Published: August 10, 2009 11:53 pm      

Letter to the editor - Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009

Fueling the flames of racism

On July 27, the Kokomo Tribune printed an article written by the editors of the Dallas Morning News (DMN). This article addressed the recent altercation between Professor Henry Gates and Officer James Crowley. Without all the facts being known, the DMN wrote that Gates, Harvard Professor and literary scholar who happens to be African-American was met by the demons of racism when a white police officer came to his door.

It is apparent the actions of one or both of these men fell far short of meeting the standards of their professionalism, but immediately the blame is placed on Crowley. If Officer Crowley did indeed harass Professor Gates only because he is African-American then he should be disciplined for his actions, but is it possible the DMN is finding Crowley guilty only because of the color of his skin. The response of the DMN to this incident is just as irresponsible as President Barack Obama’s when he admitted he did not know the facts but continued to condemn Crowley. President Obama has admitted he was in error, are others soon to follow.

It is absolutely wrong to place the blame on either of these two men until the facts are all known. Would have Crowley acted differently if the suspected burglar would have been white? Would have Gates acted differently if the officer would have been black? We do not and cannot know the answers to these questions, so why do so many individuals immediately start pointing fingers before they even know the facts?

Some are merely jumping to conclusions while others take it a step further with a goal of driving a wedge between blacks and whites. It is your responsibility and mine as well to see to it they do not accomplish their goal. There are many individuals who have such a strong desire to see hatred in others and if need be will manufacture it in their own minds. What would be the motive of such actions but to spread hatred themselves. Many of these same individuals pick and choose when to condemn racism and when to turn their heads and pretend it is not happening.

It is written in the article, “as a nation, we should learn from these incidents that the demons of America’s past aren’t easily extinguished.” This is the most accurate statement in this article, because while many of us would like to see all racism end, individuals and organizations such as the DMN continue to feed the flames of racism and hatefulness.

We are all God’s creation and are created in the image of God. God does not love one of us more than another; He loves us all equally. This is exactly how we should attempt to live our lives as well.

Marty Kemp, Greentown