Post Racial, Trayvon, Emmett Till, Rightwing View

What a Post-Racial Society Looks Like: Seeing Right from the Wrong Angle

By Mildred Robertson

There are just lots of things that are more difficult to do when you are Black in America. 

When we elected President Obama in 2008, pundits across the country declared America a “Post-Racial” society. Had not just a majority of Americans put on their color blinders and cast their vote for the son of an African? They hailed it as a new era in American politics and a precursor to a more just and equal society.

But America is not that easily explained.

While a majority of Americans were able to embrace the first “Black” president of the United States, little was made of the fact that he is just as white as he is black. That fact alone negates the theory that America has become colorblind. In America, it only takes one drop of black blood to make you Black.   Although he handily won the seat, millions of Americans still view President Obama as a usurper who has no right to the most powerful position in the world.

There are just lots of things that are more difficult to do when you are Black in America. 

Whether your name is Emmit or Trayvon, it just doesn’t pay to be young, Black and male in America. The simple act of admiring a beautiful woman, or walking to the corner store for skittles and tea could very well be a death sentence.

You might not want to jog to the bus stop while wearing a backpack and a hoodie either, particularly if you are running through a predominantly white neighborhood.

And then there is the issue of driving while black. You just can’t be a black male and expect to drive your Jaguar though a suburban neighborhood without getting stopped. Oh, forget the Jaguar.  Just driving through a suburban neighborhood can get you pulled over.

You can’t be Black, have kids, and be anything other than a “baby momma.” Ask Michelle Obama.

You can’t be a Black uniformed five-star General in an airport and not be mistaken for a baggage handler. Ask Collin Powell.

You can’t be a politician that shows anger when right-wing political operatives tell all kinds of outrageous lies about you and still expect to get elected. Ask President Obama.

There is nothing post-racial about America.

To be Black in America is to be different – to be judged more harshly—to be scary, angry, lazy, promiscuous, menial. The image has been seared on white America’s consciousness.

 That is what the six jurors saw when they elected to set George Zimmerman free. Of course, he was terrified of this 15-year-old child. So scared that he got out of his car, stalked Trayvon in the night, and shot him dead. That doesn’t make sense, the way I see it.

But those jurors did not see what I saw—what Black Americans saw. They did not view this case the same as many Americans who truly transcend the major prejudices that plague our society. They just saw right from the wrong angle.

It is the view they see of us—all of us.