Image by Mike Licht (license).
We are far more liable to catch the vices than the virtues of our associates.
Denis Diderot
Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. of Harvard received what was probably his first taste of “racial profiling” by the police. My white neighbor saw two black men breaking into a home in Martha’s Vineyard. Dr. Gates is confronted by the police and explains that this is his home. Their response, “Prove It!” What’s the big fuss? Black men in low income urban areas have been voicing this concern for years. But suddenly an African American with some prestige and prominence among both white and black elitist has pointed out something that young black men have been enduring and continue to endure. Even after the election of a black president Barack Obama. OrealE? Yes “Oh Real-ly!”
Why should we shed a tear for Henry Louis Gates Jr.? The work he has done in African American studies at the collegiate level is ground breaking and appreciated but why are the concerns of the lower class overlooked simply because of where we live. Our concerns are not important? If he and many others were listening to our concerns he would have learned that the worst thing that he could say to a police officer is I want your name and badge number. Watch Black in America part 2 tonight on CNN at 9 PM ET. We appreciate you Professor Gates because you make documentaries like this happen. “America Beyond the Color Line with Henry Louis Gates Jr.” But don’t forget about the concerns of us little people because they are just as important as yours.
And President Obama your words are commendable, “the…police acted stupidly!” but make them count in a relevant situation like a black man shot by police (or better yet google it). Not when a friend and colleague feels embarrassed or feels the need to show “Do you know who I am?!!!” That’s what this story was about. Two men that wanted respect from the other.
