Racial slur towards LeBron, Noose at Museum; Yea we got the message!
LeBron James’ house in Los Angeles was vandalized this week. Someone sprayed the “n-word” on the front gates.[1] Also, this week a noose was found in the National Museum of African American History and Culture.[2] Prior to the noose being found in the museum, another was found less than a week ago in the National Mall in Washington D.C. NBC Washington reported that other nooses have been recorded across the country.[3] Wait…there’s more! This past May, Center Fielder Adam Jones was called the “n-word” by Boston fans.[4] In the same month, Second Lieutenant, Richard W. Collins III, was stabbed in the chest by a white male.[5] The stab wound killed Second Lieutenant Collins. (I send my condolences to his love ones.)
The message I get from these incidents is that no matter how successful a black person becomes, they are lesser than whites. At any given day or time a black person can be succumbed by derogatory language and/or violence. I am reminded as a black person to stay in my place of subjugation and that a patriarchal white supremacist power system is still the law of the land. These events aren’t isolated incidents but a part of a system of oppression that uses power to maintain its supremacy. I have written in my book, No Entry: Examining the Powers that Undermine our Full Potential, that power is used to accomplish the interest or goals of an individual, group, or society.[6] Therefore, the message is loud and clear, that these incidents are to maintain white supremacy and it’s not going away without a fight.
I think when people hear white supremacy they think of radical individuals or groups like the KKK. But white supremacy is such a complicated system that it also requires ignorant people, folks who don’t know much about racial injustice, and other people who remain silent when presented with topics of racial injustice. The enchantment of white supremacy doesn’t stop with whites but it also convinces a lot of people of color to believe whiteness is more right than anything else. Dr. Ibrahim A. Kira and colleagues writes the, “oppressor usually has the intention to secure political, economic, and/or social psychological advantages and superiority of one group over others.”[7] Hence the recent election of President Trump and the institutional racism people of color face in education, employment, health care, housing, the justice system, and the environment.
The effect(s) of white supremacy doesn’t stop with our social institutions but it can cause lasting psychological trauma to minority groups. When I was in college, I played football for three years. I attended a small traditional white institution where students of color made up no more than 15% of the student body. Like many college football teams, we had scheduled works in the weight room. During one of these scheduled workouts, I was in the weight room with another defensive back who was also black. While we were there some of our white teammates came to us laughing and showed us the noose they made. We looked at them sternly and said, “That ain’t funny.” They stopped laughing and they returned the stare. I quickly realized that we were outnumbered in the weight room and, on a broader scale, the campus. I was scared. They didn’t apologize nor did they get in trouble. They were upset that we ruined their “fun”. Every time I hear about a noose I think about that moment, feeling demeaned and scared. I am reminded of the thousands of lynching that took place in this country to people of color. Because I identify with black people and other people of color, every racially charged incident I feel personally. Dr. Kira calls this “Type III” trauma because it is ongoing, present, continuous and, chronic.[8]
I’ve gotten the message that white supremacy categorizes me and others like me as second-class citizens, criminals, and disposable commodities. But I’m not here to accept that. As a college professor, I often tell my students that we can change our society by getting involved in our communities and taking part of political process. Since we are the creators and sustainer of white supremacy we can also demolish it. To this end I offer three suggestions…
1. EVERYBODY should educate themselves about oppression and power.
2. We people of color must continue to support each other and enact safe-care routinely.
Work Cited
[1] “Police investigating racial slur sprayed on gate at L.A. home of LeBron James,” ESPN, accessed June 1, 2017, http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/31/sport/lebron-james-racist-graffiti-incident/index.html.
[2] NBC Washington, “Noose Found Inside National Museum of African American History and Culture,” NBC Washington, May 31, 2017 accessed June 2, 2017, http:www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Noose-Found-at-National-Museum-African-American-History-Culture-435554773.html.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Des Bieler and Cindy Boren, “Mayor, Red Sox apologize to Adam Jones, who says he was ‘called the n-word’ by Boston fans,” The Washington Post, May 2, 2017 accessed June 2, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-blog/wp/2017/0502/orioles-adam-jones-says-he-was-called-the-n-word-by-fans-at-fenway-park/?utm_term=.40b699e1909d.
[5] Luz Lazo, “Authorities investigating whether U.-Md. Stabbing death was a hate crime,” The Washington Post, May 21, 2017 accessed June 2, 2017, http.www.washingtonpost.com/local/university-of-maryland-student-charged-in-death-stabbing-on-campus/2017/05/21/053b5f68-3e30-11e7-9869-bac8b446820a_story.html?utm_term=.54ed78dd189c.
[6] Colber Prosper, No Entry: Examining the Power that Undermine our Full Potential (Middletown: Createspace 2017), 50.
[7] Ibrahim A. Kira, Abdul-Wahab N. Alawneh, Sharifa Aboumediene, Linda Lewandowski, and Andreas Laddis, “Dynamics of Oppression and Coping From Traumatology Perspective: The Example of Palestinian Adolescents,” Peach and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology 20 (2015): 3, accessed June 2, 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pac0000053.
[8] Ibid., 3.
