I grew up and went to schools where there were about 20 black kids in my age group in classes with me the entire time. They lived directly next door, had friends that came over at least twice a week to play basketball in our back yard, or played kick the can in the summer evenings. My dad carpooled with the State President of the NAACP, and they raised money together for youth sports.
My 7 year old brother one day yells at a group of black kids playing football in the field about 100 yds away from home...N...er n...er. As my friends and I watch these kids come charging towards us in total anger, I stood there, as these people were my friends and I was going to face them today or the next. They came up to me, ready to stomp me into mud, or so I thought. I stood my ground, told the oldest..who was in my class every year BTW. I apologize, that was my little brother...I was about 10 years old, to put some perspective on this event. He said, I understand, but you should tell your Father. I went home, told Dad. Brother got his ass whooped. The friend of mine from school, his dad was the NAACP President. My Friend, he became the President of the same State office in his 50’s.
Long story short..... I can remember the day in High School, not when the girls had the “special assembly”. No, the day they had a “special assembly” for minorities only. These young boys and ladies came out of that assembly pushing and shoving anyone that came into their immediate proximity. They grab another friend of mine and pushed him to the ground and wanted to know why he had told one of the other black boys that they should leave his sister alone a week or so earlier. That is an event I WILL NEVER FORGET. All of those years of being compatriots, friends etc. All ended in just a few minutes of “pot stirring” by “educators”.
THAT is the state of race relations. All of the years of being friends, of being color blind and shedding the “racism of the past” was gone. With one presentation of hate filled material, and unity was destroyed. It was not the white people of that Navy town in Washington State that caused it. It was the hatred of the John Lewis, Jessie, and Sharptons. Those who said they were going to heal us all, divided us on purpose..
Don’t forget the show “Roots” back in ‘79 which enraged my black co-workers and emboldened them to steal from me.