One day my friend Jim Moreland. asked me”What was the first thing you told John when you were teaching him to drive”? The request confused me because for the life of me I could not remember the first thing we discussed. I answered that I did not have the foggiest recollection. Jim responded “You would remember if you were a person of color. The first thing I told my son is that when you are stopped on the road by the police immediately put both hands high on the wheel and keep them there. “Dazed by his answer I asked why?” Because too many kids are shot because they did not heed that advice. “That seemed radical and without warrant to me, but through the years I have come to understand the wisdom of those words.
The situation in Missouri is a powder keg and is indicative of the huge divide that exists between the races. I am not to indict every cop or every kid of color because that type of residual learning gets us nowhere. Rather I realize that we need to have deep open conversations between the races on a host of issues. Each of us can begin by shelving our fears and resistance to dialogue by seeking others who are from different races or cultures.The hostility, hate and mistrust are not the only paths that are open to us.