Introduction

Welcome to the YWCA of Greater Milwaukee’s blog!

Here I will write about topics related to the YWCA of Greater Milwaukee’s mission of eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.

I have resisted the blog scene because I felt there were plenty of people clogging the digital waves with opinions about everything from soup to nuts. Recent outcries about sensitivity to the mention of race or racism, however, prompted me to weigh in on the topic for this, our inaugural installment. Other entries will address issues specifically related to sexism and women’s issues. With that said…

I wonder why there’s so much sensitivity these days related to the topic of race expressed by those who know so little. I am amazed at how dismissive some people are of the existence of racism in the United States, today, and the problems it causes. People who themselves have not experienced racism, don’t know the facts about the development of racism, and have not really had an earnest conversation about racism are quick to deny its existence and instead of listening to what is being said, automatically shut down from hearing what just might change their minds.

Recently, I listened to a local talk show host talk about how liberals don’t allow open discussion about race from conservatives. For example, Rush Limbaugh has been branded a racist by mainstream media because he expresses unpopular opinions and how, as a consequence of this characterization, NFL owners banned him from ownership in a lucrative NFL franchise. Now, this irresponsible behavior of liberals and the liberal media is impeding free enterprise because Rush’s opinions differ from the mainstream media! Also, the NFL owners’ group has fallen victim to political correctness and Rush is a victim of their lack of courage. Is making a good business decision being politically correct? Could it have been as simple as the NFL owners—none of whom are stupid—recognized the potential backlash from black and brown players (and their supportive white teammates) who wouldn’t welcome ownership by one who has made pretty derisive comments about the abilities of at least one, high-profile black quarterback? And in recognizing that potential backlash realized they could lose a lot of money?

At the YWCA in our Unlearning Racism: Tools for Action series, we teach people about the history of racism to build understanding of the insidious nature of the beast, and through candid discussions about what participants learn, discuss how they can talk openly with others about racism and do their small part to help eliminate it. Lately, I’ve heard a lot of complaining about how some feel they can’t criticize the President or his policies without being accused of being racist and how Jimmy Carter is just a crazy old liberal for “blaming the administration’s ineffectiveness” on racism. I can’t help but wonder why there’s such frustration in the air.

After the inauguration last year, I heard and read the comment, “We elected a black man to the presidency. Race is no longer a problem in this country.” This point in time has been referred to as a post-racial period in the United States. Years ago, Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmon stated, "To get beyond racism we must first take account of race. There is no other way." When there’s still so much defensiveness about the topic, one has to wonder if we have taken that “account of race.”