The courageous work of Martin Luther King and his colleagues drew our attention to the overt manifestations of racial discrimination in America and also uncovered the subtle, more insidious forms of racism that pervade our society. Having come of age in the 1960s, the images of vicious attacks on civil rights demonstrators are burned in my memory but so are the tempered reactions of many white adults to the words of Reverend King; in their eyes, he was a troublemaker, unwelcome in our non-racist, Midwestern city.
Today, while most Americans condemn the outward expression of racial discrimination and civil rights legislation has eliminated the more egregious forms of public intolerance, there remains a subtle undercurrent of racism in our country. This toxic attitude, expressed in private and revealed by the spontaneous comments of politicians, businessmen and other community leaders, is reflected by our tendency to define human society by its racial and ethnic groups. In doing so, we make assumptions about individuals based solely on their cultural heritage and convince ourselves that we cannot trust those from other segments of society. Indeed, it is clear to me that President Obama has faced racial headwinds throughout his first term in office and that the current field of Republican opponents are tapping into American racial bias whenever possible.
Present long before the Civil War, racism reflects an ingrained tribalism that has governed human civilization throughout our history. Intolerance of others, whether based on race, religion, ethnic background or socioeconomic status, has always characterized human society. Until we evolve beyond this primitive mindset, the prospects for true equality and justice are faint indeed.
