Letter to the Editor
Racism lives on
Published Tuesday, April 15, 2008
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To the editor:
Sad to say, but racism is still alive and well in good old Fairbanks.
A young relative was watching a movie with her junior high friends recently — they’re all Natives — and they were the target of racist abuse by a big group of white teenagers.
They called her and her friends names because they are Natives. One of the kids in the big group went to a Native kid and started punching him until security came over and stopped them.
What is wrong with these kids?
It makes me so angry to hear about this. I grew up here and I was subjected to the same treatment 25 years ago by racist white teenagers. I guess things will never change, and that makes me sad.
Community Discussion
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So blaming white people isnt racist? I see it go both ways. Racism will always exist.
I feel disgusted, "it was a big group of white teenagers!" Considering population isn't that usually always the case?
The letter writer doesn't blame "white people," he blames specific "racist white teenagers." He makes no generalizations about white people. His letter is not racist.
I'm not accusing the writer of racism but more of a error excluding all races in general behind the senses.
Natives had the true and pure way of life before the white man came along and destoyed eveything in their path. I am mostly white with some native american and am ashamed of the way most humans treat all life on this lonely planet.
You can bomb the world into pieces, but you can't bomb the world into peace.
Sledheads: I was responding to Brian, who did suggest that the letter was racist. I can't even guess what you're trying to say.
There will always be people who are hateful and cruel. It's a sad fact of life. Many people have a dislike or distrust of anyone who is different than they are.
Sad to say, I think many Native people invite racism by emphasizing their race. The phrase "Native Pride," for example. Why not put more emphasis on pride in accomplishments and character?
My mother used to say, "Beauty is only skin deep." The same is true of skin color. We're all the same on the inside - just people. Some good, some bad, most somewhere in between.
It would be wonderful if we could all look beyond skin color and race and just learn to appreciate people for who they are.
I am not Native, but most of my closest friends are. I see racism going both ways. Some whites deride Natives. Some Natives deride whites.
I remember a poem that says, "They drew a circle that shut me out, so I drew a bigger circle that included them in." There are many wonderful people in Fairbanks that we will miss the privelege of knowing if we avoid those of other races and cultures.
Babylon,
You always take a side of ignorance and "the minority is innocent". It is shameful that this group of natives was harrassed and they should have done the right thing and beat the crap out of those white kids. I'm white and would expect that to happen if I had done something so stupid. With that said, let's examine how white people get treated when they go to the bush communities to fish/hunt etc. Things get stolen out of trucks and boats, people get threatened and property gets vandalized. You rarely hear about this because it happens to white people and nobody gives a darn about whitey. If the individual stood up more often when necessary, you can bet that people would think again before screwing with strangers or their belongings. It goes both ways!!!
olypopper,
What you have said has a whole bunch of truth to it and I have had it happen to me while out fishing and hunting. By saying this, I will still try to walk the thin line of seeing both sides. It is a shame that this type of harassment can still happen in 2008 in this country. The problem is, most people only write about it or are concerned with it when it hits close to home. More time should be spent teaching our kids, I should say ALL KIDS, that this behavior is not right and will not be accepted. We would all like to be the innocent ones when it comes to these types of occurences, but when we stop and think of the many times we all have said or thought the wrong things about others, well, it should make each one of us stop and think why we do it. I know that can be a hard thing to do sometimes, but self evaluation is a tool everyone should be using! These kids learn this behavior from somewhere...If it is from the home, then the parents should be held accountable for their kids actions, especially when acts of violence are involved. If it comes from their friends, talk amongst the families and do something. This goes for the cities and villages alike...Hate can be passed on from generation to generation in one form or another and guess what, it usually is.
Remember the old adage: If you are not part of the solution, your part of the problem.
This is just my opinion though...
Jaded
Calvin Moses - Racism Lives On.....how true that is. It has, and always will live sad to say.
It comes from the parents, the realitives of the parents, it never dies it is passed along from generation to generation.
If you were around durning the Racial Riots of the 60's? The quips you see about them are TRUE, the police beat the "heck" out of em and anyone who got in there way. (must not of been TOO many lawyers then) peoples were hung, dragged behind vehicles, dissapered, ect. Very sad !
And right up there with the hate, was the hate against the American Indian (First Native People as there called now). And in the early 90's when my child was graduating high school - the "Hatred" was still on, and still is. It will never end.
