An altercation between black teens and a white woman on a bus, a noose placed by a black firefighter in a firehouse, charges of discrimination in the police department unveiled in an ongoing federal lawsuit, and the arrest of a 7-year-old black child stoked racial tensions in a divided city.
On a day of remembrance and celebration of the birth of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., some Baltimore black leaders reflected on the state of race relations and civil rights. Looking back on a year marked by high-profile incidents defined by race, they expressed apprehension that King?s dream was being lost.
“I think to a certain extent,Dr. King would be disappointed at the state of affairs for our people,” said Marvin “Doc” Cheatham, president of the Baltimore chapter of the NAACP.
“You have more black men in the criminal justice system than in college. I don?t think that?s progress.”
Nationwide, the Jena Six drew headlines ? six teenagers who were charged with attempted murder after beating a white boy in a dispute over a noose.
Nooses appeared locally at University of Maryland, College Park, and in a Baltimore firehouse, in the latter instance planted by a black firefighter.
Del. Jill Carter, daughter of the late civil rights activist Walter Carter, said symbolic incidents shifted attention from substantive issues such as “dilapidated schools, lead poisoning, poor housing and, in general, lack of opportunity,” making meaningful dialogue on race difficult.
“We shouldn?t be upset about a noose unless there is a neck in it.”
Many black leaders have criticized rap music as being harmful to King?slegacy and a sign of deteriorating values.
But April Yvonne Garrett, founder of Civic Frame, a nonprofit that uses art to stimulate public dialogue on social issues, argues the medium ? not just the message ? is at fault.
“Media and mass culture makes you feel that you understand an issue you don?t. There are some folks that believe they understand what?s really going on with black people because they?re familiar with popular culture, but it?s superficial.”
A real dialogue about race needs to focus on systemic issues that King believed were key to the long-term health of the black community, Garrett said.
“That?s what bums me out about Baltimore: We get caught up in the emotional stuff. It seems it is almost by design, so we avoid the real issues.
“King was radical, because he relied on critical thinking and nonviolence to get people who don?t see our humanity to wake up.
“We need to remember that.”
