Rural Racism: The Story Everyone Knows

Symptoms of denial

Growing up in rural America in the 1980s, we were all taught in school one truth and another truth is lived out in homes and families that everyone is equal, or at least no one should be judged by the color of their skin. That is the lesson for school. When the school day is finished, we go home to another world.

This reality for the white kids was that we don’t make friends — real friends- with those of another race, religion, or ‘kind.’ Outside of school we learned that we don’t have the others over to play, we don’t see them in neighborhood barbecues and we certainly don’t invite them into our homes.

Roll your eyes if you must. Try to deny it. This is truth.

Flash forward to the age of the age of the millennials. Different? Yeah or nah? Depends.

Are we blatantly open about the attitudes? Mostly no. But it is still there. Some might use the term ‘institutional racism’ but that is just a fancy word.

Do this. Open your local newspaper. You will no longer see words describing a criminal as black or negro. Instead, more likely adjectives will appear as thug or gangster to communicate this while other events warrant terms like the suspected shooter, disenfranchised or the radicalized person. Code words that relay the same meaning.

The Cure

Is the situation hopeless? I am optimistic and do not believe so. Why you may ask? I say this because I hear how the demonized millennials react.

While the post-baby boomers may have done a questionable job at squashing racism, we have been successful in show the next generations what a mess the world is with it. It is undeniable that we are all worse for the existence of racism. The post-baby boomers have done a fantastic job of pulling back the curtain and exposing racism for the ignorant way of thinking that it is.

Never before has it been more imperative that the next generation step up. Fortunately they are used to this. We honestly haven’t done a great job in giving them a better world than we had. We haven’t taught them well enough how to be successful in earning their way nor in perseverance.

Of course, for the most part, this was done in love, but the end result is what it is. Sorry, millennials. But make us proud.