Something to Think About

During the 1970s, tension arose concerning the sentencing of the death penalty. A number of studies conducted show that racism appears very evident in the trials of blacks, especially when the death penalty is a possibility. In the case of murder, a study showed that a man convicted of killing a white person is three times as likely to be penalized by death than a man convicted of killing a black person. Is this to say that there is more value on the life of a white man than that of a black man?

In an authoritative study by Professor David Baldus of the University of Iowa, defendants in Georgia who killed white victims were 11 times more likely to be sentenced to death than those who killed blacks. Blacks who killed whites were executed seven times more often than whites who killed blacks. Other studies have shown that a majority of convicted killers would not have been sentenced to die if their victims had been black. These are the results of a study that examined over 2000 murder cases during the 1970s in Georgia.

Here are some additional figures from Baldus’ study:

• Prosecutors sought the death penalty in 70% of the cases involving black defendants and white victims. The death penalty was imposed in 22% of those cases.
• The death penalty was sought in 32% of the cases involving white defendants and white victims; 8% of the defendants were put to death.
• In cases involving black defendants and black victims, the death penalty was sought for 19% of the time. It was received in only one percent of the trials.
• Lastly, the death penalty was sought for in 19% of the cases involving white defendants and black victims; three percent of the white defendants were sentenced to death.

Overall, defendants charged with killing white victims were 4.3 times as likely to receive a death sentence as defendants charged with killing blacks.

As you can see, racism still affects society today, even though a number of laws have been passed to prevent it.

Jobs

Many laws have been passed throughout this century to ensure equal rights to all. These laws cover everything from classrooms, to drinking fountains, to buses. One of the most important is the idea of equal rights in the workplace. Many may feel that these laws have worked as planned. However, equal rights are still non-existent in many places.

One major area that is not equal is the employment of federal workers. The Office of Personal Management reported that black federal workers were 2.4 times more likely to be fired than whites, Asians or Hispanics.

The Clinton administration and members of Congress expressed concern over what was called a disturbing pattern of involuntary dismissals among black workers. Hilary Silver, a sociology professor at Brown University conducted a study in 1994 that compared the loss of jobs for different races during the 1992 fiscal year. During that year, 28% of the federal civilian work force were minorities. Of the approximately 12,000 federal employees who were fired in 1992, 52% were members of minority groups.

Silver never concluded that the firing rates were the result of racism. A number of other circumstances could result to the higher dismissal rates. However, her report did find that job-dismissal rates were significantly higher for blacks than for any other racial group in every salary and every job category.

Studies such as this prove that racism is still present in today’s society. As this particular study shows, racism may even influence those involved with the governing of society. Although many laws have been passed to eliminate racial discrimination, there will always be ways for employers to get around any written restrictions or requirements.

Granny

I walked into the house with my friends. We had just finished playing basketball so my mother offered us some drinks. We took them and went to watch MTV. My elderly grandmother dropped by unannounced. We heard her talking to my mother about how crazy kids are these days. Their voices grew louder as they approached the TV room.

The blood-curdling scream that came from Grandma surprised us all. A look of horror was in her eyes. "What’s going on?" she asked.

I looked around the room anticipating something horrible. The lamp was not broken, no blood was in sight, and everything was in its proper place.

"Look at your friends."

I looked at Mike; his hat was on backwards as normal. Matt’s pants were just as baggy as ever. John’s afro was especially high today, but only a sharp eye could tell a difference. Kyle’s new white shirt stood out on his black skin. John’s afro was the only thing that I found different. They looked as they always did. Some were white, and some were black. I realized that she was staring at my black friends.

It then occurred to me that my grandmother had an awful experience during her lifetime that involved African Americans. She was attacked as a young woman and brutally beaten by a black man. The attacker took all of her belongings and left her nearly dead in an alley. She spent many months in the intensive care unit of the hospital recovering from her injuries. The criminal was eventually arrested for another crime and served a long period of time behind bars. My grandmother has lived with the idea that all black men are criminals. She feels threatened by them and each time she sees one on the street, she passes on the opposite side.

