To the Editor:
Fear and distrust of people who look different is all too common and is the basis for the sin of white privilege. White privilege is a concept that many white people are unable to comprehend because many have never known of life any other way.
Hopefully for most of us discrimination is unintentional, but that doesn’t make it any less hurtful to the person who is on the receiving end of that discrimination.
We need to realize that racial segregation is still rampant:
The median wealth gap difference between a white family and a black family is $80,000; one in nine black children has an incarcerated parent compared with one in 57 white children.
A white man who has been to jail is still more likely to get a job than a black man who hasn’t.
There was a lot of righteous indignation from white people in response to the recent rioting in Ferguson — as if people of color have no right to feel oppressed. While violence is never a productive response, how hard can it be to understand the anger and frustration that has been building for centuries?
If we want to have strong, healthy communities we need to face racism head-on. It is a burden that we all bear and that we need to continually work on to overcome.
On Feb. 19 at 6:30 p.m. the Franciscan Peace Center will host a free screening of “The Color of Fear” — an insightful, groundbreaking film about the state of race relations in America as seen through the eyes of eight North American men of Asian, European, Latino and African descent. The screening will be held at The Canticle, home of the Sisters of St. Francis, 841 13th Ave. N., Clinton.
For more information visit www.ClintonFranciscans.com or call (563)-242-7611.
Laura Anderson
Marketing Director
Franciscan Peace Center
