It's the sheer scale of the problem that daunts,
and the skew of things contoured by years
of seeing blacks as shadowed strangers.
Lack of contact clouds judgement, fears
fly without relief from here to the horizon
at each report of black on white crime
with dirt retold on 24 hour news again
and again magnifying fear each time
as if we were waiting to be reoffended.
Are we? Offended is the right word
but are we? Women are blamed for rape
and violence against them. Absurd.
Only men, allied with women, can stop rape and violence
against women. Only whites, allied with blacks,
can stop racism. So, increase contact, read, listen,
speak up, speak out, have each other's backs.
Posted for my biracial grandchildren and for Grapeling over at Imaginary Garden with Real Toads who gave us a word list inspired by his plane travel but which I took in another direction in the wake of Ferguson, MO and too many similar incidents. In spite of the scale of the problem, we must believe we can effect change and then do it. If not now, when? If not me, who?
