplished with the white farmer.

Peggy Wireman

Monona

Posted in Mailbag on Monday, July 26, 2010

What was your reaction to the Sherrod incident and why? Professor Richard Davis of UW-Madison points out that anyone growing up in American has been affected by the way the media and others present race.

Racial attitudes and behaviors are complex and only by honestly examining them without guilt can we move beyond our racial conditioning.

The point of Shirley Sherrod’s comments at the NAACP was that she went beyond her initial emotional reaction of “why should I help a white farmer when so many black farmers need help?” She realized that all poor people needed help, and took the actions that saved the white farmer’s farm.

This could be a moment to have an honest discussion about racial issues, including the fact that some have a vested interest in stirring racial resentment, even hatred.

Pitting whites against blacks or whites against Mexican Americans distracts people from realizing that their economic ills have been caused not by persons of another race or ethnicity, but by the actions of well-paid executives of corporations and congressmen who have voted for tax benefits for the rich and against benefits for average workers.

— Peggy Wireman, Monona

Posted in Mailbag on Monday, July 26, 2010 4:45 am Peggy Wireman

Racial attitudes and behaviors are complex and only by honestly examining them without guilt can we move beyond our racial conditioning.

The point of Shirley Sherrod’s comments at the NAACP was that she went beyond her initial emotional reaction of “why should I help a white farmer when so many black farmers need help?” She realized that all poor people needed help, and took the actions that saved the white farmer’s farm.

This could be a moment to have an honest discussion about racial issues, including the fact that some have a vested interest in stirring racial resentment, even hatred.

Pitting whites against blacks or whites against Mexican Americans distracts people from realizing that their economic ills have been caused not by persons of another race or ethnicity, but by the actions of well-paid executives of corporations and congressmen who have voted for tax benefits for the rich and against benefits for average workers.

— Peggy Wireman

What didn’t happen?

1. An opening up of the conversation about race. When questions of racism occur, or someone uses a racially sensitive word, we need to move beyond “gotcha” to having a discussion within ourselves, among our friends and the media about how each of us has been affected by the conversations about race or ethnicity that we grew up with. We also can honestly acknowledge past and present racism. There was little discussion about the documented discrimination against black farmers for decades or about the continuing evidence that minority drivers are more likely to be stopped by police for speeding than white ones.

2. Discussion about the desire by some to stir up racial tensions, even hatred. Hate crimes have been rising since the election of a black president. Stirring up racial hatred is dangerous. Demonizing an individual or a group is dangerous. Calling illegal immigrants “aliens” implies that they are not human. Demonizing a population is what trainers do when they want to make soldiers feel comfortable killing the enemy or mistreating prisoners.

3. Discussion of Sherrod’s point that the crucial question is not whether someone is white or black but whether they are rich or poor. The media did not talk much about how the president’s success in passing bank reform would protect average Americans or the fact that the extension of the unemployment benefits would help people avoid foreclosures, the very thing that Sherrod had accomplished with the white farmer.

Peggy Wireman

Racial profiling by police is widespread including in states with small numbers of minorities such as Minnesota. There police in suburban cities stopped Latinos 170 percent more times than would have corresponded to their proportion of the population. Blacks and American Indians in the state were also stopped considerably more often than whites. However, a better crime-prevention strategy would have been to stop whites since those stops yielded more drugs. Maryland and other states have shown similar patterns. (Connecting the Dots: Government, Communities and Families, p. 78. (Transaction Publishers. transactionpub.com) For more on diversity issues see chapter five “How Can We All Get Along?” and follow postings on my blog at connectingdots.us

MSNBC host Chris Matthews said after President Obama’s State of the Union speech that “I forgot he was black,” Senator Reid’s comments about “lighted-skinned” and Don Imus’ remarks about “nappy-headed” could lead us beyond using racial issues as a “gotcha” to serious consideration of how race and ethnicity affect us all.

Dr. Richard Davis has pointed out that no one who grew up in America grew up unaffected by the conversations in the media and elsewhere about race.

We do notice skin color. I was once meeting someone I did not know on a busy street corner and asked for a description from a mutual friend. The friend, possibly to avoid looking prejudiced, told me he was a man of average height and weight. Finally I asked, “is he black or white?” He was black.

Americans consider President Obama to be black because, as he says, “I look black.” We celebrated his election as the first black President, even though aware that he has a white mother and was largely reared by white grandparents.

The problem is not that we notice color or ethnicity but when we use that visual clue to make adverse judgments about a person and to act accordingly. This can affect any of us. For most whites, being white is never a problem. They can easily assume that white is normal. This can lead to casual comments such as “I forgot he was black” as a reaction to a President’s speech. Can you imagine anyone saying after listening to President Bush, “I forgot he was white?”

Assuming we are now in a “post-racial” society can too easily lead to making “gotcha” responses to an unintentional use of the wrong word or an insensitive remark. These are serious and should be addressed. Focusing on whether or not the words of a well-known person are racist can lead to sensitive and depth examination of racism. Matthews’ comments could be an acknowledgment that his race is not the most important thing about President Obama or it could have reflected an unacknowledged feeling that only whites make good speeches. But “gotcha” can distract from a thoughtful examination of this complicated issue. It can divert us from considering the extent to which race and ethnicity continue to adversely effect the lives of millions of Americans.