I normally am very considerate of my grandmother’s feelings. It often becomes difficult to lead two lives. I am one way around my grandmother, and the opposite around my friends. Had I known that she was coming to my home, I would have made up an excuse so that we would not have ended up at my house in that situation.

As I looked around the room one more time, I saw a good, tight group of young men who were my friends. I knew that as my grandmother scanned the room, all she saw were criminals.

Just Nuttin’

"Why dese punks always trippin’ Dog! We’d never done not’in to dem."

"I think that we needs to strike back g."

"Member what happin last time?"

"Dem racist pigs just got us cuz we be black."

"Well we were robbin’ dem whities, Dog."

"Yo, g, you know what’s I be sayin’, all them pigs just hates our kind."

"Maybe dey just doin dier job."

"Yo, now you be the one that’s trippin’, ain’t you a part of this set?"

"I’m straight G, I own dis set."

"You still trippin’, though, sayin’ they ain’t racist, when you knows that they are."

"I never say dat dey ain’t racist, member I’s da one who got beat up by dem pigs for speedin’."

"I just hate all whites and that’s that."

"Whatcha gonna do about dat?"

"Just nuttin’."

Like Biology?

Believe it or not, racism and biology are related. Most people, when they think or hear the word biology, get the cold chills up and down their spines. It also causes fear and anxiety to build inside of them. A lot of the time, they have absolutely no knowledge of the subject of biology. The same is true for different races. Many whites know nothing about blacks, and vice versa. However, fear often results from seeing one another.

Often times, people experience nervousness when they know that they will be taking, for example, Biology 101 at UVSC. The fears are derived from the horrible stories that are told by students who have already taken the course. Racism works in the same way. People tend to be racist not because of what they know, but because of what they hear.

Once one has had their own experience with Biology, it can be very different from the terrible stories, depending on their attitude about it. Their experience is also affected by what they put into it. The same is true for racism. After being exposed to members of a different race from one’s own, many realize that we are all people, regardless of the color of our skin. The stories that were told often have meaning only to those who told them. Just like in Biology, attitude is a big key to understanding.

If one approaches the subject of different races with the attitude that blacks or whites are inferior or superior, as in Biology, they would fail. The big difference is that these people are not just failing a college course, they are failing a course in life.

Barbecue

My shirt stuck to my back with sweat; huge globs of cotton were forming in my mouth. My once dry armpits were now pools of smelly liquid. My feet made a squishing sound when I walked, my socks were completely soaked. Droplets of sweat kept running down my face and into my mouth. The salty unpleasant taste made me cringe.

The smell emitting from the barbecue caused saliva to drip from my mouth. The ribs had been doused in Grandmother’s famous sauce. I had bought as many I could afford, but I knew that it wouldn’t be enough. They always made me be the cook, I don’t know why though. With my large beer belly, one would assume that the food would never reach the table. The smells from the other foods were causing enormous barks from my stomach. My teeth started to come together even though there was no food inside my mouth. Tyrone came over and asked, "Hey brother, whens this here food gonna be ready to eat?"

The air coming out of his mouth was like no other smell. It caused my once hungry stomach to churn. My coughing must have given him the hint, because he quickly popped a mint into his mouth. "About two mo’ minutes G."

After all the food was on the table we all sat down to eat. "Yo niggers, you know that this is an all white park?"

We all turned to see the pale, Nazi skinheads. Their tattered clothes and greasy skin was appalling. "You should be in the field pickin’ cotton. There ain’t no niggers allowed here."

We didn’t know what to do. If we stayed they would keep harassing us, but we couldn’t just leave the food. "We’ll go after we finish eaten’."

"That’s not good enough, nigger. Leave now before you get hurt." He started to approach us with a crazy look in his eyes. "You think I will let you stay here, when you were the ones who killed my brother!"

Before any of us could move any empty bottle of whiskey shattered on the table, sending slivers of glass all over my family and I. One the slivers pierced my pupil, and started a fire in my eye that I couldn’t extinguish. My scream hurt my own ears, as well as all the others. Tears of blood started to run down my face. I attempted to get up, but I felt hands on my shoulders holding me down.

"Quit your damn cryin nigger or I’ll make it worse. Now you can all leave or this monkey is going to die."

