In case you haven't noticed, race related issues have lit up the headlines like a California wildfire this week. Incendiary stories like Tamir Rice's family being sued for an unpaid $500.00 ambulance bill, after their 12 year old son was shot dead by the Cleveland police. Sure, after being shamed nationally for such blatant insensitivity to the pain of a grieving family, the city of Cleveland called off the bill collectors, but the message was clear, some White people just don't get it.
Then there was the story of 19 year old Quintonio LeGrier, killed along with a 55 year old mother of five by a Chicago police officer. After being shot six times by the police in his own home, the officer who fired the fatal bullets is now suing the LeGrier estate for ten million dollars because of the emotional trauma caused from the shooting. If you can't understand why some Africa Americans get angry from time to time, read on, it gets a hell of a lot worse.
Then the Flint Michigan lead poisoning crisis kept heating up, as it became obvious tens of thousands of African American residents were intentionally left out of the loop and last to be warned about the serious health issues affecting their community. And while efforts will be made to do so, no amount of apologies or promises to rectify the problem will ever make many of those suffering whole again. No matter how you analyze this story, race can not be excluded as a major contributing factor.
Then of course, there was the red hot story of Loretta Lynch's Justice Department being forced to file a civil rights lawsuit against the city of Ferguson, MO. After the department's investigation revealed the Ferguson Police Department had routinely targeted African Americans disproportionately for traffic stops, use of force and jail sentences as a way of financing the city's budget, a negotiated set of reforms were agreed upon to change those practices.
Unfortunately, Ferguson's city council rejected the deal in its present form because they say the city can't afford to make the requested changes. In other words, the Ferguson city council has become so dependent on shaking down the African American community for fines and fees to generate revenue, the city couldn't even pay the salaries of their police officers without these practices in place. By any measure, this stuff sounds insane, but many in White America just can't connect the dots.
Then there was the story of Carolina Q.B. Cam Newton being called a boy by Bill Romanowski, a former NFL player and known racist. When Cam shrugged off reporter's questions after his Super Bowl loss Sunday last, Romanowski Tweeted, "You'll never last in the NFL with that attitude. The world doesn't revolve around you BOY!". Yeah, you read it right. BOY. Now that'll kept the flames of racism aglow. Although the customary apology was quickly offered, the heat of Romanowski's hate was felt.
And finally, there was Beyonce. When America's hottest entertainer, flanked by her fly-girl crew took over the Super Bowl's halftime show, delivering a brash, bold and very Black message, many Black people felt that message was long overdue. Donning afros, black berets and fist punching the sky to punctuate the point that many Black people are tired of this shit, the Black Panther inspired spectacle only frightened the hell out of White America. So much so, demonstrations are planned to take place outside NFL headquarters in New York next week to protest what some White Americans viewed as a hostile act.
Bottom line: At some point, America may have to reconcile itself with the fact that Black and White people may never be able to bridge the racial divide. When Black people complain of injustice, White people complain about Black people complaining. When Black people talk of being pro Black, White people hear it as being anti White. If White America could understand, just because Blacks look, live, love and even laugh differently than Whites, it doesn't mean they don't bleed, cry or grieve like Whites. Blacks just do a lot more of it.
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