Land of Opportunity for Some

Cyde's post got me thinking.

As I was waiting to talk with the geneticist, I was reading my family history. My great-grandmother and great-grandfather, when they were first starting out, traveled to do agricultural work. Through hard work and savings, they went from traveling farm worker to farm and business owners and were comfortably middle-class by the time I was around. I have no doubt that such a change would have been far more difficult for a black couple starting out in similar circumstances.

They lived in Arkansas, back in the days of segregation. When I visit there, my family still tells stories of the day the black guy's truck broke down and Arlie helped him out. The remarkable part of the story is that, as far as I can tell, black people were rare in that part of the state (and I am sure not welcome), and he acted like anyone white would act, getting in the front of Arlie's truck with Arlie and all. He was from the North and apparently did not know "better". In general their reaction to this happening is, "It was odd."

I don't think a black couple would have found it feasible to buy the property that my grandparents did. I don't think they would have been permitted to prosper in that place for no reason other than their race. Today, while things have obviously improved, racism is not dead. While a black couple would be able to send their children to the same public school as everyone else, the father still have difficulty hailing a cab. This might seem trivial when compared with lynching; it makes me wonder what else they face.

Individuals have a lot of power in our society. I once offended an admissions officer for a college by objecting to his saying to me, in public, "So, how does it feel to be married to a cripple." Although I met all admission requirements, and qualified for full scholarships based on my good grades and other factors, I very nearly did not get to go to that school because the admissions officer did not like me. His office repeatedly lost my letter of acceptance. It took my husband's working his other contacts in that school to get me in, and then it was almost too late. The admissions office never officially objected to my admission as far as I know.

I see no reason he could not have done the same if he had wanted to exclude blacks. If no one pays attention, racists can do these petty little things and destroy lives with no one the wiser. The study mentioned in this article makes me wonder if mandatory diversity training is showing closet racist how to get away with discrimination.