There’s nothing we can say to end racism in America. In truth, it’s unlikely we can say anything to diminish racism just in this tiny corner of America or in the heart of even one of our readers.
There is nothing we can say that would wash away the sins of slave owners or those who suppressed civil rights, nor would we wish for such power. Let those crimes against all of humanity, which span centuries, serve as the illuminating prologue and unifying thread in the story of black America.
There is nothing we can say that would explain what it is to be black in America now, during this latest painful chapter. Not just because we are mainly white, like the state we cover, but because any person who claims intimate knowledge of someone else’s experience is a fool, a liar or both.
There is nothing we can say, and we understand that, but still we must say something.
On Sunday, the Monitor’s Ray Duckler wrote about racism in the nation’s police departments, and he spoke with local law enforcement officials, including Merrimack County Sheriff Scott Hilliard and Franklin Police Chief David Goldstein. During the course of Duckler’s reporting, Hilliard said, “I don’t have a prejudiced bone in my body.” Goldstein said nearly the exact same thing, replacing the word “prejudiced” with “bigoted.” We’re glad to hear them say it, and we believe they believe it to be true. We imagine a majority of not only police officers but all residents of this state see themselves the same way. And that’s part of the problem: Self-exoneration is the lifeblood of institutional racism.
Very few people are aware of how they actually perceive other cultures. Hook up every police officer in New Hampshire to a lie detector test and show them two photos – one of a young black man wearing a doo-rag and another of a middle-aged white man wearing a polo shirt and khakis. Ask each officer who is more likely to be a criminal, and the tally wouldn’t surprise anyone. But don’t mistake that for anti-police sentiment: Perform the same experiment in classrooms, boardrooms and offices and see whether the results differ. The presumed bias wouldn’t be based on personal experience in this ultra-white state, so where does it come from?
And to people here in New Hampshire who are appalled by the overt racism of others: If you had a choice between two restaurants equal in every way, except one was in a white neighborhood and the other in a black section of town, which one would you choose? Does your grip on the steering wheel tighten and your heart beat a little faster when you see highway signs for Roxbury? Harlem? Baltimore? While watching a film that recycles the familiar scene of the nervous white person walking into an all-black club, do you feel their trepidation as your own?
Many white Americans share the mistaken belief that racism means hating or feeling superior to black people because they are black, but the racial divide in this country wouldn’t be so wide if all racism was obvious. Rare is the person without a racist bone in their body, but that doesn’t mean those who make the claim are dishonest. They just don’t know it’s there – because it’s been there for so long.
The fight against institutional and systemic racism in America requires more self-awareness and vigilance among white people. But the task of closing the racial divide is not white America’s alone. Martin Luther King Jr. understood that violence and anger were not only counterproductive to the overall aims of the civil rights movement but actually fed these less overt aspects of racism. That truth endures.
And so there is nothing we can say to end racism, for that is a battle everybody must first wage within their own heart.