Two little words

To the Editor;

As a 68-year-old white, retired history teacher, I have followed the sad state of our recent political discourse. My first vote was in 1972 for George McGovern. It was clearly a minority vote as he went on to one of the greatest landslide defeats in history. However, I was convinced having followed the Watergate saga, that Richard Nixon was indeed a crook. History proved my youthful perspective correct.

As the country finds itself at another crossroads, one of our most divisive issues is the legacy of racism in this country — deep, systemic, institutional racism that keeps America from reaching its full potential. The Black Lives Matter movement has become ubiquitous, but the reaction to it is anything but universal. When I see BLM signs, I read it as “Black Lives Matter, Too.” Unfortunately, many of my friends see the same message as “Black Lives Matter, Only.”

Two little words, and it seems we are from different planets. I do not see the BLM movement as anything but legitimate and long overdue. To deny institutional and social racism in America is to avoid the lessons of history, as well as daily evidence that jumps across our television screens. 

So, why are many of my white friends threatened by the BLM movement? They see special rights and privileges for people of color at their expense. For them, it is a zero-sum game; if people of color win, white people lose. Unfortunately for them, the opposite is true. 

Think of this analogy: if I hold a lit candle and lean over to light yours, I am not left in darkness; we both hold lit candles with which to see the way. True justice and equality is not a zero-sum game, but, rather a win-win. When all segments of our society regardless of race, gender or sexual preference have full access to the American dream, this country will unleash the greatest potential of any previous civilization.

Tony Hamlin

Milo