5
THE McGILL LECTURE
By Robert C. Maynard
Ediror, Publisher,and President,The Oqklqnd Tribune
Robert C. Mrynard
l l n e v e ro c c u r r e dl o m e i n t h e d a y so f m y u o n d e r i n gy o u t h , \ a h e n
Ralph l\IcCill was a torveringsynrbelof light in a troubledland, that I
w o u l dh a v ea n o p p o r t u n i t y1 op a y t r i b u t ei n t h i sm a n n e rt o s u c ha r a r e
f i g u r eo f o u r i i m e .
1 h e r e a s o ns u c ha t h o u g h tn e v e ro c c u r r e dt o m e i s t h a t M r . M c c i l t
a n d I l i v e di n s u c hd i f f e r e n tA m e r i c a s H
. i s w a st h e S o u t h l a n dw i t h i t s
slrangled consciencethen, a land beset by a segregationhe called
"estrangemenl
a withdra\\al from humanity that is close at
h a n d ,t h a l p a s s eisn t h es t r e e t st,h a t I i v e sj u s t o \ e r t h e o l h e r w a ). "
I read of thal land as it rvasdescribedby Lillian Smith, CarsonMcC u l l e r s ,W . J . C a s h , a n d , o f c o u r s e ,R a l p h M c O i l l . I t r i e d 1 o
r u n d e r s t a ni tdi n m y y o u t h ,b u t i t w a sa s t r a n g ep l a c et h e nt h a t e x i s t e d
betweenthe pagesof a book or occasionallyon the front pagesof our
New York ne\!spaperswhen sonre event occurred that seemedto
t y p i f ; "a t i m e o f t o r t u r e ds o u l s .
l\'ly America then $as a place lhat moved in massiverhythms
b e t w e e nd a y a n d n i g h t ,a p l a c et h a t c o n j u r e du p p i c t u r e si m m e d i a l e l )
w h e t r ,i n t h e a r g o t o f t h e p l a c e ,t h e " j o i n l w a sj u m p i n " ' o r i t w a s a
" r o m p i n ' , s t o m p i n 'k i n d o f n i g h t . "
\\/e thought \!e were freeand that you "down here" |{ould be slaves
l o r e v e rt o J i m C r o u . W h e t h e rw h i l e o r b l a c k ,1 o u * e r e s h a c k l e dt o a
setof rulesonly a fe\r understood,but by u'hichall must play.
That is $hy I have chosento speakto you today on the subjectof
" R a l p h M c C i l l ' s A m e r i c aa n d M i n e . " I n t h e d a y so f m y y o u t h , t h e
dayswhen Ralph McGill's namewas a legendbecausehe stood againsl
the forces of evil in a land in terror of the night rider, the flaming
c r o s s ,a n d t h e $ h i t e r o b e , r ,ev \ ! e r c s o i n n o c e n t" u p N o r t h b e c a u s e
\4ethoughl ue were freeand that vou werenot.
Later, years later, Dr. l\'lartin t-uther King would predicl that the
Southwould be free of Jim Crow long beforethe North was free of its
racism.We scoffecland said we were free. Then one day, !'earsafter
that, I lound myself facing a man in a gray-flannel,three-piecesuit
wearing Gucci shoesand holding an imported leather attachecase,
a n d I l e a r n e dt h a l h i s n a m eu a s J a n r e sC . C r o $ , l l l , E s q .
By then I knervnoneoflts was free.
But I an getting aheadof the story of Ralph McCill's America and
1\,1ine.
Two different lorms of fantasy shapedour worlds. lt seemsto nlc
the South becanterransfixedafter Reconstruclionby a delusionthar il
c o u l dr e c a p t u r et h e o l d r e l a t i o n s h i o
p f m a s r e ra n d s l a v ei f i r h e l d o n
rigidly lo the remnanlsof rhe castesyslemthat existedbeforethe Civi
War. It was necessary,then, for a whole region to engagein massive
self-deceit,to foster through every means possiblethe notion of in.
h e r e n st u p e r i o r i t o
y f w h j t e sa n d t h e t o t a l i n f e r i o r i t yo f b l a c k s .A l l t h i s
was psychologicalreinforcement of the fanrasy rhal norhing had
changed.
