I’ve never been stopped by the police for DWB, driving while black. I can’t even imagine a police officer stopping me for anything other than some sort of perceived violation I have committed. And over the course of my driving career I have been stopped many times, received some traffic tickets and gone on my way.
So the thought of being stopped based on the color of my skin is alien to me. But I know it happens. And it happens because there is racism and prejudice in our country. It has to be very unsettling to feel this way or believe this will happen to you if you’re black.
How do we deal with this? A white guy, how do I deal with this? I don’t know. I suppose I could say we accept the notion that we all have prejudices. That we accept that we have to start the conversation on how to deal with deep rooted prejudice in our country. But the real answer is I don’t know. I don’t know because how do you get someone not to be anti Semitic? How do you get someone not to be anti black? if these are prejudices that are deep rooted and ingrained from an early age how do you deal with it?
Maybe you do start the conversation. Maybe we just talk. Maybe we just listen. One small beginning. One small step.
This is what I’m thinking about tonight. Can’t we all just get along?
