Do Black Lives Matter to You?

Part I (personal vignette): Smile and Say, “Hello” and…

by Norman T. Reynolds, MD

408–439–2428

“Little deeds of kindness,
Little words of love,
Make our earth an Eden
Like the heaven above.”

(Author unknown)

When I grew up, prejudice toward blacks and minorities was more blatant than it is now. I encountered black classmates for the first time in high school. Although the school was officially integrated, it was still a version of the Supreme Court’s 1896 doctrine of “separate but equal,” which legitimized segregation. I don’t know about equal, but I sure remember separate.

Use of the “N-word” was openly uttered without any ado — sometimes uttered as an accepted descriptor to distinguish blacks from whites, sometimes uttered with derision, never used as positive. There were no rules telling us to be separate; it just happened; it was the way of life. When kids sat at tables in the lunchroom, they segregated. At dances, down the center of the room, there was an invisible line of separation, like the historic papal “Line of Demarcation.” Everything we did was simply black or white.

Looking back, I remember a couple of secret mixed friendships. When they were exposed and became public knowledge, there was a major uproar and shunning of the “N-loving” white kids by the rest of their white peers, backed by full parental support. I didn’t know the fallout for the black kids. No one in the school ever questioned racial prejudice. I never heard anyone use the words “prejudice,” “discrimination” or “racism.” It was that kind of community, in the north, not the south.

My father believed in segregation. However, he taught me: “There’s no harm in smiling and saying, ‘Hello’ to someone as you pass by. It doesn’t cost you anything, and it might make them feel good.” My mother, who grew up part of the time in Sweden, did not understand the community’s prejudiced attitudes. I, too, didn’t understand prejudice, but I knew how strongly people felt about practicing segregation. I complied; I was not courageous in bucking the system. (Me, I wanted to be invisible — not get picked on, or bullied, or ostracized.)

There were only a couple of black kids in my high school college prep classes. However, gym class was different. Our squads were mixed. One black kid on my squad was older (probably got held back, perhaps more than once). It was obvious even then that he came from “the other side of the tracks” (a euphemism for ghetto). He was shabbily dressed and not very well groomed. Regardless, I would say “Hello” to him. During basketball drills, I included him by passing him the ball. And, despite the ways of others, I did follow my parents’ advice — smile and say hello. I didn’t think of it as a big deal. It simply felt decent, and other kids didn’t notice.

In our community, there were occasional race riots. One night, walking home from a basketball game between our school and a rival high school. My friend and I were clueless; we had never been in a race riot. As we walked under the lights of the streetlamps, we noticed other kids off to the side, running around in a frenzy, some yelling, occasionally a cry. And then we got it — race riot! We ran from the lighted path into the darkened streets. All of a sudden, my friend was gone. Did he lose his way? Did he get attacked? I go back to find him. Uh-oh, all of a sudden, I am being tracked by a group of black guys from the other school, some with thick chains in hand. It was about a dozen guys (in reality, probably half that number). I was always a fast runner but not fast enough to outrun my trackers. They meant business. I somehow ended up in an alleyway backed against a wall. I was petrified as they moved in toward me.

The next thing, someone big steps out of the dark in front of me. He is steady, feet solidly planted, and the group stops. Facing the group, he calmly and confidently says to my trackers, “You can come one at a time or all at once.” Dripping with sweat, I prayed they’d come one at a time. The bunch of guys halted, for what seemed like a long time. And then miraculously, they backed off and disappeared. And then, so did I.

The big person in front of me, my savior, was black. He was none other than George from my gym squad. Thereafter, I’d say not just, “Hello” but “Hello George.” I never thanked him. We both understood the culture around us or, more accurately, the lack of culture around us. Acknowledging him by name was as far as I’d go in pressing the envelope. I believe, or more accurately I wanted to believe, that he felt the sincerity of my gesture as one of gratitude, albeit a mere token thank you. I wish I had said more. I wish I knew his whereabouts to say more now.

