As many of you that have met me in person know, I am an African-American. I grew up here in Cleveland, even though I live in Akron now. I just read Mansfield Frazier’s most recent article on Cool Cleveland, Race in America. In it, Mr. Frazier, who is also African-American, talks about how debate and converstation that isn’t specifially about race ends up with race in it. One example being his radio appearance with Ward 11 councilman Michael Polensek, who is white, over the letter that Councilman Polensek wrote to a law-breaking constituent of his ward.:
A few weeks ago when I first responded in print to the letter Polensek wrote (see the Cool Cleveland archives if you missed it) my point was — and remains — nasty letters alone will not solve the problem, but with that said, I honestly believe the best place for the young thug who sparked the debate is prison. According to government statistics he is twice as likely to die a violent death in the streets as in the joint. Nonetheless, people read and internalize what they wish, and gloss over the rest. More than a few White Polensek supporters wrote me to say how tired they were with everything always being about race. Polensek himself said on the radio show that he was “tired of this race crap.”
Mr. Frazier also says, and this is the line that should be on a poster somewhere:
If White folks think they are tired of race being the central issue in American culture, if they just think they are tired of hearing about race all the time, then they ought to try being Black.
