Tragedy, Hype and Indifference?

I grew up during the height of the civil rights movement and my parents raised me just as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King dreamed, by instilling in my siblings and I that we judge people on the content of their character, not the color of their skin. All three of my K through 12 schools were always fully integrated. They were naturally integrated because my neighborhood was integrated. There was no bussing because it wasn’t needed. Dr. King dreamed of his kids growing up in a world where his children would play with white children and no one would think twice about it. If Dr. King had come to my backyard or the vacant lots where we played he'd have seen a human rainbow of kids playing together. Yes, occasionally fighting each other, but the fighting was never about skin color. It was always about some infraction of the rules of the game we were playing or someone inadvertently getting hurt and losing their temper. It never had anything to do with race. Any squabbles that occurred were soon forgotten and we soon went back to our normal “business” of playing. When we chose up teams the captains would pick players based on their abilities not the color of skin. My friends and neighbors were African-American, Hispanic, Asian, White, Protestant and Catholic, gentiles and Jews.  You know what? While it meant something to each of us as individuals it didn't mean anything to us with regard to our friendships and how we treated each other.

Someone once said of former Senator Bill Bradley that because of his basketball career, between high school, college and the NBA, he had probably showered with more African-Americans than most white people know. While I never played in the NBA the same could probably be said of me since between the sports teams on which I played and my serving four years in the Marine Corps, I too have probably showered with more African-Americans than most white people know.

This brings me to the tragic death of Trayvon Martin. This case has shined a spotlight on a man that may have over stepped his bounds, but in the long run was merely, as the jury found, defending himself. This is a man who was labeled a bigot because the victim in this case happened to be African-American. This so-called bigot tutored and mentored African-American kids and took an African American to his prom (I wonder if this "bigot" wore his formal Klan hood to it). This is a man who was on his way to Lowes one night and spotted someone wearing a hoodie close to homes, not on the sidewalk, in a community that had a recent string of burglaries. He spotted a person wearing a hoodie from behind, yet it has been determined by the national media and those that make their living doing their best to keep the races at odds with each other that this man profiled this person based on race. I defy anyone to tell me they can tell someone's race when the person they're looking at from behind is wearing a hoodie. George Zimmerman was later able to determine that Trayvon was African-American, but when he first spotted him that wasn’t possible. If anything was profiled it was the hoodie, not Trayvon's race. I understand that Trayvon was trying to stay as dry as possible on a rainy night which is why he was close to the homes. However I can tell you that if it was my neighborhood and there had been a recent string of burglaries and I spotted someone wearing a hoodie going from house to house, not walking on the sidewalk, I can't say I wouldn't have been concerned about what they were doing. The truth in this tragic case is that a young person was killed who happened to be African-American, not because he was African-American.

The way the national media has covered this case many Americans are convinced that “whitey” once again killed an African-American and that this is a common occurrence. After all America is a racist country. We all know this despite the fact that we elected an African-American as president twice. Well the truth is that over 90% of the murders committed on African Americans are committed by African-Americans. This should outrage everyone, but especially those in the African-American community. The Bureau of Justice Statistics in their 2007 report stated that 8,000 and in some years close to 9,000 African-Americans are murdered annually. Again more than 90% of these murders were committed by African-Americans. That means that over a 10 year period more African-Americans were killed by African-Americans than serviceman and woman killed in Iraq, Afghanistan and Viet Nam combined. Note that these numbers are for murders only. The numbers wounded are even higher. Why aren't Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and Oprah Winfrey screaming for a Federal Investigation into this? Why is the NAACP silent on the subject? In Chicago, during the time of the George Zimmerman trial, 5 year old Sterling Sims, his 31 year old mother Chavonne Brown, 16 year old Antonio Fenner, 14 year old Damani Henard and 15 year old Ed Cooper were all murdered. That’s a 5 year old, 3 teens and a young mother, all of them African-American, were murdered. Did you hear anything about it in the national media? My source for this information on these victims is http://homicides.suntimes.com/. These weren’t the only murders of African-Americans in Chicago during that time period (or since). They’re just a comparison to the utter hypocrisy of the national media, Jesse, Al and Oprah and how vocal they are with regard to the Trayvon Martin death and their silence with regard to these deaths. Jesse and Oprah both call Chicago home. How can they possibly be silent about what’s happening in their own backyard? Oprah has her OWN network and is considered by many to be the most powerful l woman in media. The lack of coverage on this epidemic is deafening in its silence. I find it hard to believe with her influence she couldn’t convince the national media to put the spotlight on this. T. Willard Fair, president of the Urban League of Greater Miam, recently said "the outrage should be about us killing each other, about black-on-black crime." I couldn't agree more.

A Dusting That Won't Soon Be Forgotten

The events in this story occurred during our May 2003 trip to Walt Disney World.

