Civil rights lessons need to start early
To the editor:
I will open this letter of concern with these words by the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
I open with those words from Dr. King in hopes that whoever reads this letter will look at the importance of his “Dream” speech, and of the importance of the life of the great man who uttered those words on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 at the height of the Civil Rights movement. Dr. King’s words came at a time when our nation was still fighting to overcome the veil of hatred that had hung over it for all of its existence.
I am writing today to make it known that the events that I have been made privy to regarding the actions of an Aroostook County student while participating in what should have been a friendly soccer match, I found absolutely appalling. When I heard that this young man used the derogatory term of “nigger”; said in anger toward an African American student from an opposing team, I was very distraught and very angry. I was even more angered when I heard that while the school suspended him for two weeks, he was allowed to still attend practice and participate in soccer games. I was told that this was because there was no “specific” rule in the Maine Principals Association’s Athletic Code of Conduct.
Whether such a rule exists or not, I will tell you that I have done my research and the use of that word, which is an abusive, ugly and demeaning term, was in fact a direct violation of the offended student’s civil rights. Civil rights as defined not just by our nation and our Constitution, but also was in violation of the laws of our own Civil Rights Act in the great state of Maine itself.
I grew up in northern Maine and I was raised on the grounds that all men and women are created equal. That one should be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the color of their character. I left the “County” in 2001 to join the active forces of the United States Army, one of the most diverse forces in the entire world. I have traveled around the globe, and yet the one thing I still find saddening is that no matter how far ahead we may be in the realm of diversity, racism still exists back home. What hurts me even more is that it exists in what I see as being one of the best places in this country to grow up.
The “County” I grew up in was accepting to all. I had the opportunity in 1993 to travel to Georgia with my father. We stopped at a gas station one day in Forsythe, Ga, and this was probably the first time in my life that I saw the ugly face and the effects of racism. My step-mother, brother, and I were looking over peaches being sold by an old African American man. We were talking to him and my step-mom was asking him how much the peaches were and he stopped her and asked her where we were from. He was by this time almost in tears! My step-mother told him we were from northern Maine, and she asked him why did he ask that? He told us with tears coming down his face that “White folks don’t come buy peaches from me. Most White folks ‘round here try to run me down rather than stop and buy my peaches.” I was shocked. I was so protected in my “bubble” that is The County, that I never imagined that in 1993 that would still be occurring.
I am married to an African American. Together we have a bi-racial daughter. I question after hearing that this young man was basically given a slap on the wrist with a two-week “vacation” from school and still being allowed to compete in athletics, just what, if anything, school leaders are trying to teach the young men and women that not only attend their school district, but also those that attend surrounding schools as well? You come from an extremely small community and because of that I assure you that this “little” incident is not contained within the walls of your society there at your school. Students from many other communities also know about what happened and I must say that I for one am scared that such terms may surface again because these young minds will think “oh I can say just about anything and the worst that will happen is I get two weeks’ suspension, but I’ll still get to play sports — so cool!”
Children will emulate the actions and behaviors that they not only see from their socialization process, but also will continue to practice what they’ve learned if they are never truly shown their actions are wrong. I also caution you at the fact that by there being no sense of “action” taken on this child that school leaders are setting him up for possible retaliation based on his racist comments.
Knowing that the offender is a senior, I will leave you to ponder this since he will soon choose a path as an adult in life. In the military this young man would be subject to punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Under UCMJ he would receive an Article 15 for the use of a racial slur. This could result in loss of pay and allowances, rank, extra duty, and restriction to the unit area on post for up to 45 days. In the civilian sector of the Department of Defense he could be subject to removal from service, and if he was a civilian contract employee working for the Army, believe me he would most likely be fired.
I simply hope that school administrators will consider my words and consider this as an opportunity to further educate the children under your charge and help build awareness about discrimination and racism.
SFC Derek A. White
Equal Opportunity Advisor
U.S. Army
