Physically Ill: Institutional Racism

Before reading this, I am warning that this may be a controversial one. But it also is something that I think needs to be discussed - the institutional racism and oppression that exists within our society today, on a local, national, and global level. I began my Addressing White Racism course today (it's a wintersession course, so I'll be done in three days), and the reflection paper I wrote perhaps will stir dialogue. At least if the dialogue is out there, it's out there. There is an awareness, a call to change, a thought. So, I am sharing with you my first reflection paper from the course, which references both the Frank Jude case from Milwaukee a few years ago and the Chai Vang case from northern Wisconsin. I want to preface that I am by no means claiming anyone's guilt or innocence, but merely raising a question about racial and cultural lines and misunderstandings. I also think I could have written much much more, but hold your horses, ladies and gentlemen, it was only a 2-page reflection paper.

Reflection Paper #1:Physically Ill

As I read the two chapters written by Tatum tonight, there were several parts that I highlighted thinking, “I could definitely reflect on this” or “This is bringing up more thoughts”. Then, I read the few pages written by Derrick Jensen on police brutality and I found myself feeling nauseous and almost physically ill at the grim realities being presented in front of me. The dates of these incidents are not long ago—eight, ten, fourteen years at the most. It’s during my lifetime that others and I have been witnesses to such horrific acts of intentional hurt and violence, spurred on by the systematic oppression that affects us all.

I thought of two very recent occurrences in my home state of Wisconsin that had brought about dialogue and awareness, but still left many with the stings of institutional racism and no answers. The first was the case of Frank Jude, a bi-racial man that was severely beaten by off-duty police officers in a suburb of Milwaukee. Fortunately, Jude lived to tell his story and to see three of the four police officers be acquitted by an all-White jury, and then later indicted in federal court. The case was discussed both amongst my friends and in class—it seemed like it took over the entire city of Milwaukee. The fact that there was an all-White jury chosen from Milwaukee, the most diverse city in Wisconsin, in the year 2006 outraged most people I discussed the case with. The men, women, boys, and girls that Jensen brought names and faces to were much less fortunate than Frank Jude was. And what happened when those cases were brought to court?

The second case of blatant institutional racism and perhaps racial and cultural misunderstanding was when Chai Vang, a Hmong immigrant, was charged with six counts of murder after shooting six hunters in northern Wisconsin. While the jury did conclude that Mr. Vang was guilty, the jury that was chosen was also all-White and was brought in from diverse Madison, WI. Incredible racial undertones defined this case. I remember having the feeling of complete confusion and guilt when discussing it with others. While I was empathetic towards those families that had lost someone (one of the victims was a friend’s family member), I felt most of my empathy lying with Mr. Vang, who I believe was misunderstood and tormented because of his racial and cultural background from the beginning. Questions surfaced in my head about whether this would have happened had he been White. Would the hunting party have threatened him like they did, yelling racial epithets? Would the media have glorified it like they did, trying to create fear of the large Hmong communities within Wisconsin? Would Mr. Vang have been charged differently had the jury been mostly people of color? The questions still bother me, while Mr. Vang sits in prison for what I believe was a giant, giant cultural and racial misunderstanding.

These cases are what get at my heart. The people and victims that Jensen discusses brought tears to my eyes. Choked to death for playing football…Thrown from the roof of a housing project with handcuffs on…Beaten to death after having a seizure…Run over by a police car, backed over, and run over again…Shot for a DWB…Shot in the head while herding the family goats…Suffocated on fifteen yards of toilet paper. As I realized I was feeling numb prior to Jensen’s reading, I allowed myself to feel these feelings that were stirred up inside of me. The anger, the guilt, the frustration, the call to action, the empathy—it’s there, and it’s ready to be processed.