B u t , a sR a l p hM c G i l l w r o t es o o f t e n ,i t $ a s a l l a m a s ko f s e l f - d e c e i r .
A n d W a l t e rS c o ' s l i r t l er h y n e a p p l i e dn o p l a c ea s i t d i d t o t h a r s i r u a ti o n :
" O h . w h a t a t a n g l e d$ e b we \\'eave \1hen firsl \r'e practice lo
decei!e."
No tangle of deceitis quite a s e l a h o r a t ea . t h a t c r e a l e d t o d e c e i t e
oneself.
The role of Ralph Mccill, Hodding Carter,and myriad other
courageousliterar! leadersof the region in lhat time \ras to try to
awakena peoplefrom their fantasyto facerhe realirythat the pastwas
neverto return and that the world \_r.-'as
moving on, leavinga region to
r()l in remembrance.
S o o n a f t e r , t h e c i v i l r i g h t s l a w y e r s ,M a r l i n L u r h e r K i n g , t h e
marchers,and lhe televisioncameraswould combineto joll the region
from its reverie.I date the day of great awakeningto thal Sunday
aflernoon on the Edmund Pettus Bridgc in Selma when American
citizensmarching for the right to vote \!ere beaten, trampled, and
tear gassed,and the whole wide world was $atchins on NBC's even.
l n gn e w s ,
Only a short time later, PresidentLyndon Johnson went before a
Joinl sessionof Congressto speak of the dignity of man and the
destinyof democracy.
."
. . t h eN e w
L i t t l eb y l i r t l e ,M c G i l l ' sS o u t hb e c a n ) e
South."ard soon
a l i e r t h a r ,t h e " S u n b e l t , " a n d i l h a sa l o n g w a y t o g o b e f o r ei t l u l f i l l | _
its full "destiny of democracy"; but it is a long way from the South of
E u g e n eT a l m a d g e w
, h o s o d e l i g h t e di n s p i t t i n gt h e w o r s t e p i t h e t sa L
R a l p hM c G i l l .
T h e d e l u s i o nh a s d i m i n i s h e de. v e ni f i t h a s n o t d i s a p p e a r e dO. n l !
t i m e w i l l t e l l i f l h e d e l u s i o nc a n b e w h o l l y c u r e d .I c a m es o u t h a s a
young reporterin the lale 1960sto recordthe crumblins of the wall ol
delusiorr.
l1 was yel fully to occur to rne that the world in which t was raisecl
" u p N o r t h " w a s l o s t e r e do n f a n t a s y t, o o . I f t h e S o u t hr e v e l e dl o r s o
l o n g i n a d e l u s i o no f t h e p a s t ,t h e N o r t h r e v e l e dw i t h e q u a la b a n d o n
a n d f o r j u s r a b o u ta s l o n g i n t h c i l h r s i o no f f r e e d o ma n d e q u a l i l ] f' o r
all.
I t a k e y o u b a c k t o t h e 1 9 4 0 st,o t h e s a m et i I r l ed u r i n gw h i c h R a l p h
NlcGill s'rote his column erery day on Page()ne of ll\e Allqnlu Con'
sltluuon.
T h o s ew e r e t h e d a y so f m y g r o w i n gu p i n N e w Y o r k C i t y . T h o s e
l v e r et l r ed a y so f o u r i l l u s i o n s \. ' e w h o h a d n e v e rb e e nt o t h e S o u t h
regardedil as anolher counlry. I can remenrbermany nights in rny
childhood rvhen nr;- brothers and I whisperedunder the coversand
r o l d e a c ho t h e rl r i g h t f u ls t o r i e s .