Good luck to all of you. " If one could walk a mile in my shoes" - how does that go...............
Would it be considered racist if I said that if I were to walk down South Cushman at 2am - it wouldn't be the huge gangs of white kids I would be worried about?
Also - would one feel more or less scared walking around at 2am in University West or Second Avenue?
Now take it a step further and note what the population densities are in these areas. I guess we can blame it on the system....that, or in my opinion, poor parenting...
any thoughts - or do I go too far in asking this question? Maybe instead of thoughtful discussion one can just label me as racist and avoid the discussion altogether?
I will grant that the little white punks at the theater should have been stopped - and I would have done so had I been there....again, I blame parenting
A breakdown of the family structure hurts us all, regardless of the color... and letters like this perpetuate the sense of racism even more.
Wow! I say blame Clinton and Obama! It is all President Bush's fault!
so why was race even mentioned? Hate is hate no matter what color, sex, religon!
Carry a bigger stick
I agree with AKguy on it being the parents. I grew up in this town over the past 30 plus years and I remember what it takes to survive in this town, friends. Friends to stave off cabin fever, friends to hunt with, friends to help and friends to ask for help from. Because of that, I have learned that people are people, everyone wants to be respected and everyone wants to do there own thing, to some degree.
I ask the same question about parenting to Calvin, what is the lesson out of this that you are teaching to your kids; that THOSE white kids where in the wrong or ALL white kids are in the wrong? Your letter implies the second, in my opinion.
Well said, JB...well said
much more poetic than I could ever hope to put it
I have one major question: where are these "teenagers" parents. Now don't take this literally, I don't think you should follow your teen to the movies. In this day and age where we are working so hard to end the hate and bigotry, it is us as parents to teach our children to appreciate each others differences. It is our ignorance as parents and adults that has taught our younger generation that this is ok. We need to be responsible and watch our own actions make sure we are setting a good example for our children.
I am not angry anymore, just sad and resigned to the fact that my 14 year old daughter and her jr high friends were subject to this type of abuse. I grew up in a home where my father and mother taught us to respect all people regardless of color and to always try to help people out. I grew up with my father bringing canoeists to our home to eat and visit and my dad still gets mail and gifts from people in Germany, Japan, and other countries. I was angry because my daughter is a jr national honors society student and she does not deserve this type of treatment, neither does anyone. I was angry when I wrote the letter and I apologize if I mistakenly painted all white people as racist. That was not my intent, I should have thought out my words more carefully. With that I hope that people take these words and talk to your kids, they should not treat kids like that. I feel so sad that my girl had to endure that type of abuse, it breaks my heart to see that she accepts it and she has moved on. I truly hope that she will learn from this and she will be a stronger person because of it. I am proud of who I am and I hope that my kids learn to be strong people and that they know that not all people are racist. Thanks for your time. Peace. Calvin Moses
I'm an outsider, been here now 17 years. It wasn't till I came to this town that I EXPERIENCED racism. I'm a petite, white woman with long brown hair. I personally thought it was 'cool' at first b/c I had never been on the receiving end of racism(I'm from the South ya'll) However, 17 years later and the Natives are still restless over my skin. (Don't anyone hit the fan over that remark...I'm 1/2 Cherokee and I have freedom of speech!)Racism goes both ways, and it always will. Prejudice, jealousy, greed, fear, ... it all gets mixed up and it comes out as RACISM or BIGOTRY.
That's right folks, drop your spawn off at Regal Cinema and pick them up hours later. Where are the parents? Oh that's right, they need the 'break' from raising their children.
All it takes is one kid with an attitude, to organize support to gang up on another kid. If the 'recruits' don't engage in the gang activity, they become the one who is labeled a 'wussy' and harrassed.
It all gets back to: parents not involved in their kids lives, latch-key kids, kids who's parents don't monitor their activity, parents who don't respect people different than themselves, parents who don't give guidance and parents who don't take responsibility to raising healthy adults.
Anger, detatchment, hate, insecurity; these are things that children learn. Children are born innocent. It's up to the parents to teach their children; right and wrong, boundaries and limits, respect and tolerance, and love....or hate.
With all due respects, racism against natives isn't the real problem here, Calvin. It's primarily misdirected anger and frustration and a need for attention in kids. If your young relative was wearing the wrong clothes, he/she could have still been the object of ridicule and harrassment. Bullying is what angry children do without proper parenting, guidance and boundaries.
