I started the morning out at 6 am with Abraham climbing in our bed, falling back asleep, and snoring like an old man for the next couple hours. Thus, even though I would have loved to still be sleeping, I snuggled my little old man instead.
After I gave up on being able to sleep amidst his noisy rumble, I grabbed my phone to catch up on the news. The first story that was brought to my attention made me want to vomit. A Black child with intellectual disabilities, adopted by White parents and growing up in a predominantly White area in Idaho, was the victim of horrendous racist violence at the hands of his classmates and without the intervention of his teachers. What he endured was truly horrific. So I snuggled Abe a little tighter, was thankful for our community and kids' school, and then decided maybe I would just keep him tucked in my bed and safe forever.
Later in the day I came across another story about Bill O'Reilly and his latest racist rant on Fox News. It confirmed to me that Fox News will continue to be banned from ever being watched in my home, but found myself with anger growing inside me. Here we have a man blasting an entire race of people as violent while at the same time that group faces all types of violence against them by individuals and institutions.
What really infuriates me is the connection between the two stories. If Fox covers the story from Idaho, they will condemn the actions of the boys as wrong and racist; while simultaneously feeding that racist narrative into the hearts and minds of those watching the station. You can't separate individual racist acts from the broader system of racism that permeates our country. Its easy to condemn something that looks blatant and clearly wrong, but if you are unwilling to delve into what allows such racist attitudes to go unchecked before the overt act, then your condemnation doesn't lead to actual change for the victims of racism.
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