In retrospect, I better understand why I did not act on my wish to say more at that time. If I had mustered the courage to say more at the time, perhaps our peers would have noticed. I would have been called a “N-lover.” He could have faced insults and rejection from his black peers. In light of the racism surrounding us, his deed of kindness toward me was courageous, and one I’ve never forgotten.

Over the years, my parents’ advice has stayed with me. Remember, “It doesn’t cost you anything to smile and say hello to someone.” And, may I add, “It might even save your life.”

Do Black Lives Matter to You?

Part II (commentary): Whitewashing Black History

by Norman T. Reynolds, MD

Although I grew up and attended public schools in the north, I did not learn the true history — basic facts — about African Americans in this country. As an adult, I gradually learned through bits and pieces about some of the true history of black people and racism in America. Learning about that history gave me both a sense of relief and also a feeling of shame. I felt some relief in understanding my lack of courage when I was in high school. It also gave me a deep sense of shame about how black people are treated, not just in my small community but also in our nation, not just historically but also in modern times.

The following are just a few examples of facts that help me understand how black people must feel in a white dominated society.

• Did your public education teach you details about the extent of inhumane treatment of black slaves? In America, black slaves were chattel — they were bought and sold at will by their white owners. They were worked to the bone and subjugated (with beatings, torture and even death — lynchings). I did not consider the following issues: Why are so many African Americans various shades of brown rather than black-black? Why are they classified as black rather than of mixed heritage? To what extent were black slaves raped — forced to have sexual relations with their white owners and overseers? Historically, did black people have any legal recourse about how they were treated? What about how blacks are treated by the legal system in modern times?
• Did your public school education teach you that the Declaration of Independence applied to white men and not to black people? According to the Declaration of Independence, written in 1776, “all men are created equal.” At that time, there was no need to specify the exceptions, such as African Americans, women, and other minorities. It was “self-evident” that “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” were the “unalienable Rights” accorded to white males only. There is a long history of resistance to expand those rights to include all human beings, such that women and people of color are equal under the law with its rights and protections. That history of resistance is reinforced by failing to provide an accurate history about the facts of racism in this country.
• Did your public school education teach you about the Tuskegee medical study? Is oppression and flagrant exploitation of blacks past history or part of current events? How many of us are aware of the Tuskegee study? I never heard about it in my education, including my medical school education.

The Tuskegee medical study was conducted by the United States government from 1932 until 1972. Black men who enrolled in the study believed they were receiving free health care. Unbeknownst to them, those infected with syphilis were intentionally not told of their diagnosis, and worse they were not treated for it. They were not told they could infect other people.

How would white people react if the same study had been conducted on white males? How would the post WWII Nuremberg Tribunal, that tried Nazis for crimes against humanity (especially medical experimentation on human beings), judge this US medical study? Should black people today have distrust of the government and of white people to treat them fairly? Should our public-school educational curriculum include topics like the Tuskegee study? What harm comes from omitting such information in our education? Remember, George Santayana warned us, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

• Did your public school education teach you enough about oppression of black people so as to understand, if not empathize, with those who protest? Like US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, do you think it was “dumb and disrespectful” for 49er Colin Kaepernick and his teammates to peacefully kneel in protest during the National Anthem? Keep in mind Ginsberg’s forebearers came voluntarily to America to pursue the American Dream. Kaepernick’s African forebearers came to America on slave ships.
• Did your public school education teach you the history and current status of federal antilynching legislation in this country? In 2020, the US House of Representatives reviewed some of the history of lynching in the US including prior Congressional resistance to enacting antilynching legislation.

According to the text of an Act passed by the US House of Representatives in 2020, “Notwithstanding the [US] Senate’s apology and the heightened awareness and education about the Nation’s legacy with lynching, it is wholly necessary and appropriate for the Congress to enact legislation [despite past Senate opposition to doing so], after 100 years of unsuccessful legislative efforts, finally to make lynching a Federal crime.”