I did some work at FCA with the Street Outreach Program for a UAF class and was stunned to learn there are around 800 homeless youth in Alaska today; about 500 in the Fairbanks area alone. What does homeless really imply? Not that these kids do not have a place to live, rather, no place to call home. These are kids that may or may not go to school, but usually don't have parents to guide them or at least parents who aren't liquored up, and/or high on meth. I worked with Raz and some homeless youth for about 3 months...some of the stories I heard just broke my heart, most including a form of abuse. So yes, it is about parenting, these "bad" kids never had a chance to be raised properly and are constantly finding themselves in trouble. It is hard not to get angry at teens these days who are bullying and up to no good; but just try to imagine what kind of upbringing, or lack thereof, they might have had. I wish I had the magic solution to fix this problem, but it's going to take a lot of time and money that just isn't available. More after school programs, counseling options, adults who are willing to be there for them...are all great ways to start helping these teens who need to know that they matter to this world. And to their Fairbanks community.
uafgrad08: I had no idea...those numbers are sickening, and to know that they are only the tip of the iceberg regarding 'families' who don't put the time and effort into raising healthy adults explains this anger in these children at the Regal all too well.
I'm sorry, Calvin. I hope your daughter can grasp these numbers too. Though the statistics don't excuse what happened, hopefully it explains it and answers her questions as to 'why' these this happens.
* why this happens. *
oops.
sdoownek,
"They have crappy parents..."
You and I have 'crossed words' before but this time, I have to say, you've hit the mark with remarkable accuracy.
They do, indeed, "have crappy parents"!
I am shocked that someone didnt step in before security could. Since it was security that stepped in, didnt they call Alaskas Finest?
I think we have come a long way in a short time in this country regarding race.
Right or wrong, im my opinion, any group of people need to police their own. Stereotypes are there for a reason, there is some truth to them. If white are seen as being racists, we need to nip that behavior in the bud when we see it happening. Same with in the villages where property is stolen/destroyed. Whether the rate of occurance there is any more than in town doesnt matter. Perception is everything. Stop your buddy from being a moron. Thats the only way to get rid of it. Peer pressure in the right direction.
But I could be wrong.
To uafgrad08 and samiam, I don't think these were "homeless, parentless kids that were being racist and making racist comments! I would venture to guess that they are being raised in well to do homes by well to do parents with poor attitudes toward minorities!
uafgrad08, what you say is probably true of many of these "homeless" kids. But let's not be too quick to buy into the "poor me" message of these kids. The simple truth is, many of these "homeless" kids have perfectly good homes. "the "problem" is that they also have perfectly good parents who expect them to obey the rules, act responsibly, show some respect, do a few chores, do their homework, become a contributing member of the family, etc. Many of these kids choose to rebel against parents and other forms of authority, and they are living "on the street" (usually rotating between friends' homes, sleeping on the couch) because they believe this "freedom" is a better choice than obeying their parents who are trying to teach them discipline and respect and all the other things a good parent should teach.
I know one of these young men very well. He spent two years "on the street" and two more at the Youth Facility. He had a good home, but didn't want to follow the rules. His parent loved him and provided him with guidance and all of his material needs. He told tales of "abuse" in vivid detail, but I know they were all made up to get people to feel sorry for him. He admitted this to me.
And what happens when kids choose to live "on the street?" They have to find a way to support themselves. Drugs, theft, burglary, prostitution, etc. They also tend to get caught up in the drinking-drugs-sex lifestyle of their "homeless" peers.
This is an aspect of the "homeless" problem that I have not seen addressed.
Calvin, I didn't see you painting all caucasian children with a broad brush at all (me thinks some folks protest too much), and your humbleness in your reply is admirable.
My daughter's also 14 y.o., is also a member of the Junior Nat'l Honors Society, as well as involved in other activities rather regularly. She is THE most responsible teen I know.
Yet, when she requests to go to the cinema with a group of friends or class mates, an adult attends with them. (Typically, my wife goes along).
The 'group dynamic' of teens in a crowd has been known for years to sometimes find them getting involved in behaviors that they otherwise wouldn't get involved in on their own.
When we built our home, we liquidated 4 retirements, so that we could lessen the burden of what would've otherwise been an outrageous mortgage. This allowed one of us to stay home to