(Todd A. Smith)
Racism will never go away if it is potentially profitable and beneficial for the racist.
Hell, it did not go away when racists got punished for their hatred.
But if people continue to reward racists financially, no amount of unity, legislation or activism will stop the epidemic of bigotry in the United States of America.
Toria Sheffieled of People Magazine reported, “A White woman who appeared to hurl a racist slur at a Black child has raised over $600,000 in donations for herself on a fundraising page.
“Video of the Minnesota woman, who has since been identified as Shiloh Hendrix, began circulating on social media after she seemingly called the 5-year-old the n-word on a playground in Rochester on Monday, April 28, according to NBC News.
“The man recording the video, who has since identified himself as Sharmake Omar, told the outlet that he knows the boy and his family, and the child is on the autism spectrum.”
Omar confronted Hendrix and ridiculed her for calling the young Black child the n-word.
However, Hendrix said that the Black child had taken a toy from her child.
When Omar asked Hendrix if the child’s actions justified her calling him a racial slur, Hendrix replied, “If that’s what he is going to act like.”
Hendrix then went to set up a fundraising page on GiveSendGo called “Help Protect My Family.”
She wrote, “I recently had a kid steal from my 18-month-old son’s diaper bag at a park. I called the kid out for what he was.”
Hendrix added that since the incident, her family is “being attacked,” while her personal information, like her home address and phone number, has been leaked.
While Hendrix initially sought $50,000, she is now seeking $1 million.
Hendrix’s alleged actions are as old as the country in which she lives.
No matter the age, when a White woman accused a Black male of anything nefarious generations ago, the consequences were often death for the Black male.
George Stinney, Jr. was one such Black boy, executed for allegedly killing two White females.
According to Stanford University’s website, “George Stinney Jr. was only 14 years old when he was executed by electrocution on June 16, 1944, for the murder of two White girls, in Alcoulu, South Carolina…
George was questioned in a small room, all alone—without his parents, without an attorney. Police claim the boy confessed to killing the two girls, also admitting he wanted to have sex with the 11-year-old.”
Because of allegations of violence against White women, Black communities were decimated, and countless citizens were “unalived,” simply because of the word of a White woman.
In McKinney’s case, his father was fired from his job, and the family was forced to flee after the murder allegations.
A mob wanted to lynch McKinney, but when they showed up, he had already been moved to a jail out of town.
Despite the alleged confession, the prosecutors produced no evidence that McKinney had confessed or evidence that he was involved in the death of the young girls.
African-Americans were not allowed in the courtroom for McKinney’s trial.
The teenager was represented by a tax attorney, and the jury took only 10 minutes to deliberate.
While Hendrix is claiming that her family is in danger for allegedly calling a Black child the n-word, history shows that White women do not have to fear violence at the hands of Black males.
But the Black community often must fear violence due to allegations made by White women or allegations concerning crimes against White females, as seen in the McKinney trial.
Few officers are likely to support a Black male if a White woman reports him to the police.
That is why so many White women cry about fearing violence when they get into any confrontation with Black men.
Many White women know that the system is set up to benefit them, not Black males.
Therefore, many will find ways to manipulate the system for their benefit.
But for a brief moment in American history, racism was frowned upon.
Many have lost their jobs because their racism was caught on camera.
Many have lost their jobs because they were unwise enough to say something racist on social media.
When allegations of racism came out about politicians, it often represented the death blow to their political career.
Now, it seems that bigotry is rewarded.
An outspoken bigot can become the two-time President of the United States.
Racism has become so acceptable that the group that President Donald Trump discriminates against will still have many in the group who vote for him.
And now, even if someone cannot become president, they can become a potential millionaire because other racists want to support their ignorance.
I have had many people tell me what it will take to end racism, from not talking about race to having uncomfortable racial discussions with people from outside of a person’s own race.
But nothing will change if being a racist becomes a major financial come-up.
Nothing will stop racism if racism can get a person elected to the highest office in the land.
Nothing will stop racism if White Americans need hatred to maintain their current power structure in America.
The White power structure often likes to put Black people, especially males, in their place, no matter how young the person is.
No matter how young the Black boy is, he is often seen as a threat to some White females.
That racist view has often led to death for Black people.
And now it is leading to potential dollars for White women.
With that reality, how will racism ever end?
