Let me tell you about one of my coworkers, "Mr. D":
Mr. D is a White, middle-aged man of average height and average build. He is a hardworker, always ready and willing for whatever task is set before him. He and his wife of many years raised their now adult daughters in a loving, Christian household. Mr. D is kind, caring warm-hearted indivual.
And today, I realized that he's pretty damn smart, too...
I was working out of the office yesterday, but Mr. D told me what had happened. Apparently, he had been confused about the situation down in Jena, LA and why there was a need to protest. He'd watched the recent (i.e.:
only) news coverage, and he couldn't understand the "noose vs. 6-to-1 fight" situation. Instead of just blindly accepting what was given to him, Mr. D followed his instincts...
...and researched!
He found out about the White Tree, the so-called "Tree of Knowledge" that was planted in the courtyard of the Jena High School. He found out about the black studentss that staged a peaceful sit-in around the tree after the nooses were hung in defiance of the intimidation. He found about the assembly in the school's gym with the police and the Disctrict Attorney who recently went on television and said that "this is not about race", but told those black students that "with a stroke of my pen, I can make your lives disappear."
Mr. D also found out about when Robert Bailey, Jr. attempted to enter a mostly White party, he was beaten by a group of White youths with beer bottles. They were charged with simple battery and given probation. The next day Bailey was threatened with a gun by a man who attended the party, yet Bailey was charged with stealing the weapon.
Mr. D discovered all of this and more. He searched and read. And, being a Christian man, he prayed.
When I came in to work, I greeted him as I always do. He noticed me noticing what he was wearing. He said, "Well, I know I'm a day late. But I still wanted to support them."
He was wearing a black t-shirt.
