The Mayor spinning a tale of racial harmony

Title: The Mayor spinning a tale of racial harmony
Description: I read Bethlehem Mayor Donchez’s recent op-ed in The Morning Call with dim hopes, and I was richly rewarded. He began with a quote from a white slave owner, and continued to spin a tale of racial harmony on the South Side of Bethlehem that never, ever existed except in the imagination of white people. The truth is that white people in this country are absolutely addicted to the idea of our own superiority. This addiction is a societal illness. It narrows our vision so that we can only see the world in terms of our hopes and experiences. The first step toward addiction recovery is admitting we have a problem and accepting help. Racism is rotting this country from the inside out. It had from day one, and it will until we confront it honestly. We can’t allow our white elected officials to address this moment by telling us that George Floyd’s death while in police custody was an isolated incident, that this isn’t a “race issue.” Iy most certainly is a race issue. – Sarah M. Andrew, Bethlehem
Subject: racial justice
Format: pdf; blog post
Identifier: gadfly1852
Date Created: 6/9/2020
Language: English
Contributor: Andrew, Sarah; Gallagher, Ed