Racism: A Past Ghost? I Know Not.

Blatant racism is not a thing of the past people. There have been many recent incidents to let us know that as much as we might like to think those days of open discrimination and hate are just an ugly and unfortunate part of America's history, racism is almost just as much a part of present day life as it was back then.

Let me bring your attention to the prison release of Michael Vick. Many people are saying that he should not be allowed to play in the NFL again. I disagree, he has served his time, so let him get back to his life. I am an animal lover too. I just hate inequality. Dog racing kennels treat their dogs just as cruel and even worse. But yet, the owners of them somehow miraculously avoid media demonization, hefty fines, and prison time.

The are over 3,000 racing kennels in the U.S. The owners of horse racing places are just as bad. So tell me, how it is that the top dog racing kennels in America (i.e. Boreayl Kennels, Flat Creek Kennel, Heritage Kennel, and Windward Kennels just to name a few) can all have documented cases of horrific animal abuse of their dogs but still remain in full operation and with no one going to prison? I'll tell you the reasons. Racism and classism. Where the hell is PETA when you need them?! PETA, this is the point of an interest group. There is strength in numbers. Strength to take down corporations...not to attack the President for swatting a fly.

These big businesses are allowed to function because they are headed by very rich, White families. We live in a nation where money talks and race only helps that much more. The system of Government rarely gets involved with business affairs, even if it is harmful, unless a business starts to steal from the Government. We can thank the Republicans for this again. Less Government interference and more privatization! Give me a fucking break.

The scales of justices are influenced by such things as color and money. Inequality at it's finest. Studies and statistics also show that criminals convicted of murder get more time or a harsher sentence if the victim was White than if they are Black. (http://tiny.cc/AOeQz http://tiny.cc/2foO2 http://tiny.cc/T1pTM ) Is that to say that my life is worth less than that of a White person purely because of our skin color differences??! Am I not a person too?!?

I have absolutely no problem with punishing people for their wrongs as long as it's enforced equally across the board. So let Vick play. Let him live his life just like the owners of the dog kennels in America who electrocute, starve, and abandon unwanted inventory. In fact, Vick playing in the NFL can only help further the cause of animal rights, because as part of his deal his lawyers negotiated with the prosecutors, he has to do speaking tours to condemn animal cruelty and dog fighting. He'll be another famous face for animal rights.

Now let's move on to the Philly pool racism incident. During Jim Crow segregation, prevalent in the North as well as in the South, racial integration in public accommodations such as swimming pools was prohibited both by law and, in many more places, by custom. Then, the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965 passed, and discrimination on the basis of race in public accommodations such as swimming pools became illegal. Today, almost fifty years later many tend to regard racial discrimination in public accommodations a relic of a bygone era. Unfortunately, some Whites in Northeast Philadelphia failed to get the message (http://tiny.cc/d1efE ).

More than 60 African American kids attending a day camp in Northeast Philadelphia were turned away from a private swim club because of their race. "I heard this lady, she was like, 'Uh, what are all these black kids doing here?' She's like, 'I'm scared they might do something to my child,'" said camper Dymire Baylor. The Creative Steps Day Camp paid more than $1900 to The Valley Swim Club; a private club that advertises open membership. However, the club's treatment of the African American kids from Creative Steps suggests otherwise. Creative Steps is a non-profit organization set-up to help inner city children.

“When the minority children got in the pool all of the Caucasian children immediately exited the pool,” Horace Gibson, parent of a day camp child, wrote in an email. “The pool attendants came and told the black children that they did not allow minorities in the club and needed the children to leave immediately.” The very next day the Valley Club suspended the Creative Steps Day Camp's membership and told them that they would refund their money. Newsflash: If the camp paid $1900 to use the pool in the first place then they want to use the pool, not their money back!

This is the absolute best quote from the most idiotic PR man to walk this earth:
"There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club," John Duesler, President of The Valley Swim Club said in a statement. Really, complexion? We still have a long way to go in this country. *sigh*

There is some bright light in this story though. When the story first broke, another camp stepped in and and offered their pool to the kids where their “complexion” would not be a problem. Also, the actions of the White pool owners has caused so much controversy that U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) plans to launch an investigation.

The most amazing and touching act came from famous African American playwright and movie director, Tyler Perry. Mr. Perry is sending all the kids from that day camp to Disney Water World for 3 days on August 1-3. I applaud you Mr. Perry for standing up and taking it upon yourself to right a wrong (http://tiny.cc/EiCpL ). Oh, and after more that a week of immense pressure from the public, the Valley Club invited the kids to come back. Already too little too late.

Just today a story broke about a prominent black Harvard professor is facing disorderly conduct charges after his arrest while trying to get into his own home in Cambridge, Mass. Henry Louis Gates Jr., director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University, was arrested at midday Thursday by police officers investigating a possible break-in.

A police report indicates Gates, who had inadvertently locked himself out of his house, was taken into custody after "exhibiting loud and tumultuous behavior," the newspaper said. Okay, that would make if he weren't already IN his house when you showed up some 45 minutes later to question him. The report also says that Gates showed the police his driver's license and all proper identification, including his Harvard work id card. So my question is, "Why was he still taken into police custody for questioning?" He proved he lived there!

"He and I both raised the question of if he had been a white professor, whether this kind of thing would have happened to him, that they arrested him without any corroborating evidence," Harvard Medical School Professor S. Allen Counter said after talking with Gates. This was clearly another sad case of racial profiling. He is black so he doesn't belong in this rich White man type of neighborhood.

Still think racism is imagined? Something people of color whine about when they want something? Part of America's ugly past? If you still believe any of these myths then you are sadly mistaken. The institution of racism is just as alive today as it was back then. Our society has just gotten better at hiding it. We have come far, but not nearly far enough.

Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr.