Alan S. Austin
Arizona Playwright • Writer • Poet
  

HEALING THE WOUNDS OF RACISM (1/29)

Newton's third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. If the racist pendulum is swinging back too far as Glen Reynolds suggests, then all well and good. His claim that "reverse segregation" is making a comeback ignores how deeply racism is imprinted in the fabric of American society. Prejudice, like an invisible poison, distorts our society and continues to favor the white majority. Our political system favors the majority politically and economically. Minorities have had to fight for their rights be it women's, Native American, African American, or LGBT. Minority groups are only afforded respect if they do fight. In Arizona we live as if the 350,000 native Americans were almost invisible, that the white colonial settlers were a benign bunch of benevolent entrepreneurs and that the seizure of the land from its original inhabitants was just part of manifold destiny. Corrections in attitudes need to be made. Rather than sit in our economic and social enclaves, we need to learn our history and the history of others. We need to learn respect for each other, to listen and be open to our prejudices and active in building a fair and just society.