"Race Riot," or Just Plain "Riot?" Discuss Among Yourselves!

Today, Jan. 6, I’m thinking about the events of a year ago, when a mob of ignorant, white, racist thugs (pardon the redundancies) tried to overturn our democracy by breaking into our Capitol, a symbol of our nation. They damaged our property, injured people and caused at least one death. The question occurs to me: Why was that violence not called a “race riot?” After all, it was performed by people of one race, angry that once again, we have a President committed to racial equality. But what if the rioters were Black? I’m thinking we didn’t call the events of Jan. 6 a “race riot” for the same reason that, when we talk about the European invaders who stole this land from its indigenous people, we call those whites “settlers.” Robin DiAngelo pointed this out in her great book, “White Fragility”: To European-Americans, whites are just “normal people.” It’s everyone else who is part of some “race.” (That’s my take on it, anyway. Discuss among yourselves!)

Black Newburghers: If You're Looking to Sell Your House ...

Here is a horrifying story i saw today out of Indianapolis, one of the most racist cities i’ve visited in my 72 years: https://bit.ly/3hAajuc … but i fear it’s true everywhere, including Newburgh. A Black homeowner wanted to have her home appraised, apparently because she was looking to sell it, and therefore was hoping it would be appraised for a HIGH amount. It was appraised twice, at extremely LOW values, until she got the idea to have it appraised once more while a white friend stood in for her. The result was an appraisal more than twice as high as the others. She is now suing everyone she can, for illegal discrimination. Meanwhile, if any Black Newburghers are looking to sell your home (and i’m hoping you’re not: PLEASE STAY!), reach me at genieabrams@gmail.com and i will be glad to “stand in” for you while the appraiser visits. (I am, as many of you know, the classic “little old white lady.”)

Become an Environmental Justice Fellow!

Calling all Black and Latinx residents of Newburgh between the ages of 19 and 24! Apply now for an Environmental Justice Fellowship (stipend: $1,400 for the 28-week program). Your training will be paid! To read all about it and apply, click here: https://bit.ly/3dpMMti

On the 4th of July, A Few Questions Before Heading to the Grill

The celebration of our "freedom" on July 4th raises some questions this year. Here are a few that have been bothering me.

In the midst of police killings of unarmed black people and a pandemic that is keeping us from leaving our homes except to dart out for food, who in the U.S. is really free? Should cops carry and distribute face masks and lists of food pantries, health and mental health clinics and detox facilities, instead of guns? Should they be trained in conflict resolution and restorative justice techniques, instead of chokeholds?

How is it that Persons of Color contract and die from COVID-19 at a higher rate than Persons of Privilege, and might that have something to do with the history of Black people in the Land of the Free? Might it be related to 400 years of slavery, lynchings, denial of voting rights and jobs, segregation, unequal educational, recreational and social opportunities, mass incarceration and discrimination in housing and loans (otherwise known as “redlining”)?  

What would moral, psychological, economic and social reparations for Blacks look like?

And finally: European Americans say we don’t “hate” anyone, but what is it when we mimic Black music, poetry, art, language and style for our own benefit? Isn’t racial hatred just simple math: the sum of ignorance plus fear plus greed? It’s ignorance of our Black neighbors plus the fear of black men “getting” white women plus the mania for not only more wealth, but for more wealth than others have.

In the rush to our backyard grills, let us also recall those whom we have stranded at our borders and the indigenous peoples from whom Europeans stole this land, and ask: How is freedom going for them?

The Black Lives Matter movement, combined with a horrid pandemic, makes this the year that can change everything. First, though, some questions need to be answered.

A meaningful Fourth of July to all!