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.