What do I know?

I’m confused.

I’m confused by the events that led to the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri on August 9^th, 2014.  To be honest, I think the majority of Americans share these sentiments….and yet, if you’ve picked up the newspaper lately, you’ve probably seen one of two headlines:

White Police Officer Shoots, Kills, Unarmed Black Teen

Cop Kills “Thug” in Self-Defense

My deduction based on what I’ve seen/read/heard related to the events is that neither headline is fully representative of what occurred.  But even still, this deduction is based on speculation.  The American Media, in a sick way, loves this story because it allows for endless speculation.  And the saddest part is that neither polarized viewpoint is willing to compromise in terms of the end conclusion.  The “facts” are out there in the public sphere, and yet no bystander to these events can say with utmost certainty/logic that they know what happened.

Which leads me to wonder, if people can’t state with absolutely certainty that they know what happened and who was at fault, then why are passions flaring as high as they are?  It is disgusting that this event has turned into a racial battle between blacks and whites (in a general sense).  When logic prevails, we all win, but when speculation and emotion take rise, we all lose, simple as that

With that said, I don’t think there is any doubting that a black child born today, on average, faces more obstacles than a white child in charting a successful, prosperous, life.  And I say this more from a high-level perspective, as blacks in this day in age are more (but not always) likely to attend poorer schools, grow up in non-traditional family structures (i.e. living with a single parent or no parent at all), and live in more dangerous neighborhoods. 

The metaphor I prefer when considering the racial tribulations in America over the past 200+ years, is that of a marathon.  A marathon in which the starting line for black runners is 2 miles before the starting line for white runners.  Consider these facts:

·      The 13^th Amendment, which made slavery illegal, was adopted in 1865 (149 years ago).  This is less than five generations ago, meaning most modern middle-aged African Americans have Great-Great Grandparents who lived during an era of slavery.

·      Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court case which made the segregation of public schools unconstitutional, occurred in 1954 (60 years ago), meaning nearly all parents of modern middle-aged African Americans grew up in an era of segregated schools.

·      The Civil Rights Act of 1991, passed a mere 23 years ago, made racial discrimination in the workplace illegal (whether it be related to hiring/firing, or just general harassment during the performance of one’s work duties). 

It would be optimistically unrealistic to assume that equality was immediately reached with the passing of each of these laws.  While laws become effective on a single day, social change and progress take time.  Think about it...if slavery was legal until 1865, how many slaves at the inception of the 13^th amendment were likely able to read and/or write?  If blacks weren’t provided with equal educational opportunities until 1954, what proportion of this populace was likely on par academically with their white counterpart at that time?  If efforts to allow for equality in voting and opportunities for employment have only passed Congress in the past half-century, how many blacks likely have representative government and jobs on par with their qualifications (rather than their skin color)?

I don’t have the answers to these questions, but they’re important to ask.  For as many generations as I’m aware of, my family has been literate.  We have been afforded the highest level of public education.  We never had to worry about being able to vote or the prospect of facing racial discrimination in the workplace.

So while the Ferguson ordeal paints the picture of a divided, polarized, America, I ask that we consider where we’ve come from and how much further we have to go.  The Media will sensationalize and dramatize this story until their face turns blue…but we know better, because while we still have a ways to go, we’ve come a long way just in the past 2, 3, 4 generations.  And as much as I’d love to be able to press a button that would immediately equalize all races in terms of median household incomes, test scores, and quality job opportunities, it’s simply not possible.