Bias and Racism Can Be Present Even When the N-Word is Not
Almost immediately after Barack Obama threw his hat into the presidential race, pundits and others have alleged that Obama is the one who is playing the race card. This mantra, if you will, has been repeated ad nauseum for over a year and as far as I’m concerned, and I imagine for many persons of color, this rhetoric has reached its expiration date. I think it is time that we clear something up once and for all. When one acknowledges acts of bias, appeals to race-based fear or hatred, or racism, this is NOT playing the race card. Quite simply, it is bringing attention to a cancer that we, as a nation, have yet to cure. Yes, it may make some Americans feel better if we, persons of color, remain quiet each time we encounter such homegrown ugliness, but that would only permit racial and cultural injustices to continue - to the advantage of a few at the expense of many.
There’s a great misconception (or more accurately, willful ignorance) out there that unless someone explicitly says the N-word (or other specific racial epithet) an act of bias or bigotry has not taken place. No longer exist are the days when one can spit out a racial epithet and still be welcomed into the arms of society, at least not in polite society. Why? Because we have reached a point in our society when such behavior is no longer accepted or tolerated. As a result of this shift, explicit epithets have been replaced with code words and innuendo. Of course, the explicit types of racist expression still exist, but are usually reserved for when a person is among the safety of “like-minded” individuals or in “a safety in numbers” environment.
Lastly, I find it telling that those persons who are not traditionally and routinely the objects of bias, race-based fear, or racism are the very ones who are constantly saying that, “Racism doesn’t exist,” always claiming rampant instances of “reverse racism,” or in more recent times, constantly claiming how it is the minority who is “playing the race card.” All of these comments and opinions are insulting to all persons of color who know all too well what racism is, both overt and subtle, and the varied ways in which it can reveal itself.
No, this woman of color will not stop acknowledging or shedding light on acts of bias and racism. For only in doing so may we hope to bring an end to this shameful American legacy.
