Someone once told me they felt the answer to racism was for everyone to marry everyone and have babies, because that way we’d all be beige.
Okay…
No, the answer to racism is to call it like it is. Just call it out when you see it.
I’ll admit there are times when I wish I could get away from the issue of skin tone, prejudice and the preconceived notions that lead some to believe that ethnicity or gender defines who an individual or group is, how they behave and how far they can go in life.
For example, some of you reading this very column may believe that all men cheat, that all poor black people are criminals or that all white men are evil.
Yes, there are men who cheat, there are poor black people who commit crime and there are white men who do evil things, but do they do so by virtue of their DNA?
This week, President Bush was asked during a Rose Garden news conference what the GOP could do to get more of the black vote in the 2008 presidential race.
He admitted to being disappointed with the percentage of the black vote he received in 2004, but said he felt increasing home ownership and improving education were improving the lives of African Americans and thereby strengthening the ties between the GOP and black people. He added that the GOP has to ask for your vote and not take it for granted.
I haven’t been asked for any advice, and I don’t expect any Republican representative to ever call me to find out what I think the GOP should do to make African Americans feel more welcome in their party. But there are some recent missed opportunities. One big one.
If you want more black people to vote for you in 2008, your administration must go a little further than saying, “The president believes the comments were not appropriate.”
The comments, of course, were those made by former Education Secretary, author of The Book of Virtues, syndicated radio talk show host and staunch Republican Bill Bennett, who said on his radio show last week,
“I do know that it’s true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could – if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down. That would be an impossible, ridiculous and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down.”
Bennett said his comments were taken out of context and that he was disagreeing with the premise of a book that claims that legalized abortion has reduced crime.
No, Mr. President, the comments go beyond simply inappropriateness. You see, it’s inappropriate for a child to say that someone is funny looking or fat. It’s inappropriate for a sales clerk to be rude, and it’s inappropriate for someone to cut off another motorist in traffic.
The comments by Bennett were dangerous, evil and inhumane.
Use that cowboy bravado that so many seem to love about you and just say it! Tell black people that you feel our pain, that you can’t imagine how those comments made black women feel about our wombs and the beautiful chocolate, mocha babies we are blessed to produce.
Say that, Mr. President, and a few more black people might find your name on the ballot.