( ) f l e n l h o s es t o r i e sc o n c e r n e lct li d e o u sh a p p e n i n gisn t h e S o u t ht h a t
rve had read in a ne*spaper or a magazine.Or had conjured in our
mi n d s .
W e w o u l d t e l l t h e s et h i n g ss o m e t i m e tso m y m o l h e r a n d f a t h e ra l
breakfast, and lhey would look sad as they talked of the people
" d o w n l h e r e " l i v i n gi n a h e l l u n h e a r do f i n o u r q u i e ta n d s e c u r ew o r l d
o f b r o w n s t o n easD du r b a nc u l t u r e .
We could not seeor underslandthen that we, too, lived in a world
o f i l l u s i o ng o v e r n e db y t h e w e b o f c a s t ea n d c l a s s .B y v i r t u e o f m y
father's property and my mother's managerialskills, we and most ol
the middle classfamiliesaround us assumedthe world was Senerall]
a l l r i g h t . ' f h a l i s 1 os a yt h a t w e w o u l dg o t o t h e r i g h t s c h o o l ,m a r r yi n to lhe right family, enter the right profession,and live in the right
neighborhood.
Thal is Dot lo say for a moment that we did not eachof us encounler
our shareof racism in some form or another, usually at school' but
sometimeson the streelor in a restaurant.But we were told we were
free. so we brushedoff those encountersas aberrations,rarely con'
necting lhem to any larger systemof thoughl or activity resembline
what we understoodto governthe South'smores.
One of the clear manifestationsof racism around us was police
brutalily. we were a\r'areof lhe fact of police killings and police
beatings,but we weresurethosethingsonly happenedto cerlainkinds
of bad people and that some individuals on the police force were
prejudiced,the most common word we usedin thoselimes for racism.
But I must say only a few people within our hearingin those days
s t o o du p a n d s a i dt o l h e p e o p l ei n o u r s t a b l el i t t l ec o m m u n i t yo r t h e
rnanylike it in New York City lhat greal massesof poor blacksin New
Y o r k * e r e i l l - f e d ,i l l - h o u s e da, n d d e n i e de q u a lj u s t i c eu n d e rt h e l a w a s
a m a t l e ro l c o u r s e .
Our school teachersrarely rnentionedsuch a thing and neitherdid
l i d n o l e x i s t .W e w e r c
o u r c h u r c hl e a d e r sI.t w a sn o l l h a l t h e p r o b l e n d
a l l s o o nt o h e a rt h e t h u n d e rf r o m W a l t s a n d H o u g ha n d H a r l e n r .T h e
-9 -
problemwas there,all right. Ir simply was not discussedby thosewho
u ereliving the illusion of beingfree.
And those rvho *ere living the harsh reality of lhose mean streets
had no voice of their own, certainl! no voice the rest of societyhad
d e i g n e dt o h e e d .O u t o f s i g h t ,o u t o f m i n d .
By lhe late 1950sand into the early 60s, the voice of the oppressed
of lhe South $as beginningto be heard. The sound of rhe feet of the
walkingMontgomerybus boycotterswastellinga story to the world, a
story whosetones would grow louder and louder acrossthe land, to
lunch counters in Greensboro, to the streets of Birmingham and
Albany, and on to Selma.
But no such great nonviolent movement had capturedthe energy
and the frustration of the urban massesin New York, Detroir,
Cleveland,or Chicago. lndeed, many in those citiescontinuedto live
i n t h e i l l u s i o no f f r e e d o mi n t h e m i d s to f d e D r i v a t i o n .
B y t h e t i m e B u l l C o n n e r ' sp o l i c ed o g st o r e i n t o l h e m a r c h e r si n B i r nringham,therewere snrallprotestsin Nes York for jobs, one or t\ao
a g a i n s th o u s i n gd i s c r i m i n a t i o n
a n d e d u c a t i o n ai ln e q u a l i t y B
. ur rhe)
weregenerallyignored,Ireated\r'ithdisdainon the insidepagesof our
greatNew York nervspapers
if they 1lerereporledat all.
