Racism in America

Terrence Stith is a black student at Texas State and editor of the Texas State Newspaper. He wrote an editorial which was very anti-white and Carl felt he had to respond. The paper wanted to change some of the letter and Carl said “no” – so they did NOT print it – but maybe Mr. Stith got the message – probably not.

Friday, November 10, 1995

Terrence Stith

University Star

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas

Attn: Letter to the Editor

To see someone of such great  potential drowned by bitterness and anger is a tragedy for all of us. Sometimes, what we all need is a change of perspective. When we’re so tuned into our own vision of things, we don’t see the big picture.

We do not live in a racist nation. We do not live in a racist society. What we do have is terrible disparity in the quality of education that our citizens enjoy. Sadly for Black America, the lack of education has perpetuated many of the social matters of contemporary consideration. Poverty, illegal drugs, sexual promiscuity, teen pregnancy, AIDS, and violent criminality seem to linger amidst this state of existence.

It is not blackness and it is not racism that winces some of us from others. It is lack of understanding, narrowness of perspective, a lack of education about one another, and a lack of education as a whole. It is not blackness that concerns a late night store clerk about the intentions of his customer. It is the mystery from whence he came. Moral values, ethics, love, truth, honesty, humility, compassion, empathy, and respect for life are not born to anyone. They are learned. These powerful values of civility are learned from the good parents of children, from the community of churches, from well-intended mentors and in public schools. Sadly again for Black America, it is the perception – with some degree of validity – that the family, the church and the schools have failed you. Hate, truthlessness, dishonesty, in-humility, in-compassion, callousness, criminality and disregard for life are also learned – but seldom in the same places.

If you really want to do something to help all people, including your own…..educate them, educate them, educated them about everything. Help them to learn the World and to want to. Through education and the attainment of knowledge comes empowerment. What separates us as humans from all other living things in the Universe is our unique ability to manipulate, change and overcome our environment. Our unique ability to reason gives us the power to utilize tools to our benefit. The greatest tool we can ever have is an education. It is the one tool that unlike all others, you cannot lose or have taken away. It will always be yours and yours alone to make use of in life.

The World we live in is still a wondrous place. There are so many incredible and fascinating things going on around us all the time. We are truly fortunate to be living at this time and in this nation, for certainly, no matter what your standing is in society, our standard of living and quality of life is astounding in the World. You do not serve yourself or your mission by whimpering or threatening. You do not activate solutions by looking backwards for someone to blame. You cannot perceive the whole of anything while looking through the end of a funnel.  All you accomplish by focusing your strengths in negativity, bitterness, rage and hopelessness is to perpetuate your condition. You cannot expect the government to be responsible for an individual’s personal responsibility. When you yell in violence or declare war, you usually start one. Seldom do wars resolve the issues for which they began.

Peace and long life,

Carl H. Deal III