The Enjoyment of Racial and Ethnic Profiling

I did a whole lot of racial and ethnic profiling this past Saturday morning and into the early afternoon.  Sorry, but I just couldn’t help it.  Casually noticing just how different people can look and also move about is such a natural thing whenever I attend the International Institute’s Festival of Nations, held at Tower Grove Park.  

In fact, even before the Festival had begun, I noticed just how dark the skin was of my new friend Grace with whom I traipsed through the park for the next few hours.  Despite being white (not sure of her ethnic background), Grace was at least three shades darker than me and also darker than a good percentage of black Americans we came across.  I later learned that it is from her countless hours by the pool.

Grace had recently returned from a lengthy trip to Kenya.  So, she was not only eager to fill me in on some of her experiences there, but she also did so to a fair-skinned white woman and a very beautiful dark-skinned black woman at the Kenya booth in the World Bazaar section of the Festival.  Later, Grace also just happened to have an even darker-skinned young man stand next to us at the Main Stage entertainment venue.  He sported an olive green t-shirt with the word ‘Kenya’ printed upon it.  It was another chance for Grace to share her stories.

I’m not sure what country was represented by the middle-aged black man who introduced the first performing groups there.  He could have been born in the United States for all we knew.  Anyway, he said he was affiliated with such events for more than 20 years, and was just as equally enthusiastic about giving praise to the very young to the 20's set of dancers who performed from India and Scotland as he was for the West African group.

I enjoyed that part of my racial profiling experience because all too often people seem to gravitate toward and give special treatment to those of their own perceived kind.  Actually, I notice that far more today regarding the Mainstream Media.  In general, people seem to treat each other far better as individuals when they are left free to explore and educate themselves aside from any overt indoctrination.  After all, we are all a product of our life’s experiences.

Let’s see.  I grew up Jewish in a predominately Jewish Olivette neighborhood on the poor side of Olive from Price Road.  One of my grandfathers was from Lithuania, the other from somewhere in Russia, and one of my two grandmothers was from Austria.  So, I could legitimately use the hyphen to label myself European-American.  But I don’t.  I also never refer to any black person as an African-American, or Asians and Hispanics born here as Asian-Americans, Hispanic-Americans or the like.  We are all just Americans.

Growing up, I knew absolutely no prejudice.  But the truth be known, I don’t recall knowing anyone other than white people.  There were no blacks, Asians, Arabs, Hispanics or any other ethnic group in my neighborhood or school.  So, I knew very little about them and especially black Americans other than the fact that the vast majority of them were far from being treated as fairly as white Americans.  In fact, I recall only one black student in my high school and one of my friends was of Lebanese ancestry.

I did learn a lot more about racism from interviewing Eric Vickers for an April 1990 Limelight Magazine article.  Vickers was the attorney for former East St. Louis Mayor Carl Officer.  I interviewed him the afternoon after he stepped out of jail following his arrest for participation in his St. Louis Minority Contractors Association’s blocking the entrance to a north St. Louis work site regarding lack of minority hiring in building the TWA Dome.  Well before that, Vickers’ family had their windows broken and black paint thrown through them upon their move to University City in 1967.  That was just the tip of the iceberg.  

In those years, race made no difference to me because I was a huge music fan and followed all four major sports religiously since I was eight years old.  Obviously, I noticed varying skin colors.  How can you not???

My favorite St. Louis Cardinals player was center fielder Curt Flood.  

Not only was I flabbergasted by his amazing leaping catches like the one way up into Wrigley Field’s ivy that appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, but I also admired the humble way he conducted himself on and off the field.  That’s why other favorite athletes included Willie McGee and San Francisco 49ers Hall-of-Fame receiver Jerry Rice.  I also loved Bob Gibson, and still wear my Lou Brock t-shirt to every Cardinals game I attend. 

Locally, I loved our St. Louis Hawks, who were led by the likes of black players Lenny Wilkens, Zelmo Beatty, Bill Bridges, “Jumpin’” Joe Caldwell and Paul Silas.  For the football Cardinals, my very favorites included Mel Gray, Ottis Anderson and Terry Metcalf.

Since then, considerably fewer blacks have decided to make a career of baseball.  But who doesn’t love some of the other non-whites that have come along?  Japan’s So Taguchi was a fan favorite here among so many other Asian players, and that is since the explosion of Hispanic players. 

Bench player and subsequent coach Jose Oquendo has been one of our favorites, Albert Pujols was an icon here for more than a decade and we all love Yadier Molina, right?  

In music, it was Motown by a wide margin over everything else.  I still love listening to the Temptations, Four Tops, the Shirelles, Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson, Mary Wells, etc.  In fact, I still have a copy of the high school paper for which I wrote a glowing article defending Stevie Wonder after he was attacked by another student.  

Ironically, this is the week that commemorates the 50^th anniversary of The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech.  King LIVED his life for civil rights for all Americans without any race-baiting techniques, unlike some of today’s media characters who have the title ‘Reverend’ in their names.  

  Another King, who died in the 1960s, is my all-time favorite male singer.  That would be Nat King Cole.  

I guess the point I’m making with all this is that we can live together in harmony if we remember that we were all Created to love and help one another.  We can cheer for one another in musical, athletic performances and the like…even if we DO innocently racially profile one another and see that we have a different skin color or ethnic face.

 I like to view each person as an individual and think that each of us not only has an incredible human potential, but we are also personally responsible for how we treat one another in all areas of life.  That includes the flawed thinking of making up one’s mind ahead of time recording any legal matters, including pending court cases.

There is also absolutely no excuse for purposely causing harm to anyone’s person or property based on race, ethnicity, etc.   We will also only survive as a nation and a human race if each of us also raises our own children with that mentality…regardless of race, gender, ethnic origin, etc.