A n d t h e n ,t o u s et h e p h r a s eo f J o h n O . K i l l e n ' sn o v e la b o u rr a c i a l
rvarfarein lhe armed servicesafter \l'orld War II, "and lhen we heard
l h e t h u n d e r . " B y t h a t t i m e i t w a s A u g u s ro f 1 9 6 5a n d l h e s o u n d so f
breakingglassand the sighl of burning buildingscarnero us first from
Watts, a place known to few outside Los Angeles.Soon its name
would be a symbol for urban unresl acrosslhe land and around the
world.
O n c e a g a i nt h e w h o l e w i d e w o r l d w a s w a l c h i n g ,a n d w h a t i r s a w
w a st h e e n d o f t h e i l l u s i o nt h a t o n l y t h e b l a c k so f t h e S o u l h w e r eo p p r e s s e dT. h e i l l u s i o nt h a t J i n l C r o $ , w a sa r e g i o n apl h e n o m e n o u
nniq u e t o t h e S o u t h w a s a c r u e l i l l u s i o nw e n u r t u r e du f J N o r t h t o o u r
greatperil.
O n e b y o n e , o u r g r e a tc i t i e s ,t h e c i t a d e l so l c i v i l i z a t i o nw
, e r er a r
agedby the fire of the pent-uprageof thoservho had beenthe invisible
!'ictims of our Northern illusions. Rivers of blood and years of
d a r k n e s sw e r et h e p r i c e t h e N o r t h e r nc i t y w o u l d h a v et o p a y , a n d i s
s t i l l p a y i n g ,f o r h a v i n gn u r t u r e do u r i l l u s i o nt h a t t h e N o r r h w a s f r e e
a n de q u a l\ r h i l et h e S o u t h! 1 a sn o t .
W e l l h e r et h e d e l u s i o na n d t h e i l l u s i o nc o i n c i d e G
. o e t h eo n c e s a i d
thal all it takesfor evil to prevailis for good nrento do noihing. Those
o f u s i n t h e p r e s s t. h e g r e a tc a l l i n go f N l r . M c ( i i l l a n d m y s e l f ,l i \ e i n
the belief thal if we do not ferret oul wrongdoing,evil will engulf our
societ).Each time anyonemoles lo abridgeour rights under lhe First
- l0 -
A n r e n d m e n lt.h a l i s u h a t $ e c r v o u l f r o r n t h e r o o f t o p sa r d f r o n l o u r
p u l p i t so n t h e e d i t o r i apl a g e s .
B u t $ e c a m el a t ea n d l a m et o t h e s t o r ) o f o n eo f t h eg r e a l e sel v i l so f
o u r s o c i e l ! ,t h e e v i l o f r a c i a lo p p r e s s i o a
n n d i t s g r e a lc o s t t o o u r a d v a n c e r l e nat s a s o c i e t y R
. a l p hM c c i l l o n c es a i do f t h e S o u t h ' sp r e s s :
" A s h o c k i n gn u m b e ro f i t s n e w s p a p e rhsa d f a i l e d i n t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t l o f l e a d e r s h i p - t or e v e a la r e g i o nI o i l s e l f . P a i n f u l l yt e w h a d
e r e r d i s s e c t etdh e s o - c a l l e S
d o u l h e r nr v a yo f I i l e o r s t r i p p e dl h e m y t h s
from the Southerner'b
s e l i e f t h a t h e w a s s o n r e h o wd i f f e r e n t l r o m
o t h e rA n r e r i c a nas n d e n t i t l e dt o s p e c i arli g h t s ,i n c l u d i n gt h e r i g h l t o b e
' l e l a l o r e ' i n t h e u g l i e spt r a c t i c eos f d i s c r i m i n ai ot n ."
