Taking small steps away from racism
In the aftermath of the too heavily televised first anniversary of the Charlottesville, Va., hate march and the horrific death of Heather Heyer, I couldn’t help but feel Boston’s spectacular display of courage and conviction when the local and national haters descended on Boston shortly after Charlottesville deserved some notice.
I guess these days peace doesn’t play out as well as turmoil. Sad commentary. But those who thought Boston was fertile ground for hate found rocky soil here. It was a proud day for Boston. Boston stood strong together against racism. For many, it helped break some stereotypes about Boston that continue to percolate fairly and unfairly. The truth is we still have work to do around not just changing Boston’s image but also changing attitudes. Not just in Boston, but throughout the nation.
Two stories, both true, one on the big screen and one in novel form, help to underscore some fundamental truths that work to help us build both a better Boston and a nation free from racism.
“Neighborhood Lines” by Michael Patrick Murphy, offers a compelling coming-of-age story of two high schoolers, an African-American from Roxbury and an Irish-American from Southie, who find themselves thrust together during the days of busing. Connected by an experimental program launched by the archdiocese, their lives intersect in ways starkly different and eerily similar. When adults stay out of it and let the kids work it out, the young people solve their own problems. They reach common ground by breaking down stereotypes.
The book is a mustread gem — the kind of short story that deserves wider exposure for the important messages it imparts about respect for one’s humanity regardless of color and neighborhood. By the way, the young men in the book are still friends decades later. Most importantly, the valuable lessons they learn about each other are passed down to another generation — their children.
Spike Lee’s new movie, “BlacKkKlansman,” purposely released two days before the anniversary of Heyer’s death in Charlottesville, is right up there with my all time favorites — “Do the Right Thing” and “She’s Gotta Have It.”
There are so many positive and affirming messages among the many negative circumstances portrayed in this true story about a black police officer who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan.
One of the most memorable scenes for me is when the police officer’s militant girlfriend asks him to leave the police force. He responds that he can be there for his people and still be a police officer, too. It reminded me of our new and first African-American police Commissioner William Gross and how I see him.
The most riveting and emotional part of “BlacKkKlansman” is the excruciating up-close death of Heather, who Lee calls the real heroine for standing for what she believed in, not just being a casualty of hate.
My hope is that we don’t memorialize hate by doing anniversary after anniversary of Charlottesville’s sad saga. That instead we hold up the positives that show our collective strength and commitment for not tolerating hate and racism whenever and wherever it rears its ugly head.