The '22 years' comment that missed the point at Powhatan County School Board meeting
Just because racism didn't happen to you doesn't mean it didn't happen at all
Imagine getting up from your computer (or putting your smartphone in your pocket) right now. You head out of your front door and start walking to the end of your block. Someone walks toward you from the opposite street.
Instead of walking by you, this person stands right in front of you and expects you to move out of the way. Before you can open your mouth or even humor the idea of moving over, the person reaches one hand back and slaps your face. Pow!
You call the police instead of getting into a fight. The police arrive and ask you what happened. You recount the entire story from the moment you left your front door until the slap.
And the police officer isn’t buying your story. Instead of looking for the offender, the officer says the following to you: “I’m not saying it’s not happening … I’m just saying I haven’t had that experience, and I’ve been [an officer for] 22 years.”
Does that sound like a reasonable response to you? Should you just walk away and say, “Well, OK, you haven’t heard about an incident like this for 22 years, so I guess everything is groovy. Have a great day!”
Sound like b.s.? That’s because it is.
Recommended Read: “Predicting the unpredictable”
But that’s exactly what one attendee reportedly said in front of the Powhatan County School Board at Virginia’s Powhatan High School when students, educators and parents showed up in the school’s auditorium to talk about the fight against racism in schools.
What triggered this conversation?
According to 8News, a white female student at Powhatan High School had this message on her arm: “I Kill N****”
And what was her punishment for doing so? In-school suspension. Nothing says “punishment” quite like forcing someone who says they kill people who fit the description of some of the student population to stay in that location. I wasn’t even slightly surprised when the Black Panther Party showed up to this school to get a real resolution.
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And even with a photo to prove this racial slur was on her arm and several other black students discussing racially charged events in the same school, here comes this guy to talk about how he hadn’t heard about this in 22 years.
So on Year 22, Day 1, does that make these students’ experiences any less significant?