T h e m a r v e lo f t h i sc o i n c i d e n coel d e l u s i o na n d i l l u s i o ni s l h a t m u c h
l h e s a m et h i n g c o u l d h a v eb e e ns a i da t t h e v e r y s a m et i n l e a b o u t t h e
p r e s so l t h e N o r t h , b u t I k n o r vo f r r oe d i t o ro f a s t a t u r ec o m p a r a b l teo
m y t h so t I i f e i n
t h a t Q f M c G i l l w h o s a i dt h e s a m ea b o u tt h e u n s t r i p p e d
New York or Chicagoor Los Angeles.
t o e x a m i n el h e u r l n d e e d .i t w a sl e f t f o r a o r e s i d e n t i ac lo m m i s s i o n
ban uprisingsand declarethat the pressof the North bore no srnall
a m o u n to f t h e b l a m ef o r w h a t t r a n s p i r e dl.t l o u n d t h a t t h e p r e s sh a d
ignored a major story-make that phenomenon-in its orvn back
yarq.
M o r e t h a n l h a t , t h e c o m m i s s i o na n d m a n y s e r i o u ss l u d e n t so f t h !
urban riot could only concludethat the pressplayeda major role as a
causali\,efactor, that our fajlure to report on the condilionsof the inn e r c i t y l e f l I h o s ei n s i d ei t s w a l l sw i t h n o u a y t o m a k e t h e r e s to l u s
d o w d e e pw a st h e i ra n g u i s h .
o u t t h e r ei n i l l u s i o nl a n du n d e r s t a n h
t erc
I n o t h e r\ \ o r d s ,s o f a r g o n ew e r ew e i n o u r i l l u s i o n s, o i g n o r a n w
rveof that beforeour very noses,that our neighborshad to sel a lire to
g a i no u r a lt e n t l o n .
I wish this were a purely historicalexercise.I wish I could say we
w e r ec u r e do f i l l u s i o ni n t h e N o r t h a n d o f d e l u s i o ni n t h e S o u t h .O h ,
howI wish.
I n a l i t t l c l c s st h a n t h r e e) e a r s ,w e w i l l c e l e b r a t e - i ft h a t i s t h e c o r rect ternrinolog)-the 20th anniversary of Watts. I wonder what
lessonswe can claim to have learnedas a societyfrom what we saw
and heardthereand elswherein thoseterrifying daysand nights.
l t h a sb e e nl 4 y e a r ss i n c et h e d e a t ho f D r . K i n g .T h e n i g h th e d i e d ,I
w a t c h e dt h e f l a m e so f u r b a na n g e rr e a c hw i t h i n l 0 b l o c k so f t h e W h i t e
[{ouse. I would have llrought such an experience*ould have etched
permanenlrvisdomon our societyabout the dangersof such illusions
us beforethe riots.
as so possessed
But I anr persuadedtoday that we learnedalnroslnothing. The conditions havechangedlittle in most places.ln someinstancesthey nray
- ll
havebecomeworsebecausewe are on the cuspof lhe ne\aageof infor.
mation and technologyand rvestill havepennedup in our citiespeople
\ \ ' h o h a v e y e t t o g e t r i g h t $ i r h t h e G u t e n b e r gr e v o l u t i o n .W e h a v e
\ \ a s t e dh u m a n p o t e n t i a lt i c k i n g a w a ] ' l i k e a l i m e b o m b w e p r e l e n d
does not exist. And despitehaving seenit explodeonce, $e seemim.
m o b i l i z e da n d i r r c a p a b loef d e f u ( i l g i t .
N 4 e a n w h i lae ,S o u t ht h a l n o w c a l l si t s e l fa S u n b e l h
t a sb e c o m em o r e
u r b a n .l n s o b e c o r n i n gt ,h ep r o b l e n sw e h a v es e e ni n t h e N o r l h e r nc i t y
h a r e b e c o m en r o r ef a m i l i a ri n t h e S o u t h .T h e K l a n , o n c ef a m i l i a ro n l l
i n t h e S o u t h ,i s n o $ r i v i d l y v i s i b l ei n t h e N o r t h . T h u s a r e t h e d i s t i n c I i o n sb e i n ge r a s e db e t w e e nt h e N o r t h a n d t h e S o u t h .
We seenow nrore clearly than ever thal the problem was not so
m u c h o n e o f r e g i o na s i t w a s o n e o f e n t r e D c l r erda c i s mt h a t s i n r p l y
f o u n dd i f f e r e n lI o r m so l e x p r e s s i oant a n o t h e rt i m e .
.I
h e h e a r to f t h e m a l t e ri n M r . I \ ' l c G i l l ' sA n r e r i c aa n d l \ l i n e i s t h a t
b o t h h a v eb e e ns e i z e df o r c e n l u r i e sb l t h e c u r i o u sa b i l i t yo f r a c i s mt o
p o i s o ni h e q u a l i t ro" f o u r n a t i o n a l i f e .
E v e nt h o u g hw e s e et h e m a n ya w f u l m a n i f e s t a t i o nosf i t s e v i lw o r k s ,
we cannot seemto come to grips with racismas a societyand purge it
fronr our public lile and from our prilate hearts.
I mentioned
t o , o u t h e p i e c ei n u h i c h l l t c G i l lc h a s t i s ehdi s S o u t h e r n
brethrenof the pressfor their failure to "re\eal a region to itself."
W h e n h e p u b l i s h e dt h a t p i e c e ,I k n o w o f m a n y l i b e r a lN e w Y o r k e r s
who savoredthe subtle power of its phrasingand treasuredits poetic
rebuke.
Unfortunatel\',it did not occur to them to ask how *'ell we in the
Northernpressweredoing at relealingour regionto itself or, for that
matter,our socielyto itself.
l1 must be obvious by Irow that this problem of racism is our great
national shame.a shamefrom which ue still seekto hide insteadof
face. I suspectpart of lhe difficulty of it is that racism is a pecular
p h e n o m e n o nI.t i s t h e o n l y p e r s o n a l i t yd i s o r d e rw i t h w h i c h I a m
fanriliarthat managedto transform itself into perrasivepublic polic) .
J a m e sC r o w , l l l , E s q . ,a n d h i s b e t t e rk n o w n f o r e b e a r J, i n r C r o w ,
suffer from somethingthe psychologistscall by severalfancy terms.
The simplestone I know of is impairedself-esteem.
They are, to make
s h o r ru o r k o f t h e m a t t e r ,d e e p l yd a m a g e dh u m a nb e i n g s .
ln their modern manifestation,theseare people whose egos \4ere
damagedearly in their lives. They were told by someonethey hoped
w o u l d l o v e t h e m t h a t t h e y w e r e u n w o r t h yo f l o v e ,A n d n o t j u s t t h a t
t h e yw e r eu n w o r t h yo f l o v e ,b u t t h a t t h e yw e r eu n w o r t h ya l t o g e t h e r .
ln generalterms, the pain of such rejectionwas too excrucialingto
bear; so inslead of living with a senseof self-loathing,they project
that hatredonto sonreother fixed object or group. Whateverugly selfi m a g e t h e y s e e k t o e x p i a t e ,r h e y p r o j e c t o n r o r h e o b j e c t o f t h e i r
hatred.
I t i s t h i s n r i x t u r eo f s e l f - h a t r e da n d g u i l l l h a t h a s a l r r a y sg i r e n
classicracisnl \onre of its nrore baroque conlours. A ntan who goes
o u t a n d p r e a c h ersa c i s ma l l d a l u i l l c o m eh o m et o a b l a c ks e r \ a n th c
w i l l l e l l e \ e r y o n ei s l h e p e r s o nh e I o ! e sm o s ti n I j l e .
