Educating Ourselves on the Topic of Race
A woman from the black community was frustrated when having a conversation with a person from the white community, "It's not our responsibility to educate you on racial issues and racial history, you need to do your own research if you want to enter into the conversation of race". She was correct. Many in the white community don't feel the need to entrench themselves with this topic, as most of us focus on the daily grind of work and family and it's not really an interest that concerns our community as it may with other communities. Also, the white community could be more unknowing of these issues and concerns regarding race as it has not been taught or handed down or handed down to them generationally. For those that do take an interest in racial issues today find much useful information on search engines, on the history of racial conflicts in the United States and throughout the world, which prepares them to have a conversation with confidence. It is always best to get your information from several sources in order to get a more rounded amount of information. Always be willing to look at opposite points of view and to have an open mind when doing your research. We should never be afraid of the truth, and we should always be willing to change our mind. It is when we become defensive and unwilling to engage in open discussions with regards to race, that makes someone look weak and filled with fear. We should be strong and confident individuals in our conversations, and that comes from knowledge and understanding. All humans have the same emotions of fear and insecurities, but these can be overcome. Read, read, read.
Educating Ourselves on the Topic of Race
The number one issue that we hear coming from the black community is not that the white community take responsibility for the acts and effects of slavery and the Jim Crow era, but that they feel that the white community doesn't care about it and that there is no understanding or acknowledgement of it. That the white community "still doesn't get it". We often hear that the white community does not understand because they are not black and therefor will never truly fell or understand what it is to be black in America today. The same is true for the white community. If you are not white, you cannot feel or understand the issues that affect the white community as well. Try to realize that as we are all human, everything we say about one community, can be said about all communities. Only the dynamics are different. When we hear of stories of being followed in a store as a minority, some in the white community have experienced that as well. Or when a woman clutches her purse when a certain male comes near, or when police harass or use excessive force on members of the public, that also happens in the white community as well, but how would someone else know if they aren't being told these things. The number of encounters will be different, but as fellow humans, the white community also deals with these types of issues as well. Having said that, the white community has an opportunity to help advance race relations by being the first to reach out to the black and non-white community, to let them know that we do care and that we should learn more history on the subject of race and race relations, and that we will work to understand and acknowledge your past and present as well. When the black and non-white community truly feel that the white community is showing true sincerity and an understanding of their experience, they will then reciprocate in kind and will then listen and understand the issues that we face as well. We should all stay away from always denying, deflecting, defending, and debating the topic to death. Instead, we should all take the time and effort to truly understand the other side's point of view and not always disagree because it is not your truth. Someone's truth is what we believe, and what we believe should be left alone, as long as it's not built on hate. Â
Educating Ourselves on the Topic of RaceÂ
Another issue that all communities face today with regards to race, is the constant drum beat of negativity directed at all communities every day. Unfortunately, with today's social media, one of the negative aspects of the platforms is that it allows the freedom of those with negative or hateful views to advertise their negativity and hatefulness without fear of being confronted or exposed. Whether it is people burning crosses or the waving of the confederate flag, or a swastika symbol, or any racial comments in a hateful manner, this paints a negative image on the white community. We also see negative posts towards the white community, calling all white persons racist by birth, and that only white people can be racist. Also, that only whites have unconscious bias, micro aggressions, white privilege, or that whites hate all other races other than their own. There are also daily posts on what the white community should or not say to non-whites when engaging in conversations. These types of verbal racial assaults and hateful behaviors do so much damage to race relations in America, that we must work so much harder to accomplish the goal of racial unity. The white community should never speak of the word black. The word black should not exist. The word black should be erased from the white community's vocabulary. Unless of course you wish to say, "I love black people". "Black people are great"! Other than that, keep the verbal and behavioral door closed. The black community should also never speak of the word white. The word white, should not exist. The word white should be erased from the black communities' vocabulary. Unless of course you wish to say, "I love white people". "White people are great"! Other than that, keep the hateful verbal and behavioral door closed. Remember the old saying, "if you can't say anything nice about somebody, don't say anything at all".Â
Educating Ourselves More
The number one issue that I hear coming from the black community is that "the white community still doesn't get it". That the white community doesn't care about the history of the black community, that there is no understanding of the black community, or any acknowledgement that they do. The white community feels that there is a negative obsession with race and the black community feels the white community is in denial of it. It is understandable that both communities would be coming at this topic from different points of perspective, so there needs to be an ability to listen closely to each other without the objective of disagreeing or being correct, and instead, listen to each other's suggestions on how to come to terms with each other's perspectives, experiences, and desirable outcomes. Finding solutions is the key. One topic that the white community could take the lead on, is to acknowledge the past injustices that can have a generational effect on the present-day generations of the non-white community. This does mean to take responsibility for the past actions of others, but only to show an acknowledgement that we have empathy and an understanding of the past. Another issue that all communities face today with regards to race is the constant drum beat of negativity directed towards all communities, including the white community every day. Unfortunately, with today's social media, one of the negative aspects of these platforms is that it allows the freedom for those with negative or hateful views to advertise their negativity and hatefulness without fear of being confronted or exposed. We should all reframe from speaking negatively about members of another community. Let it be that all communities should police their own communities and call out and correct those who are placing a negative stain or image on their own community. Whoever creates conflicts with other communities, creates conflict for their own community that is very difficult to rectify. The negativity has got to cease.
United States of America
The United States of America is the greatest country in the world, and we all should show our love of country by living up to its message of freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of prosperity, and justice. The United States is a newly formed country at only 248 years old, which is almost a new experiment that is always evolving and growing. The Great Seal of the United States, is inscribed with "E Pluribus Unum," "Out of Many, One." The Statue of Liberty is inscribed with, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." The Founding Fathers were smart enough to realize that this country was not being formed for one people, but for many. What makes this country so special and so different from all the other countries in the world, is just that. The United States of America is for every person, every race, every ethnicity, and every religion in the world. Although the country will forever change and evolve, there will always be one unifying American culture, that is made up from all of the world's peoples. We can also celebrate in this new country, everyone's own ethnic, racial or religious culture, without fear of persecution from the government or from any person(s). None of us should ever feel intimidated or fearful from the diversity of the world, and no one should ever hold hateful feelings towards anyone because of who they are, or who they represent. Only the weak minded would hold such thoughts or feelings. We should never be intimidated by those who are different from ourselves, and embrace the diversity of languages, cultures, religions, and races, and never allow fear to guide us as a nation or as a people. Even though in the beginning of the United States of America, there were horrific instances of human suffering, let us show the world that this country can heal itself and its people, and begin a new chapter of togetherness and unity for all.
Law Enforcement
First and foremost, WhitehorseUSA supports Law Enforcement. Unfortunately, division, negativity, hate, chaos, and disorder sell newspapers, and love, peace, and harmony, do not. When we see two people kissing on the sidewalk, we walk or drive right by without a care, but if we see two people fighting on the sidewalk, we stop, gawk, and then maybe film the encounter with our cell phones for later enjoyment. With the millions of daily encounters that police have with the public each day, it only takes one incident, one spark, for the media to showcase this negative encounter to sell their papers. When we talk about selling newspapers, we also mean, broadcasts, podcasts, social media posts, news channels, magazines, radio news channels, and any other forms of communications, to run with any unfortunate and ugly confrontation between the police