Racism: Call it out

August 4

On my run this morning, I was listening to the Saturday's edition of This American Life: "The Problem We All Live With." I think most people would be disgusted by what the white parents said, but it feels so far away. I have to keep reminding myself- it is right here.

It reminded me of an experience Solana had last winter. She was playing for South High varsity as an eighth grader and played in her first game we were not going to attend because it was too far away. When Solana left the game and was on the bus, she texted asking me to stay up so we could talk. When she arrived home after 11, she shared what had occurred. After arriving at the school, the team went into the locker room and when they came out there was a white girl wearing a confederate flag shirt standing so all the players could see her. She stood staring at the mostly black team as they left the locker room. Throughout the game, this girl sat across from the bench staring down the team. One of the seniors said something, but besides that there was no acknowledgement of that girl's overt racism. That does not mean that it didn't stick. Solana was shocked, sad and confused. I cannot imagine what the takeaway for the black players was. Racism exists and we have to call it out.

And then I remembered an instance last fall when I was watching my nephew play soccer at his mostly white private school. They do have a few students of color on the team, and the Hispanic family of one of the players was sitting in the stands a couple of rows in front of us, a mom, dad and group of younger siblings. The student section started to gather along the railing in front of the stands and I yelled down and asked the students to not stand in front of this family. Then the all white girl's soccer team walked in. Without looking around, they stood in front of the family. I yelled down again, a few of the girls looked at me and then turned back continuing to block the family. There was no AD or headmaster, but I couldn't help thinking that if that family had been white these girls wouldn't have been so blatantly disrespectful. Maybe not. I will never know, but I should have gone down and insisted, not because the family couldn't speak for themselves, but because when it feels like it is about race, it probably is, and it is white people's responsibility to call it out.