Racism: Does your silence give consent?

Rick Sanchez reported on his CNN show that Cracker Barrel issued a statement saying that the restaurant chain has banned Troy Dale West, Jr., from dining in any of its facilities nationwide. Rick had a great question... how do they plan to enforce the ban? Hmm...

For those of you who might have missed the story -- and that would be easy to do since CNN seems to be the only news outlet willing to give the story any airtime-- West, who is white, is accused of attacking a black woman at a Cracker Barrel in Morrow, Georgia, while many white onlookers did just that. They looked. At least one white male witness is remembered by the victim to have been smiling while she was being viciously attacked as her 7 year-old daughter watched in fear and horror. The child was still visibly shaken and crying when police arrived on the scene.

Army reservist Tashawnea Hill spoke with Sanchez in the CNN studio on Wednesday, September 17, 2009 and recounted the ugly incident with her attorney present. According to Hill, she simply informed West that he had almost hit her daughter with the door and asked him to be more careful. West allegedly went into an immediate tirade in which he struck Hill several times with a closed fist, knocking her to the ground. After Hill fell to the ground, he kicked her repeatedly. West spewed racially charged remarks during the entire ordeal. Eventually, two women (one white and one black) spoke up on Hill's behalf. The FBI has decided to investigate the incident as a hate crime. The victim and witnesses said that West repeatedly called Hill a "nigger b!#ch" while brutally beating her.



If nothing else, this horrific attack should rip off the blinders of all of the naive citizens trying to deny the fact that racism is alive, well, kicking high and still wreaking havoc in America in 2009. Wake up, people! While this country has traveled a long distance on the path to racial equality and harmony, we are not even close to achieving it. There are many who have changed their views and ways but there are still those who work tirelessly to grow the numbers of those who stand in the shadow of hatred with them in order to continue to permeate our society with their bigotry and their vile racist views. Indeed, there are those who would see African Americans back in the chains of slavery or at the very least, riding at the back of the bus again and stripped of the measure of freedom that has been earned by the unprecedented efforts and sacrifices of warriors of the fight for freedom, justice and equality like Harriet Tubman, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the King famiy, the Kennedy family and so many others throughout history. There are those who would have that shameful, dark, and despicable portion of America's history repeated if they were able to bring it about. However, I believe that there are more of us who believe in freedom for all, in equality for all, and in justice for all. We must stand up against attacks of racism in any and all forms. We cannot sit silently or allow our voices to be quelled because the racist and bigots will win. They will not win because they are the majority. They will not win because they yell the loudest. They certainly will not win because they are correct in their misguided beliefs. They will win because we who know that they are the minority, who know that they cannot yell louder than all of our voices speaking against them in unity, and who know that they are absolutely wrong in their beliefs do nothing.

Let's do something, people. Vote for elected officials who do not embrace the notions of those who would see our country racially divided forever. If you are unable to donate to their campaigns, volunteer your time to assist them in getting elected. Speak up or at least dial 911 for help if warranted when you witness someone being attacked due to race, creed, color, sexual orientation or any other prejudice. Call or email the other television news stations to ask why they have not covered this important story. Do something. My mother always said, "Silence gives consent." We may as well voice agreement to such atrocities if we say or do nothing to curtail them.