Walter Suza guest column: To secure the blessings of liberty is to amend America’s wrongs
I was on a flight to Virginia to give a professional talk, but my mind was on a 2017 deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville over the removal of the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The statue is now gone, but my mind stayed in the past.
Virginia is the state with the largest number of Confederate memorials in the nation. Virginia was the first state to receive enslaved Africans. Virginia produced most of the earlier U.S. presidents. All but one were enslavers. Thomas Jefferson, one of the enslavers, authored the Declaration of Independence.
Jefferson and the founders declared that all men are created equal, yet multitudes of people did not believe enslaved Africans were equal even after the Civil War. The Supreme Court decided in 1954 Brown v. Board of Education that it was unconstitutional to separate school children by race, yet America still uses multiple race categories to ascribe race at birth.
Even though my talk in Virginia went OK, during breakfast the next day, my mind was still thinking about slavery and racism. A text message disrupted my thoughts: “Hello, I'm outside parked on the curb. The road is predicted to be icy, so I wanted us to leave a little bit early so we can be sure not to miss your flight.”
I grabbed my bag and stepped out of the hotel. Then reality hit: My driver was a white man. “I wonder what he might think now that he has realized that I am Black. Please, God, no microaggressions today.”
After placing my bag in the trunk I proceeded to the front passenger door. I noticed miscellaneous items in the seat. Perhaps my driver expected I would take the back seat. Perhaps that's how the people he chauffeured preferred. “Sure you can sit there if you want,” he responded after realizing my preference.
“Have you always lived in Virginia?” I asked after we merged onto the highway. I learned that Roy (not his actual name) retired from a 35-year career in law enforcement. Hearing this elicited memories of Virginia police officers pointing guns at a Black US Army officer during a traffic stop. The grim reality that some in law enforcement have ties to right-wing and white supremacist groups felt heavy on my chest. Was he a good cop? I wondered.
I asked Roy what his experience with law enforcement was. I was taken aback by his responses. He does not support the militarization of the police nor condone use of excessive force. He strived to see the human in those he encountered during traffic stops. He let them know the reason for stopping them. He believes police officers must protect and serve. He served with compassion.
I wanted to know more about Roy. Again, I was surprised that he shared similar life experiences as me. He grew up on a small farm and has two children. At this point I felt comfortable telling Roy that I write about racism. Then I asked him if it would be OK to share our conversation in a column. “Sure,” he responded.
Then Roy said: “I understand our country had done not-so-good things in the past, but I did not do that, my family did not do that,” in reference to slavery. “That happened over 200 years ago. Why can’t we just live and be at peace? I hope we can leave people alone to be who they are.”
Roy is a good man, but he’s convinced America’s past wrongs are not his problem. He’s not alone. A reader once wrote: “Why must I pay for the mistakes of my forebears? I have earned everything I own.”
True equality will not be achieved with such a mindset.
That’s our problem. Millions across America feel the past is not their problem, which is the reason for banning the teaching of concepts that they deemed as “divisive.” Ignoring America’s past injustices is akin to forcing the descendants of Native Americans and enslaved Africans to forgive. But forgiveness can’t be coerced.
Forgiveness will bring about healing, yet healing begins with the truth. Truth is, we are earning what we own from land taken from Native Americans; we are earning what we own from wealth generated by enslaved Africans.
Truth is, killing people, displacing them from their land, enslaving them, torturing them, created trauma. The trauma is not limited to those descended from the oppressed; it also exists in those descended from the oppressor. We can break the cycle of trauma.
The Constitution says that justice is key to securing the blessings of liberty. To address the collective trauma is to right the wrongs committed even by our forebears. Justice calls for a national apology and restitution for the wrongs against Native Americans and enslaved Africans.
It’s a debt that keeps growing. Yet America keeps raising the ceiling.
Walterq Suza of Ames, Iowa, writes frequently on the intersections of spirituality, anti-racism and social justice. He can be contacted at wsuza2020@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Opinion: The effects of oppression in America last for generations