and members of the community. Let's start by say that being a police officer is a noble profession. When you ask a little boy or girl what they want to be when they grow up, a lot of them will say a policeman or policewomen. We believe that all police officers go into the job with the intent of helping others and helping the community. Will police officers make mistakes? Yes. Why? Because they are human, just like us. Although we of course hold the police to a higher standard, but just like a postal worker, a store clerk, a nurse, a construction worker, we can all have our buttons pushed, and we can all lose our tempers. It's just at what lever do we lose our temper, and at what level does our temper go. Although social media can be such a negative in our society, it can also allow us to see certain interactions with law enforcement. Being a police officer is a very dangerous profession, and one never knows what the intentions are of someone that is pulled over in a vehicle, or with someone that is confronted on the street. From 2021 to 2023, there were 194 police officers killed, which reveals that in this three-year period, there were more police officers killed than in any other consecutive three-year period in the last 20 years. There have been 47 police officers killed so far in 2024. Are we going to hear from the media of these police killings every time they happen? The answer in no. Due to the lack of information provided to the public, the white community and the black community, as well as all communities, do not know that what goes on in one community, certainly goes on in every other community. The numbers may be different, but the activity is the same. The white community has not in the past and still may not, know what goes on in the black community with regards to the relationship between the community and the police. The same is true with the black community. There is a perception that white police officers treat white subjects nicely and are never aggressive with them because they are of the same race. This is incorrect. If you treat a police officer with respect and listen and follow commands made to you, even when dealing with a hot-tempered police officer, chances are the encounter will not end up in a bad way. If you have a hot-tempered or overly aggressive police officer, they will act on their personality regardless of if you are of the same race. These stories and encounters are well known in the white community, and we realize that these types of negative encounters happen more frequent in the black communities. One of the reasons is that there is a cultural disconnect, if you are policing in a neighborhood that is different than where you were brought up, and if the training is not sufficiently teaching officers how to deal with these differences, you could end up with a lot of negative encounters. Fortunately, much has changed for the better with regards to cultural understanding and more advanced training in police academies throughout the country. With regards to social media videos and police bodycams, we can see negative encounters between the police and the public. We can obviously see how the individual was completely out of control, and not following any commands, while turning a simple traffic stop into a dangerous and unnecessary encounter. Some of these encounters turn deadly due to the individual's behavior. We also see encounters where the officer(s) approach or way of addressing and handling of the situation was over aggressive, disrespectful, or unlawful. Some of these encounters have also resulted in a deadly encounter, that had the situation been handled differently, the outcome would have been within the guidelines of police policy, and quite possibly no one would have been injured or killed.  Â
Law Enforcement
Remembering Past Injustice
 It really wasn't that long ago as we think. The date was June 11, 1963, and I was an excited six-month-old toddler crawling around on my carpeted living room floor in a St. Louis Suburb, looking up at my two wonderful parents while my five older siblings were there admiring the new edition to the family. I was thinking how lucky I was to have such a great family and such love and attention that was coming my way. I was also admiring my new house and the security and safeness of it all. How lucky I was to come into the world in this fashion! Unfortunately, not knowing all the while that right down the highway at this particular moment, there was a government official, actually the Governor of the great state of Alabama, who was standing on the doorstep of the entrance of the University of Alabama, blocking the door so that two black American citizens could not enter. The Governor was basically saying that we don't like you, we don't want you here and so go away. The two citizens were Vivian Malone and James Hood. some people feel that the history of race is so long ago and there is no remanence or after effect, when actually, it is in our recent past. Vivian Malone died in 2005, and James Hood dies in 2013, and they both had kids and Grandkids that of course heard of their life experiences. These experiences from the black community are imbedded in the consciousness of their communities being, which of course is going to be much different than the experiences of the white community. These experiences and stories are passed down to each generation in order for the new generation to help deal with any instances that could occur today. The white community do not have these stories to tell. That is why is so important for us to listen and hear these stories to that we can understand, acknowledge, and show empathy for those who have suffered in the past. The civil rights act of 1964 cannot erase all of this history and the circumstances that come along with it. We must embrace this understanding in order to have any sort of reconciliation. This does not in any way secure our responsibility for these past transgressions, but to show empathy and an understanding of the past.Â