The economic downturn has hurt minorities more than non-minorities. Their joblessness is higher, and they more likely live in neighborhoods affected by the housing crisis. These results are at least partially due to discrimination which research shows continues to exist, hurting people of color in a variety of ways. It affects their ability to obtain employment, housing, and in some instances, to walk down the street without harassment.

Studies document doctors treating blacks and whites differently even when dressed in identical hospital gowns. People in Chicago, Seattle and Baltimore judged the amount of crime in their neighborhood on the number of young black men present, not on the actual crime rate. Americans have always considered welfare to be a program for blacks although white women were the greatest number of recipients. Connecting the Dots: Government, Community and Family cites numerous studies documenting different treatment of whites and minorities in the criminal justice system, housing and the job market. In Milwaukee, for example, whites with a criminal record were more likely to be hired for low-skilled jobs than blacks with no criminal record.

It is important for us each to consider and discuss our attitudes and our automatic assumptions about people of different race or ethnicity. But it should not distract us from continuing to acknowledge and attack the remaining discrimination in our institutions.

Copyright@2010 by Peggy Wireman

Posted as op ed in Capital Times of Madison on February 6.

Is the furor about Reid’s comments because he was insulting blacks or because he was noting that Americans notice black skin and many react negatively to it, even if unconsciously? Acknowledging that race and reactions to it do still affect our society can lead beyond the “gotcha” to examine how race affects us today, both individually and as a nation. Dr. Richard Davis has pointed out that no one who grew up in America was unaffected by the conversations in the media and elsewhere about race. For whites, the most useful response to Reid’s comments may be to ask, “do I react differently to someone because of their skin color and if so how and in what circumstances and why?”

The childhood taunt, “sticks and stones my break my bones but words will never hurt me,” is incorrect. Words can hurt. It seems likely that Senator Reid used a term, Negro, which was the respectful term used during his formative years but which some have since considered derogatory. His track record on civil rights issues has been positive. In contrast, Senator Lott said that the country would be better off if in the previous decades we had had a President who was a segregationist. His voting record did not support civil rights legislation.

Don Imus used a term “nappy-headed” which historically has been used to negatively characterize the hair texture of blacks. Furthermore, not highlighted in the media discussion, he called a team of young women who had just achieved considerable success “Hos,” which comes from the word whore which means prostitute

In researching a paper, “What Do Sarah Palin, Don Imus and Barack Obama Have in Common and What Does it Say about the Body Politic,” I discovered that Imus has a long and consistent history of questionable public statements on racial matters. His comments were both public given to a national audience, not a mere inadvertent use of an outmoded term or a slip of the tongue.

Native Americans have objected to using school team names which seem to glorify only the warrior aspects of their history and culture. A Native American woman queried on television about the issue responded, “Why would you want to use a term that historically has been used to demean someone?” Why indeed?

For more information, and documentation of relevant research, see chapter six, “How Can We All Get Along? Race, Class and Ethnicity” in Connecting the Dots: Government, Community and Family. For suggestions on how to build community and good relations in a diverse situation, see the section on community in Connecting the Dots: A Guide to Community Action. Both are available as e-books from the publisher. www.transactionpub.com.

Response to chapter six, “(A) must read for practitioners and students who wish to explore, better understand and engage in a dialogue on race on a personal and policy level.” Marc Herstand, executive director, National Association of Social Workers, Wisconsin Chapter.

The Study Circles Resource Center and the Institute for Healing Racism have well-developed programs on this issue consisting of a series of weekly meetings. For information and materials see www.studycircles.org and www.instituteforhealingracism.org.

Sarah Palin  represents the “Having it All” myth presented in Connecting the Dots: Government, Community and Family. The media blitz that surrounds Palin detracts attention from the real needs of the average working woman.  With the exception of registered nurses and elementary and middle school teachers,  the occupations employing the most women do not pay well. The greatest numbers of women are employed as secretaries and administrative assistants. Although some do receive top salaries the median wage for those in most such jobs was $27,450 in 2006 and 10 percent earned less than $17,560, an amount that would permit a woman to support herself and two children but only at the poverty level. Other categories employing millions of women include cashiers, retail salespersons and first-line supervisors, waiters and waitresses, health aides, receptionists and clerks.  They need a living wage, quality child care and universal health care.  The media attention to the star quality of Sarah Palin distracts us from looking at the daily lives of most working women. For further information see Chapters Two and Eight in Connecting the Dots.  For a copy of a paper “What do Sarah Palin, Don Imus and Barack Obama have in Common and What does it Say about the Body Politic? please e-mail me at wireman1234@sbcglobal.net  To purchase the book. Hardcover:   http://www.transactionpub.com/cgi-bin/transactionpublishers.storefront/en/Product/1-4128-0730-1 eBook:       http://transaction.metapress.com/content/q5k324eBook Supplement:  http://transaction.metapress.com/content/t12204/

Madison Wisconsin local Air America affiliate host Lee Rayburn talks to author Dr. Peggy Wireman about her new book, Connecting the Dots: Government, Community, & Family.