Friday, September 04, 2020

What Is Your Racial Experience?

Maybe it doesn't really exist.

I work with a young man. He's 20, has a high school diploma and attended culinary school for a while. He was raised in western North Carolina. His momma didn't let him watch anything other than Nickelodeon and Disney channel when he was young. He's respectful almost to the point of timidity.

He loves to cook Italian food. He has videos of his cooking and they're beautiful. I love to cook, but he, many decades younger than me, cooks with elegance. His knife skills are superb. First thing in the morning, we trade food stories.

He's a conscientious worker and eager to learn, although he complains about having to learn things. He's the kind of guy who just wants to work and would rather not take classes.

He's black.

What does he have in common with the two fellows described in yesterday's blog post?

The initial story of Caleb Reed’s death was tragic enough: A 17-year-old activist with a bright future killed on a West Rogers Park sidewalk when someone shot from a passing car.

But a month later, as prosecutors brought charges in the case, a more devastating narrative emerged: Reed was killed by his own friend shooting blindly at a car down the street.

Nothing.

Our current race mania is built on lies.


My young friend and I have more in common with Chef Lola than we have with either white members of the New York City Ballet or Caleb Reed's gang.

No comments: