This opinion piece follows a week of escalating racial tensions around the grand jury decision not to indict officer Darren Wilson, a white police officer who fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown, an African American. The event has sparked heated debate about excessive use of force against people of color. Sherry Watt, a higher education professor and facilitator with a focus on issues of diversity, asks that we begin to see this issue from both sides and take greater consideration for humanity.
This week I heard former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani state and restate that black people perpetrate overwhelming numbers of crimes against black people. I am not discounting the fact; however, I am concerned about that fact standing in isolation.
This point isolated carries a message that contributes to the racial problems in America. It does not situate the crimes within the larger system of institutional and structural racism. It isolates this issue as if it does not exist outside of poverty and other partnering problems that are systemic and not individualized. It allows those ignorant of the larger context to believe that there is something wrong with “those” people and not our system.
Overly forcible acts of violence happening to young black men, in particular, are situated within a larger context. It’s a cyclical problem due to years of socialization about what it means to be a man, what it means to be black, what it means to be white, and what it means to be disenfranchised…
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Also read Sherry’s previous article: A Better Way to Talk About Difference
Sherry Watt has been a Courage & Renewal facilitator since 2007 and has worked at a number of higher education institutions. She is currently Associate Professor of the Higher Education and Student Affairs program at the University of Iowa. She is an author and the editor of the forthcoming book, Designing Transformative Multicultural Initiatives: Theoretical Foundations, Practical Applications, and Facilitator Considerations. Her research on privileged identity exploration expands the understanding of the various ways in which people react to difficult dialogue related to social issues. Sherry has almost 20 years of experience in designing and leading educational experiences that involve strategies to engage participants in dialogue that is meaningful, passionate, and self-awakening.
Contact Sherry Watt.
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