O f t h e p s l c h i a t r i cl i t e r a t u r ew i l l r e p o r l o n l h e c a s eo f l h e w o m a r r
w h o s o f o u g h t t o k e e p h e r c h i l d r e nf r o n r g o i n g t o a s c h o o l* i t h a
h a n d f u l o f b l a c k s r h a t s h e c o m n r i l t e dr i l e a c t s o f r i o l e n c e .W h e n
f i n a l l l s h er e c e i r e dl h e p r o p e rc a r e ,s h ew a s t o u n d t o h a r c a m o r b i d
s e x u a fl i x a t i o no n b l a c k n r e nt h a t s h e I e a r e ds h ec o u l d n o l c o n t r o li f
s h ec a m ei n p r o x i m i t yt o a n y b l a c kp e o p l ee, v e ns m a l lc h i l d r e n .
I t h a sl o n g b e e na c o n c e r no l n r i n et h a l o u r p u b l i ci n s l i l u t i o Dhs a v e
pernritted
t h e n r s c l ! etso f a l l \ ' i c l i n lt o l h e f o i b l e so f r a c i s mi n s t e a do f
deleloping some \\'a! to help peoplegro[ out of theDr.The reasonI
r e g a r dt h a t a s a p i t y i s t h a t i t i s o b r i o u st o m e t h a l h e a l t h yl r u n t a r rdso
n o l n e e dr a c i s n tl o e n h a n c e
t h e i rs e l l - e s t e e m .
T l r e r ew a sa t i n l ei n t h e 1 9 6 0 sw h e ni t $ a s n o p u l a rt o d e c r e et h a t a l l
w h i t eA m e r i c a n sw e r er a c i s l s .
N o n s e n s e|. $ i l l g r a n t t h a t r a c i s mp e r r a d e sl h e l a n d , a n d I w i l t
grant lhat any of us can at some tirne or another bolster our ego-.by
finding someobject on which to plart the flag of inferiority.
B u t t h a t i s a l o n g w a y f r o m s a y i n gt h a t a l l w h i t e sa r e r a c i s t .F i r s to f
a l l , t h e i s s u eo l e g oa n d t h e p r o b l e mo f s e l l - p h o b i caa na f f e c ta n y p e r son of anJ race. More importart, I will nol concedeto an)' diseasethe
p o t a e rt o b e \ o r r e r s i s t e n tpl la r r d e m i c .
Not ever!one is a racist becausenot everyoneneedsto be a racist.
Racismis a personalcircumstancereinforcedby one's socialenvironnrent.Peoplewho may havelhe sameego problemsthat we call racism
racism$ ill often
but who are raisedin an atmospherethat discourages
find some other nreansof dealingwith their problems.Racismis little
of inadequac).
m o r et h a na n e l a b o r a t jeu s t i f i c a t i o nf o r a d e e ps e n s e
What I ha!e always wondered is why we do not treat this
phenomenonin its proper context as a mental health ptoblem instead
o f a p u b l i cp o l i c yp r o b l e m .
Above all. I trust none of us an-"-longer labors under the illusion
that il is a regionalproblem. lD one way or another, it is a problem
that affects most of the globe. We may take some small conlfort in
t h a t f a c t .b u r i t s h o u l db e v e r vs m a l l .
I say so becauseI believeDr. King was correct \{hen he said we
\ r ' o u l de i t h e rl e a r nt o l i r e l i k e b r o t h e r so r w e w o u l d o n e d a y d i e l i k e
fools. we must come to gfips with this as a global problem, but we
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dare not point our finger elsewhere until we have addressed the
problem seriouslyat home, in our universities and medical schools, in
churchesand synagogues,and, above all, in the newsmedia.
In that regard, Ralph Mccill is a model of integrity and mental
health who should inspire us to continue to be courageousas he was
courageous.He knew the rich potentialof this regionand this nation,
and he knew the menial disorder that affects our body politic would
forever hold us back.
We have seen in the transformation of the cconomy of this region
only a smallexampleof the profundity of his wisdom. And thus what
- I learnas I ponderRalph McGill's America and Mine is how, after all,
they are one America. He saw an America fulfilling its promise by ridding itself of prejudice. We have not heededhis advice very much, only enoughto realizehe was right.
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