I felt a cold sharp object on my throat, I looked down with my good eye to see a large knife.

"Just get up and leave, that’s all we want."

"Let’s go everybody, just leave the food and get out of here." After I said this, the blade was removed and we all ran to our cars. Driving away I saw them eating my ribs with delight. I was almost happy that I had burned them a little.

At the hospital, I told the officer what had happened. He returned in few minutes, "So did you get em’."

"When we got to the park, they were gone. There is nothing we can do." A smile grew on his face as he walked away.

The Street

He kept his head low, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. The once white dirt-covered sneakers where the only things that he looked at. He heard whispering as he passed a group of white men. Their shirts were off and they all had a tattoo of a swastika on their chests.

"Hey nigger!"

The n-word pierced his spine, the tips of his toes and ears became hot. His body tried to stop, but his feet wouldn’t let him. That was the only word that made him loose control.

"Nigger, yeah, I’m talking to you Mr. Africa. Where the hell do you think you are going?"

He turned around to see the shaved head of one of the white men, but kept walking. He knew that he was in the wrong part of town and the fear tensed his fingers into a fist. He remembered the white man he bought his car from and him saying that it was in prime condition. I should have known better, he thought.

"Are you disrespecting me, you Nigger?"

He slowly turned around, "No, I’m just walking."

"The hell you are. You are trying to find a white woman and rape her aren’t you, you nigger?"

Sweat started to form in his armpits and run down his side. He didn’t know what to say, but he did know that anything he did say would be wrong. He attempted by saying, "I’m not looking for any women, you see I’m married." He held up his left hand and showed the white man his wedding ring.

"Just because you’re married doesn’t mean that you won’t try to rape a white woman. You niggers do it all the time."

Anger and hatred filled his eyes. His lips squeezed together. The pain from not hitting him was becoming too strong. "I’m just goin’ to use that pay phone, please leave me alone."

"Leave YOU alone, you are the one bothering me with that black skin of yours! If you weren’t here my day would be just fine, but your coal skin is givin’ me a headache.

He didn’t know what to do. He could feel the rage coming up inside him, he raised his fists, but instantly dropped them.

"What the hell are going to do? You can’t fight us all. You are just like the nigger I shot last night, black and stupid."

A crunching sound was made when his fist struck the jaw of the skinhead. He stood over the unconscious body, watching the blood spill out onto the sidewalk. The police soon arrived and cuffed the black man, taking him to jail.

The black man was not able to convince the jury that the white man had been harassing and provoking him. The other white men that were watching saw the black man harassing the skinhead.

Interview

Tom strutted into the office at 3:15, his appointment was at 3:00, but it was obvious by his walk that he didn’t care. His once white, worn tennis shoes were ragged with a plethora of holes. The faded blue jeans were almost white as the result of numerous washings. His blue sweater was worn around the cuffs and collar, with many out of place strings. The attempt he made to comb his hair was most likely with his hands and saliva in the rear view mirror of his car. He strolled past Tyrone and sat in the chair beside him.

Tyrone had arrived at 2:45, knowing that being early to a job interview was a good sign. His black wing-tipped shoes were polished to mirrors. His freshly ironed slacks were only slightly wrinkled, due to the heavy starch. The pearly white dress shirt, fresh from the cleaners was tucked in tight, held in place by his leather belt. His pure silk tie was like a noose around his neck, but he sat as if it wasn’t choking him. The nervousness in his hands extended to his feet. Almost every one of his nerves was firing and he wondered why the building was so hot.

Tom set his resume on the coffee table in front of them, while grabbing a magazine. Tyrone’s eyes were magnetically attracted to the resume. He read down it. He looked for any qualifications Tom had that he didn’t. He got to the end. His resume was identical. "Wow maybe this time I have a chance," he whispered.

The secretary looked up from her work and asked them, "Are you here for the interview?"

Tyrone promptly answered, "Yes ma’am."

"Uh huh," came from behind the magazine.

"He’ll see you first."

Tyrone shot to his feet and entered through the door. He stood at attention in front of the enormous desk.

"You can sit down."

