My Vassar College Faculty ID Makes Everything OK

[LiberalArkie]

http://gawker.com/my-vassar-college-faculty-id-makes-everything-ok-1664133077



The fourth time a Poughkeepsie police officer told me that my Vassar College Faculty ID could make everything OK was three years ago on Hooker Avenue. When the white police officer, whose head was way too small for his neck, asked if my truck was stolen, I laughed, said no, and shamefully showed him my license and my ID, just like Lanre Akinsiku. The ID, which ensures that I can spend the rest of my life in a lush state park with fat fearless squirrels, surrounded by enlightened white folks who love talking about Jon Stewart, Obama, and civility, has been washed so many times it doesn't lie flat.

After taking my license and ID back to his car, the police officer came to me with a ticket and two lessons. "Looks like you got a good thing going on over there at Vassar College," he said. "You don't wanna it ruin it by rolling through stop signs, do you?"

I sucked my teeth, shook my head, kept my right hand visibly on my right thigh, rolled my window up, and headed back to campus.

One more ticket.



snip



A good read

[MadrasT]

1. K&R, thanks.

That was thought-provoking for sure.

[cali]

2. Powerful and moving.

[Cal Carpenter]

3. Excellent read. Thanks for posting.

[d_r]

4. kick

this is a good read

[sunnystarr]

5. Thank you.

A must read for everyone but especially for the whites in my life who just can't seem to understand why blacks can't get over it and cry racism every time anything happens. Now if I can only make them read. Posted the link on my FB but the ones who need to read it probably won't.

[zeemike]

6. At one point in the 70s I thought racism and discrimination was dieing

And would croak with that old generation.
But the civil rights people won a battle not a war...Racism went underground and prospered there, and spread it to the next generation, who were fed on an intellectual diet of violence, and selfishness..great food for the hate beast in us all.

What a fool we are to think it is over...it can never be over till we change the hearts of men to admire peace and reject violence.