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The True Citizen, Wednesday, February 10, 2021 — Page 5A
Michael N. Searles
The fourth book of Dr. Mar
tin Luther King Jr., published
in 1967, is entitled Where Do
We Go from Here: Chaos or
Community? It is interesting
that Dr. King 54 years ago
raised an intractable question
that continues to plague us.
“Why is equality so assiduous
ly avoided? Why does white
America delude itself, and how
does it rationalize the evil it
retains? The majority of white
Americans consider them
selves sincerely committed
to justice for the Negro. They
believe that American society
is essentially hospitable to fair
play and steady growth toward
a middle-class Utopia em
bodying racial harmony. But
unfortunately this is a fantasy
of self-deception and comfort
able vanity. Overwhelmingly
America is still struggling with
irresolution and contradictions.
It has been sincere and even
ardent in welcoming some
change. But too quickly apa
thy and disinterest rise to the
surface when the next logical
steps are to be taken. Laws are
passed in a crisis mood after a
Birmingham or a Selma, but no
substantial fervor survives the
formal signing of legislation.
The recording of the law itself
is treated as the reality of the
reform.”
It might be incredibly naive
to believe that this time is
different; however, change
seems to be in the air. There is
an assessment underfoot un
like earlier times. Groups like
Coming to the Table that has
as its theme: Working together
to create a just and truthful
society that acknowledges and
seeks to heal the racial wounds
of the past, from slavery and
the many forms of racism it
spawned.
Coming to the Table is
but one of the groups that has
begun the task set before us by
Dr. King. Latasha Morrison
founded Be the Bridge, a non
profit organization that equips
more than one thousand sub
groups across five countries to
serve as ambassadors of racial
reconciliation. On America’s
talk shows prominent writers,
professors, and social activists
are being given a voice. Dr.
Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., the James
S. McDonnell Distinguished
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
University Professor of African
American Studies at Princeton
University recently published
Begin Again: James Baldwin's
America and Its Urgent Lesson
For Our Own.
Ibram X. Kendi has written
a New York Times bestseller
entitled: How to be an An
tiracist that has generated a
movement. Robin Diangelo
also has written a New York
Times bestseller entitled: White
Fragility: Why It’s So Hard
for White People to Talk about
Racism. Jerald Walker, Pro
fessor of Creative Writing at
Emerson College, and recipient
of the James A. Michener and
National Endowment for the
Arts fellowships authored How
to Make a Slave and Other Es
says and has been referred to as
the most gifted essayists of our
times. Kerry Connelly’s Good
White Racist? Confronting
Your Role in Racial Injustice
in which the writer argues that
being a racist does not require
a person to spew hateful and
willfully discriminatory words.
Connelly exposes the ways
white people participate in,
benefit from, and unknowingly
perpetuate racism —despite
their best “good person” in
tentions.
Robert P. Jones, CEO and
founder of the Public Religion
Research Institute, recently
published White Too Long: The
Legacy of White Supremacy
in American Christianity. All
these books likely would not
have been published several
years ago. The millions of
white Americans willing to
march in the streets under the
banner Black Lives Matter
is an indication of changing
times. A topic too hot to touch
has become a topic that cannot
be avoided. With all the inter
est and willingness to broach
this topic, there remains a deep
resistance. Most Americans
will not read these books or
engage in racially charged
conversations. Some topics
are incredibly hard to approach
or accept. We feel that our
success is primarily due to our
intelligence, ability, and hard
work. The suggestion that rac
ism was involved might sug
gest white people are no better
nor more brilliant than anyone
else, just more advantaged.
This is a reality that has been
a bridge too far.
Diana Royal
A SPARTAN TRADITION
(This is a reprint from last
year, just before COVID-19
entered our lives and changed
so much of what we love and
cherish. To the Spartan seniors
this year whose tradition has
been altered — cherish this
time together, the silly outfits
and know your smiles and yelps
down those hallways leave
more of an impression than
anything else. And to my Class
of 2020 mom friends and last
year's graduates, I think y'all
will agree when I say, “Don’t
blink.’’)
The lipstick washes off, but
the memories remain.
I’ll never forget my first
Valentine’s Day at Edmund
Burke Academy. I’d trans
ferred schools at that pivotal
moment — freshman year of
high school, and aside from the
three others who left Hephzi-
bah with me, I did not know a
single soul.
I quickly learned that school
traditions run deep in the Spar
tan family. From Homecoming
week to praying together to the
competitive nature amongst
classes to strong bonds with
caring teachers, I’d often felt
as though I were on a TV show
or a movie about small towns;
the school environment I was
accustomed to wasn’t so tightly
knit nor nearly as fun — I
couldn’t believe such a school
existed. Oh but it does. Right
here in the heart of Waynes
boro.
One such tradition at EBA
is something I’m quite certain
99 percent of the student body
looks forward to: their chance
to be senior cupids.
What is that?
Well, I asked the same ques
tion.
My classmates said, “You’ll
understand when you experi
ence it.”
On Valentine’s Day of 1997,
I entered my school just before
the tardy bell, running past
streamers and balloons and
members of the senior class
who were decked out in the
most flamboyant costumes.
Barely into first period, senior
Allen DeLaigle flung open the
door to our classroom, wearing
tights and a feather boa. He
stood over my cousin Jason’s
desk and began reading a love
note. “To Jason from so and
so,” he chided, bending down
and smacking a huge kiss on
my surprised cousin’s face.
The red lipstick smeared across
his cheek wasn’t much darker
than the shade of crimson his
skin turned. Allen skipped out
into the hallway on his tip toes.
What in the world is going
on, I thought to myself.
The rest of the day carried
on in the same fashion: some
seniors wore wings; others
had heart-shaped sunglasses
or tutus; they all had the bright
red lipstick which was (and
still is!) the most important
part. The seniors made sure to
deliver gifts and lipstick kisses
to every student, teacher and
staff member, and we left that
day proudly sporting lipstick
stains on our cheeks, necks,
ears, eyelids and hair.
One year a basketball tourna
ment fell on the holiday, and
y’all should’ve seen the looks
we got walking into the gym,
our basketball teams, coaches,
cheerleaders and parents cov
ered in lipstick.
This year’s Valentine’s Day
celebration is even more spe
cial to me as my own senior
gets to help carry on the tradi
tion, 20 years after I myself did
this crazy cupid shuffle down
the same hallways. Little has
changed over these years; she’s
picked out some red shorts with
shiny gold hearts on them and
has our friend Marjorie making
her a T-shirt. Candy has been
bought. Aside from delivering
funny cards and flowers, our
school now offers chicken min
is and donuts (what a treat!).
These Class of 2020 seniors are
going to have such an amazing
time on Thursday. I hope they
all know it truly is a day about
love, the best kind of love,
and I hope they get to watch
this one day through eyes of a
parent alumni. No doubt those
eyes will be a bit misty.
Somewhere in the back of
my closest there’s a box with
four years worth of EBA valen
tines. I cannot part with them.
Hail alma mater.
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