Social Commentary: Equality Should Not Be A Privilege

Almost 2 years ago, I wrote about Colin Kaepernick and the controversy of his kneeling protest.

NFL – National Anthem Policy

That article was the first time I shared my social commentary about racism and how it intersects with sports. Most of what I have seen on social media in the past couple days draws the parallel to his protest and the recent treatment and eventual murder of George Floyd. This image has been everywhere, and I can’t help to think how absolutely nothing has changed since his Kaepernick’s protest in 2016.

I’m a white guy. In reality, I’m an American of Irish and Polish descent. The world is a big place filled with lots of humans that have wonderful differences. In some ways, the things that make us different are what make humanity so special. Trust me, my Irish side of the family couldn’t be more different than my Polish side. Traditions, jokes, food, expectations are pretty different – and they are both Catholic. So, I respect differences in people. I embrace it. It’s time for all of America to do the same.

I’m not a particularly religious person, but I know my Bible. God created Adam and Eve. God did not create race. Race is a human construct. It is not real, in the sense that we are all biologically Homo Sapiens. The same species. Aliens from other planets would come here and see us all as the same. So, why is there Racism? Race is categorizing people into groups. Separating people from each other. Literally alienating one human from another. Believe me if the world was invaded by those aliens, then it wouldn’t be about the color of a person’s skin or hair texture or any other physical characteristic that would protect us from annihilation.

I have the privilege of being of European descent and a heterosexual man in a country that gives me all the benefits of every doubt. America is supposed to be the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave. It is supposed to protect our Equality under our unalienable constitutional rights.

In the Declaration of Independence – Thomas Jefferson wrote:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Jefferson said, all men are created equal. We all learn this in 1st grade. He capitalized the basic rights. I get those rights without question. I’m lucky for it, and for most of the other European-descent looking people of this country, we take for granted not only those rights but the treatment that we are afforded with them. George Floyd was denied his right to Life, and from the picture his right to Liberty before he lost his Life.

It is time for Americans, especially white ones, to stop it. US History is not a fairytale. African people were enslaved to make this nation over centuries. Their liberation not even 200 years ago was done only after Civil War, and in reality was not done in a holistic way. Those unalienable rights I am privileged to have were not even granted to African American people until the 1960s which is just over 50 years ago. That is embarrassing. The Land of the Free and Home of the Brave – that is a slogan, not a true value. So, the attitude towards Black Americans (because most white people don’t even know anything but color and don’t care to understand the descent of an individual person) unfortunately has not changed fundamentally. Yes, there has been movement to improvement, but how many black lives need to be taken before we as a country and We The People change it.

The US has a history of oppression. That oppression continues, and perhaps because it is being recorded more frequently, us white people can finally understand that is does exist. Well, for most Black Americans it is part of their daily lives. Our system perpetuates it, and time and time again we are reminded of its power.

Rhetoric is nice. Black Lives Matter is a great movement, but it comes down to you. You, the People, you the White American who enjoys the privilege of your unalienable rights to change this system. It is not a coincidence that white police officers are “accidentally” killing black people and mostly black men. Action is more important than words to me.

What does that look like? How about getting to know a person for who they are before assuming you know? Actually listening to a person’s story and empathize. Learn about the past, not the cleaned up white version, but the real US history to maybe understand for one second what is still happening. Stop making any situation involving violence against black people about you or how it impacted you. Listen. Learn. Support. Change the system. Voting is one way, sure, but how is it that the NFL can’t seem to hire 4 minority coaches at one time for a league comprised of mostly minority players? How is it that “opportunities” seem to just flow to non-black candidates in the work place? What can you do in your daily life to make a change or support something that isn’t about you and your privilege?

I’m not perfect. I certainly have my biases, and I’ve had to be schooled more than once on racial lines in my life. Even after 2 marriages (and divorces) to black women, I still do not get the struggle 100% and never will. But, I’ll tell you something. I believe in Equality. I believe that America should be the Land of the Free, and that everyone and not just white Americans deserve their Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. So, I won’t stop trying to understand, listen, learn and act on behalf of the oppressed in this country.

I would hope you start doing the same.

Wegs