Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. noted historian, Harvard University Professor, literary critic, writer, educator, scholar and public intellectual was arrested for disorderly conduct outside his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The numerous news/media reports are alleging racial profiling because of the white officer's conduct towards the disturbance. An unidentified neighbor called the police when he/she noticed two black men trying to get into the front door of a house. The house in question is Dr. Gates-he found that the front door was jammed and went around to the back of the house and let himself in and proceeded to alleviate the problem with the front door. The police arrive, Dr. Gates shows two forms of ID, including one with the Professor's address and an exchange of words took place-following an arrest.
Racial Profiling happens quite often to African-American Men and Latino Men in the United States. The concept of the police or law enforcement authorities pulling over someone that fits a description of a Man of Color is both appalling and disrespectful to the decency of human beings. I fully understand the protection of a community-but, to not have a full and complete description of a person except the color of his skin--it not a valid way of approaching the subject. The police will have to further train their personnel to insure that this doesn't happen.
How do we as Black Men change an inbred preception of what a criminal should look like? How do we mend racial attitudes that are prevalent in this country? Just because we have a Black President in the White House--the challenges of the Black Man has not changed a great deal.
Dr. Gates is becoming "yet again" the poster child for racial profiling. Why must we go through this again?
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