According to the Act:

• At least 4,742 people, predominantly African Americans, were reported lynched in the United States between 1882 and 1968.
• Ninety-nine percent of all perpetrators of lynching escaped from punishment by State or local officials.
• Nearly 200 anti-lynching bills were introduced [but were not enacted] in Congress during the first half of the 20th century.
• Between 1890 and 1952, seven Presidents petitioned Congress [without success] to end lynching.

That proposed legislation has not been acted upon on the US Senate. In the meantime, lynching is still not considered a federal offense.

• Did your public school education teach you to empathize with the experiences of African Americans? White people consider the following exercise:

Imagine living in Africa where you are a white minority among a majority of black people, who historically and currently dominate the political process. Imagine that your white forebearers were brought to Africa on slave ships. Imagine that they were enslaved, and throughout history, they have been considered less than and not entitled to rights afforded to black people under the law. Imagine that your white forebearers were subjected to rape, and lynchings, and deprived of voting rights. Imagine that the government allows antiwhite hate groups to assemble and allows them free speech that includes terrorism targeting white people. Imagine going to schools where history is blackwashed — omits details about the oppression of white people, both historically and currently. Imagine a black Supreme Court Justice who considers one of your white athletes dumb and disrespectful for kneeling in non-violent protest during the playing of the national anthem. Imagine, imagine, imagine. How would you feel as an individual and as a member of a white minority group living in such a country? Now imagine how black people feel living in white America. Do Black Lives Matter?

In conclusion, history helps us understand who we are; only accurate history can help us understand who we REALLY are. We have been whitewashing black history since the founding of this country, which does us all, both black and white, a huge disservice. Racism continues in America. To pretend otherwise is a denial of history. Will public school textbooks be changed to include the facts about African American history? The recent killing of George Floyd has awakened many citizens in this country to protest. Will lawmakers listen to protestors and change laws in this “land of the free” to ensure “liberty and justice for [citizens of] all [races]”? Do Black Lives Matter?

Do Black Lives Matter to You?

Part III (self-assessment quiz): Do you know the history about LYNCHING?

According to a House of Representatives Act: “Emmett Till [a black male] was brutally tortured and killed in 1955, when he was 14 after a white woman accused him of grabbing her and whistling at her in a grocery store in Mississippi. The two white men who were charged with killing Emmett were acquitted by an all-white jury. At the time, it was often the case that perpetrators of racist violence were either acquitted or not prosecuted at all.”

On February 26, 2020, Act 35 referred to as the “Emmett Till Antilynching Act” passed the US House of Representatives in a vote of 410 with four lawmakers voting against the measure. Some believed that the ten-year maximum sentence was not harsh enough given the seriousness of the crime. The Act amended Title 18, United States Code, to specify lynching as a deprivation of civil rights, and for other purposes. The Act has not been voted on by the Senate; hence, it is not law.

The text introducing that Act made a number of points. The following is a select list, not a complete list, of the points Congress made. The points are numbered as they appear in the written text of the Act.

Quiz: Test yourself:

• YES: Answer Yes if you know or substantially know the fact.
• NO: Answer No if you did not know the fact.
• Circle each YES answer if you learned about it as part of your public school education.

(1) The crime of lynching succeeded slavery as the ultimate expression of racism in the United States following Reconstruction.

(2) Lynching was a widely acknowledged practice in the United States until the middle of the 20th century.

(3) Lynching was a crime that occurred throughout the United States, with documented incidents in all but four States.

(4) At least 4,742 people, predominantly African Americans, were reported lynched in the United States between 1882 and 1968.

(5) Ninety-nine percent of all perpetrators of lynching escaped from punishment by state or local officials.

(6) Lynching prompted African Americans to form the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (referred to in this section as the “NAACP”) [in 1909] and prompted members of B’nai B’rith to found the Anti-Defamation League [in 1843].

(8) Nearly 200 anti-lynching bills were introduced [but were not enacted] in Congress during the first half of the 20th century.

(9) Between 1890 and 1952, seven Presidents petitioned Congress [without success] to end lynching.