Tyrone quickly sat down with perfect posture. He set his resume ever so softly on the desk and waited.

The man grabbed the resume without ever looking up from his work. His large wrinkled hand pulled it under his nose. His eyes scanned the material and smile grew on his face. "You are just what I have been looking . . .." Once he looked up and saw Tyrone’s black skin he became motionless. "Uh, we’ll get back to you about the job."

Tyrone stood and put his hand out, "Thank you very much for your time sir."

"Will you send the next guy in on your way out?"

Tom went through the door and sat down in the chair. "Here," he tossed his resume on the desk.

The boss took one look. "You have the job."

The Shot

I had to open the store early so I left my apartment at five o’clock. The subway was especially crowded today, probably because of the snow. I got on to the underground beast and noticed that almost the whole car was full of black people. My grip around my bag tightened instantly. I had heard about the numerous muggings that had happened on this subway. I was checking my wallet every minute without me even knowing it. My head seemed to be on a swivel because I was inspecting all of the black people, making sure they weren’t moving towards me. The ride seemed extra long today, and my heart seemed to beat a little faster. Every time one of the black people got up to get off, my eyes widened and my grip got a little tighter.

Finally my stop came and I raced to the door looking behind me to see if any of them were following me. They weren’t, but it felt like they were. I swear I could feel hands reaching in my pocket, trying to get at my wallet. It seemed as if they were pulling at my bag, but when I turned to look, nobody was there. I walked especially fast up the stairs and down the sidewalk to the store. I quickly unlocked the door and flew inside.

The memories of being robbed, by a black man, two weeks earlier were making my hands quiver. I was still a little shaken up by the gun that he had pointed in my face. He hadn’t hurt me, but I was still scared. I finished my preparations and put up the open sign in the window. I sat down behind the counter, like I always did, and waited for my first customer.

Two black men entered and quickly went towards the back of the store. They were wearing the typical gang colors of the area. My palms started to sweat, as did my brow. I was sure that at least one of them had a gun, so I wasn’t taking any chances. I grabbed the gun from under the counter that the boss had given me, and prepared for war. They both came up with drinks and sat them down.

"How much do these cost brother?"

"Uh, ninety-five cents each."

"Are you sure whitie?"

I quickly shoved the gun in their faces, "You know that is the right price! And I know you just want the money out of the register, but this time it is not going to be as easy!"

The shot was heard all over town. No one knew why I had killed myself.

Two Countries

Racism can be related to two neighboring countries in conflict. In many cases, countries have been at war for many, many years. Often times the people do not know exactly why they are fighting. The conflict between most arguing countries is the result of past experiences. Those experiences have carried over into the new generations, sometimes without them knowing why. The same is true for racism. The past event that sparked racism was slavery. While slavery is no longer permitted or practiced, the feelings is has caused will never disappear. Like the conflict in battling countries, racism has carried over through the generations, although those affected by it presently have never been directly involved in its cause.

In feuding countries, there are only certain groups of people who actually want to start a war. It is these people who are holding grudges and focusing their attention on the negative, rather than the positive. Groups such as the Klu Klux Klan, the Black Panthers, and others who are racist but do not openly practice it, are responsible for starting the race war in America today. They also are placing their attention on a negative past, rather than a positive future.

In conflicting countries, there are a number of people who are wishing to put the past behind them and end the conflict. There are many that long for peace and have no problems with being friendly to their neighbors, regardless of their background. In America, there are many who would like to put the idea of racial supremacy behind them. Many blacks and whites live together in harmony with no conflict.

The ideas that people hold are often a result of the ideas of their parents. Some do not know why they must hate their neighboring countrymen, but do so because of their upbringing. In many countries, it is imperative that children follow the path that their parents paved for them. If they do not, it is thought of as disrespectful. The acceptance or rejection of minorities stems from one’s childhood. Similar to the disputing countries, children in America reflect the values of their parents. What a child was taught at home will carry with him or her throughout his or her life. They may not know why they think and feel as they do, but it is mainly due to the beliefs of their parents.

Racism and the conflict between countries can be ended with forgetting and forgiving what happened in the past. The key to this is acceptance of all.