On a good note, in the late 1970s the Governor apologized to civil rights activists for his past beliefs and for resisting desegregation. Hopefully, we can all redeem ourselves before God and Man before we pass, for all of our weaknesses and failures in life. Â
Remembering Past Injustice
Another story with the focus on redemption. In the summer of 1961, 21-year-old John Lewis, who would later become a Civil Rights Icon for the black community, as well as becoming a United States Congressman for the great state of Georgia, was driving through the south as freedom riders, consisting of both black and white men looking to institute change with regards to segregation. The freedom riders stopped at a bus station in South Carolina, when they were attacked and beaten by a mob of men until police intervened. This would not be the first time John Lewis would be attacked and beaten along his long civil rights journey. Forty-seven years later, one of his attackers heard that he had become a United States Congressman and went to meet with Congressman Lewis in his Capitol Hill office. Former Klansman, Elwin Wilson, who was a 21-year-old former Klansman, apologized to Congressman Lewis and stated that he wanted to make amends to all those he had hurt with his racial hatred and asked for forgiveness. John Lewis later explained about the meeting that Elwin Wilson cried, Mr. Wilson's son who was with them cried, and then John Lewis Cried. John Lewis then stated that "His story and the way Mr. Wilson arrived at his position must be understood, must be told." Also, Mr. Wilson was the first private citizen, the very first to come and apologize to me... for a private citizen to come along and say, " I'm the one that attacked you; I'm the one who beat you.' It was very meaningful."Â
If only we can see things how they should be or can be in the future, now, instead of waiting until we mature and grow wiser with time. If only we could prevent the need for reconciliation now in the present, there would not be a need for redemption in the future.  Â
A message to the Black and Non-White community
I am here to speak on behalf of the entire white community, except for the very few, the infinitesimal sliver in our community who have lost their way, those that we seek to change the hearts of. The white community is here to genuinely and sincerely stand by your communities with regards to the issues of race and race relations. Although the white community of today was not involved in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, and the involvement by the Federal, State, and local governments, as well as the private sector with regards to the Jim Crow system of legal segregation and discrimination against Black Americans in the United States, we today are educating ourselves of this past horror, in order to acknowledge the past and fight against any discrimination based on race today. Trust when we say that we get very upset and angry, whenever we see any member of our community, behaving in a negative, hateful, or violent manner, due to racism or and form of discrimination. Our voices of understanding, compassion, empathy, and love for others, goes unheard, while the very few in our community who transgress receive all of the attention, tainting the image of the entire white community as a whole. We believe in diversity, equality, fairness, and will walk lockstep arm-in-arm with you to fight any evil coming towards you for any reason, and only wish that we together can drown out the negative and hateful voices that are coming from the few ignorant and weak members from all of our communities. We also believe that there are still some effects and remnants from the past that are holding some people down, and we shall acknowledge these past effects and work to eliminate any barriers that are preventing anyone from achieving prosperity, equality, and the opportunity to have a wonderful quality of life. There is a lot of work that still needs to be done, but please know that the white community is here to listen, understand, and acknowledge the past transgressions against any communities that have been discriminated against, or violated in any way because of their race, and we will work to stifle any negative, hateful, or evil behaviors directed towards you and you community. Lastly, please recognize that we in the white community believe, as you do, that we are all God's children, and we must all work together to achieve the word of, "Love Thy Neighbor, as Thyself."Â
Religion
Whenever someone attacks someone either verbally or physically due to their race or religion, this is a violation of one's civil rights and we must all fight against it.Â
The White community excluded from the complaint, included in the cause.