(10) Between 1920 and 1940, the House of Representatives passed three strong anti-lynching measures [but the Senate did not pass them].

(11) Protection against lynching was the minimum and most basic of Federal responsibilities, and the Senate considered but failed to enact anti-lynching legislation despite repeated requests by civil rights groups, Presidents, and the House of Representatives to do so.

(12) The publication of “Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America” [published 2000] helped bring greater awareness and proper recognition of the victims of lynching.

(15) Having concluded that reckoning with our own history is the only way the country can effectively champion human rights abroad, 90 Members [not all the members] of the United States Senate agreed to Senate Resolution 39, 109th Congress, on June 13, 2005, to apologize to the victims of lynching and the descendants of those victims for the failure of the Senate to enact anti-lynching legislation.

(16) The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, which opened to the public in Montgomery, Alabama, on April 26, 2018, is the Nation’s first memorial dedicated to the legacy of enslaved Black people, people terrorized by lynching, African Americans humiliated by racial segregation and Jim Crow, and people of color burdened with contemporary presumptions of guilt and police violence.

(17) Notwithstanding the Senate’s apology and the heightened awareness and education about the Nation’s legacy with lynching, it is wholly necessary and appropriate for the Congress to enact legislation, after 100 years of unsuccessful legislative efforts, finally to make lynching a Federal crime.

(19) The United States Senate agreed to unanimously Senate Resolution 118, 115th Congress, on April 5, 2017, “[c]ondemning hate crime and any other form of racism, religious or ethnic bias, discrimination, incitement to violence, or animus targeting a minority in the United States” and taking notice specifically of Federal Bureau of Investigation statistics demonstrating that “among single-bias hate crime incidents in the United States, 59.2 percent of victims were targeted due to racial, ethnic, or ancestral bias, and among those victims, 52.2 percent were victims of crimes motivated by the offenders’ anti-Black or anti-African American bias”. [A Resolution is not the same as a congressional law that would make lynching a federal offense.]

(22) Lynching was a pernicious and pervasive tool that was used to interfere with multiple aspects of life — including the exercise of Federally protected rights, as enumerated in section 245 of title 18, United States Code, housing rights, as enumerated in section 901 of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3631), and the free exercise of religion, as enumerated in section 247 of title 18, United States Code. Interference with these rights was often effectuated by multiple offenders and groups, rather than isolated individuals. Therefore, prohibiting conspiracies to violate each of these rights recognizes the history of lynching in the United States and serves to prohibit its use in the future.

I am conducting a survey of the questionnaire results. I would appreciate your sharing your results with me. If you are willing to do so, please provide me with the following identifying information:

• Your age.
• Your highest level of education.
• Your race.
• Your name and contact information. (I will not reveal your identity to anyone.)

As part of the survey, please answer the following questions:

• Did this quiz substantially enlighten you as to important facts about lynching?
• Do you know that the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and neo-Nazi organizations are not classified as terrorist organizations by the US government?
• Do you believe that public school textbooks should be revised to including an accurate view of African American history, e.g., as reflected in the points made in this Act?
• If yes, what would be the value of doing so? Or, if no, state your rationale.

Not included in this quiz are additional points listed by Congress. Three of those points are worthy of note in pointing the way toward combating racism — improving the treatment of minorities. They include the following:

(13) Only by coming to terms with history can the United States effectively champion human rights abroad.

(14) An apology offered in the spirit of true repentance moves the United States toward reconciliation and may become central to a new understanding, on which improved racial relations can be forged.

(20) …Senate Joint Resolution 49 (Public Law 115–58; 131 Stat. 1149), wherein Congress “condemn[ed] the racist violence and domestic terrorist attack that took place between August 11 and August 12, 2017, in Charlottesville, Virginia” and “urg[ed] the President and his administration to speak out against hate groups that espouse racism, extremism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, and White supremacy; and use all resources available to the President and the President’s Cabinet to address the growing prevalence of those hate groups in the United States.”