Philly High School Coach Invites Trump to Dinner to Talk About Race
Invitee Commentary: Guess Who'due south Coming To Dinner
President Trump, nosotros're holding a place setting for you lot
February. 22, 2017
Dear President Trump,
I wrote a alphabetic character to yous the night of your election entitled, "How Donald Trump Tin can Heal America's Racial Divide." I am questioning whether you read that piece, so I again want to offer my help earlier the Trump train gets too far off the tracks.
I am afraid yous would non meet racism if it smacked you in the confront with a white hood.
Very few white people want to be racists, and nosotros would by and large like to believe we are bias-gratis. Most black folks, alternatively, justify their own racial bias towards all white people based on the actions of a shrinking grouping. No ane is willing to give upward the moral loftier ground to actually expose their real feelings. The public cost of discrimination is merely as well high.
Every human existence above the ground and beneath the heavens has learned bias from a very immature historic period. And yet, you tin never survive being labeled a racist. Nosotros have recovering alcoholics, remediated murderers, and rehabilitated drug dealers. Only if you're white and someone of colour calls you a racist in a public forum, your life as you know it is over. What do you say, "I have black friends" or "I used to watch the Cosby Show"? But ask the New York Knicks' owner, James Dolan, how he will feel when his eyes meet those of a blackness man later Draymond Green recently compared him to a slave owner.
In your business dealings and presidential campaign, you get credit for deftly employing an historic period quondam combat strategy to perfection: The all-time defence is a great crime. Concluding week, I witnessed your latest maneuver.
In a White Firm press briefing, you lot referred to yourself as "the least racist person."
And then, a few minutes later, when reporter April Ryan asked if yous would meet with the Congressional Black Caucus, you fired back that Ms. Ryan was welcome to adjust a assemble. This comment was both racist and sexist, implying that Ms. Ryan personally knew all the members of the CBC and that she should human activity as the President's go between with a group of black legislators.
The affair is, I really believe that you lot believe that you are "the least racist person."
As of Jan 24, 17 of your 20 cabinet members and key White House staff positions confirmed or awaiting confirmation were white—and exactly one was a black person. And that person was given a spot in Housing and Urban Development, despite being a neurosurgeon. Hmmm, I wonder why Dr. Carson was given that seat and not, say, Secretary of State?
You can never survive existence labeled a racist. We accept recovering alcoholics, remediated murderers, and rehabilitated drug dealers. But if y'all're white and someone of color calls you a racist in a public forum, your life as you know it is over. What practice you say, "I have black friends" or "I used to watch the Cosby Evidence"?
President Trump, if you get 95 per centum of the black vote in 2020, information technology volition either mean that you will make an historic nearly-face in your linguistic communication and policies, or that you volition outlaw free elections in America. I am non merely rooting for the sometime, I want to volunteer my assist.
Being married to a blackness woman since 1996, I've been the only white guy in my business firm for over 20 years. My wife and I are both Wharton grads, and her deceased male parent served for 25 years in the Air Force. We are unabashed patriots. We take three mixed kids betwixt 13 and 17 years one-time and guardianship of five brothers from Nigeria between the ages of 14 and 25. Ours is a big family with many different shades. But only 1 white person.
I just read that you will run across with the Congressional Black Caucus. Since I used to be a Legislative Director for Congressman Harold Ford, Sr., from 1989 to 91, my experience tells me that in that location won't exist a lot of real talk at that place, but a lot of proclamations and platitudes.
When there are conversations about race in America, everyone ordinarily talks by each other. White people don't want to be guilty, and people of colour don't want to permit white folks off the claw. No one actually talks almost what really matters. It is not what we think that counts and so much equally how we feel, our perception of reality.
President Trump, you tin can help us go past this carve up. Simply first, you must open yourself up a little bit and really understand why people of color are saying what they are saying. Then, you will also be in a meliorate position to explicate the defensiveness that you feel as a successful white man—maybe the near successful white homo—in America today.
I would like to aid. Here is my invitation to you, President Trump:
A lot people over 70 years of age have a saucepan listing. Put a dinner with the Bergers on yours. Why don't you join our family unit for a repast and double the number of white folks in our firm? Pick anytime you like, and you volition exist our invitee.
During the meal, we will talk openly about three very difficult topics that tin can't really exist addressed in public without fear of lifelong consequences. Our phones will exist off, and you will be the only person allowed to post or tweet near the feel. We volition endeavor to advance the conversation on Race in America together, with no judgment for how anyone might feel.
Here are the topics:
one) Discrimination.
All 10 "blackness" people in the house will share when they have encountered or felt discrimination. I employ the word "black" instead of African-American, African, or bi-racial for simplicity's sake. Ane'due south racial identification is really complex these days.
Nosotros will non tell them that America is no longer a place where they demand to fear bigotry, that those days are in the past. Nosotros volition non tell them that affirmative action righted all the wrongs of the past, and that they take just every bit much opportunity and safety equally any white person. We will just Heed to how they FEEL.
2) YOUR Entrada AND THE EARLY DAYS OF YOUR PRESIDENCY.
We volition also hear how some of your own statements and entrada images fabricated them feel. Not what you meant, merely how they interpreted what you said.
For example, at one of your rallies you said, "Look at my African-American over there." They might have felt slighted with the language of buying used to describe a black man by a white man, fifty-fifty if you meant, "That's my primary human!"
I've been the only white guy in my business firm for over twenty years. My wife and I are unabashed patriots. We have three mixed kids betwixt 13 and 17 years sometime and guardianship of v brothers from Nigeria betwixt the ages of 14 and 25. Ours is a big family unit with many different shades. Why don't you join us for a Berger family repast and double the number of white folks in our house?
Or how they felt seeing the image of a black homo common cold-cocked by a white homo at a rally, seemingly supported past an aroused mob. And their fear that this could actually pb us back to the days of unchecked violence against people of color.
Again, we will not disrespect their feelings and debate facts, but receive their messages with open minds.
3) CONFRONTING YOUR Ain BIAS Every bit A WHITE MAN.
Nosotros will discuss why you feel the demand to outwardly say that you are the "least racist person." What would it mean if you said that, actually, you probably take some biases around race that yous demand to explore? How would it experience for y'all to admit that in public?
Nigh white men are terrified of being branded a racist. There is no mode back from this confidence in full general gild. People of color will detest y'all, and white people won't be seen with you.
You practise not seem to be agape of what anyone thinks of you, so yous are in a unique position to listen to other people's feelings and be honest about your own. If you tin can do that, you can start to heal our nation'south racial split in a way that'due south never been done before.
Mr. Trump, let's brand a brand new "Guess Who'southward Coming To Dinner" and kickoff a make new national conversation. Yous are welcome anytime.
Seth Berger is head boys basketball game motorcoach at The Westtown School. He was Founder/CEO of And1 basketball apparel company. He has a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from Wharton.
Source: https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/donald-trump-come-to-dinner/
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