There are instances of concern and frustration that the white community is faced with, and these frustrations are no different from the frustrations from other communities with regards to race, racial discrimination, and stereotypes. We understand that each community member is going to feel and understand issues that face them in their own community, we also understand that unless we listen to the concerns of others, and others understand our own concerns, we will continue to remain stagnant in moving the ball of race relations further down the field. One instance in particular can be seen constantly from the white community a complaint of racial discrimination. Sometime ago, there was an organization that placed bus stop billboards throughout the city of Los Angeles, depicting a black girl sitting in the back of a bus, and a caption referencing the year 1956 and today, and that nothing has changed with regards to racial discrimination. The organization then wrote an article that was in the Los Angeles Times newspaper regarding this issue. The complaint from this organization was that the city buses were being neglected, that they were old and not safe, the price was too high, and there were not enough buses for the number of travelers. They also stated that the reason was due to the MTA (Metropolitain Transit Authority) of focusing more on the new rail lines, both above ground and underground, at the expense of the city buses. Their evidence of this which was in the article, was that 82% of the bus riders are minorities, and that the new rail lines traveled through mostly white neighborhoods. We can see how the white community at 18% ridership on the city buses were excluded from the complaint that 82% minority ridership are affected and discriminated against, but we are included in the cause of the complaint, benefitting from the rail lines over everyone else in the city. This is a very common strategy when communities, groups, or organizations want to advance a cause, and the thought that by accusing the "system" of discrimination, it betters their chance for change or a more favorable outcome. For this instance, they every racial and ethnic group in the world, Koreans, Filipinos, Chinese, Pakistanis, Indians, Thais, Mexicans, Jordanians, Cubans, Argentinians, and peoples from every other country in the world, in order to get the 82% number. So, in other words, they put all non-white peoples on one side, and the white community on the other, thinking this would strengthen their argument. The white community has more ridership than the Asian community in Los Angeles, but the Asian community is lumped in with of the other racial and ethnic groups.    Â
The White community excluded from the complaint, included in the cause.
Now, with regards to the rail lines, the White community is the cause of the complaint, as the article stated that the MTA was prioritizing the rail lines which primarily serves the white, suburban commuter population, at the expense of bus service for minority riders in Los Angeles. The first line was the blue line, which went from Pasadena to Long Beach, and had over thirty stops throughout the city of Los Angeles, including through Chinatown, Downtown, and through South Central, and onto the Long Beach area. If one looks at all of the rail line routes, one can see that they travel through a very vast mix of racial and ethnic communities. On the Board of Directors when the first rail lines were being built, were the likes of Richard Alatorre, Gloria Molina, and Mark Ridley-Thomas. These three Board Members, as well as members of the Los Angeles City council, would never allow their constituents to be racially discriminated against. The bus service in Los Angeles definitely needed upgrades in service, staffing, training, inventory of buses, and the need to have safety issues addressed. These issues hopefully have been addressed. and the both the bus situation and the rail lines could have been worked on simultaneously. The way to solve these societal issues is not to divide people along racial lines. This organization could have simply said to the MTA, that the insufficient bus service affects 100% of Angelenos, including Blacks, Whites, Asians, and Latinos. The white community will always join the non-white communities in any issue concerning inequality or discrimination with regards to race, but we should be included, not excluded, especially when the issue affects all of us, the way racial discrimination does. We must do away with these types of tactics, as they are utilized on a whole host of different issues, as they are not necessary to prove a factual point, and they continue to divide the nation along racial lines.      Â
We need to see more of this!
Imagine reading an article of a white man listening to the heartbeat of his deceased daughter's heart with a stethoscope from the chest of a black man who was her recipient. These types of occurrences between the races on a daily basis that no one ever hears about is very disappointing, as if more people from all races see that there are so many more positive interactions from all the races of people every minute of the day from every corner of our country, we would realize that that are forces out there that seem to want to bury these stories and interactions. Let us work together to put these stories out there to counter all of the negative output regarding race, and to let others know that there are more positive voices and behaviors than not.
These are the stories and behaviors that divide us!
Whether you are tainting the white community internally by showing hate for others or attacking the white community externally with attacks accusing the entire white community of white supremacy or racism, the white community feels that it is being falsely associated with the hatred from others, the fear of others, and the negative behavior of others. Each community should work on their own communities from within, in order to squash the negative forces that tear down the image of the communities as a whole. These negative posts, comments, and the hateful behaviors have got to stop, in order for us to move the ball of race relations further down the field! Â
LET US FIX THE PROBLEMS OF OUR OWN COMMUNITIES. WE DON'T NEED YOU TO FIX US, AND YOU DON'T NEED US TO FIX YOU!Â
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