 

We arrived at the Brown Derby in what was then known as Disney MGM Studios (now known as Disney's Hollywood Studios) at 7:15 and check-in with the host. We're a little early for our 7:30 Fantasmic Dinner Package Advance Dining Reservation (ADR). For those that don't know Fantasmic is a fireworks/laser-light/stage show spectacular that takes place in a huge amphitheater. People that make arrangements for the dinner package are seated in a section of the amphitheater reserved especially for them. We're hopeful of getting seated early. It doesn't turn out that way. In fact we're seated ten minutes after our ADR at 7:40. This leaves only 50 minutes for dinner before we're supposed to be gathered to be seated for Fantasmic, but it should be enough time.

 

My wife Janice and I share a Cob Salad which is absolutely delicious. For our entrees Janice had the half rotisserie chicken, Robby, our son, had the children’s hot-dog, and I had the filet mignon. Our entrees were delicious as well. I tasted Janice’s chicken and it was magnificent. The spices and marinade made it a wonderful experience for the tongue. As much as I enjoyed my steak I regretted not getting the chicken.

By now it’s about 8:25 and our waitress asks us if we’d like desert. I say I’d love desert, but do we have time for it? As the words came out of my mouth her face looked like a deer in the head lights. She asked if this dinner was part of a Fantasmic package, and I said yes. I made the PS a month ago, and if I’m not mistaken we should be meeting soon for seating in the reserved section. She excuses herself and says she’ll be right back. She’s gone for maybe a minute and comes back with our passes and says we have time for desert and that she’ll have someone escort us up to Fantasmic. With this settled Janice and I each order coffee and Robby and I each order desert. Robby gets the Hidden Treasures and I get the Grapefruit cake. The Grapefruit cake is good, and I’m glad that I tried it, but I won’t be ordering it again. There’s nothing wrong with it, and like I said, it’s good. It’s just not something I would want again.

We finish desert, pay the check and we’re escorted to the show. As we’re walking I can hear the show starting. I’m glad I made the PS and we’ll have seats. As we’re being brought to our seats I’m sensing that something is wrong, because I remembered reading on allears.net that the people that sit in the dinner package section get out of the theater first, and we’re headed toward the other side of the theater. I’m OK with this just so long as we get to sit down in a decent spot. No such luck. We were brought to Standing Room Only. SRO wasn’t crowded and we were right up against the railing, but this is not why I paid a premium for dinner. The Fantasmic Dinner package cost me about $40.00 more than I would have paid if we only had dinner. Needless to say I was fuming. Those of you that know me know that I am not the type of person to take this. I have made more than my share of scenes and I don’t think twice about doing it when I feel I’m being wronged. I tell Janice that I’ll be right back and I asked a CM to take me to someone in charge, which she does. I speak to a gentleman that says he’ll find me 3 seats. I tell him that Robby is in a wheel chair and he says he can’t help me then. There’s nothing available in the handicapped section. I tell him that I need to be compensated in some way then. He tells me that I have to discuss that with Guest Services. I ask where that is and he tells me it’s on the right as you’re leaving the park.

I go back to Janice and Robby and watch the rest of the show. We deal with the mob scene leaving the theater and make our way to guest services. Janice wants to wait outside with Robby, but I tell her that I want them to see him in the wheelchair and then she can take him back outside. I wait for a short time when I’m waived to come to the desk. I speak with a CM named Sara Jane. I explain what happened and how unfair I thought this was. I point out how Robby is in a wheelchair because he’s got leukemia and tires very easily. She asked if we were going to be back at Disney MGM Studios during the rest of our visit. I say yes but not during the evening, thinking that she’s going to offer us seating in the reserved section of the theater to watch Fantasmic from there. She excuses herself and says she’ll be right back. When she comes back she has a Guest Assistance Card (a card issued to parties that have a handicapped person with them) in her hand and I pull out the one that I’ve already got. She asks to see it and explains the one that she’s giving to us is stamped in green and that these passes are given to the kids that visit through Make A Wish. She said that this Guest Assistance Card with the green stamp is the equivalent of a Fast Pass without the time constraints. Fast Passes are tickets that give you a specific time period to go on the attraction without having to wait in the regular queue.

It turns out that Sara Jane is a childhood leukemia survivor. She knew as soon as I said that Robby was fighting leukemia that she was going to give us the green card, and that if we were going to be around for Fantasmic again we’d sit in the reserved section.

We got to talking with Sara Jane and asked about which type of leukemia she had and what medications she was on. We learned that she was 24 years old and that because of her treatments she’s suffered 3 strokes. Strokes are a potential side effect of leukemia treatment. She is a remarkable young lady. She’s even testified before Congress on behalf of the Americans with Disabilities Act. You want to talk about magic! Sara Jane turned an evening that was ending on a down note into a vacation that won’t soon be forgotten. For the rest of our trip we didn't wait on line for any of the attractions.