Race Hate: How Many Incidents Equal a Trend?

In the weeks following Barack Obama's election, hateful racial incidents have surged. Some are more ominous than others, some with more impact, some just kinda stupid and annoying. Some examples: Idaho school kids chant "Assassinate Obama" on a school bus and school officials are slow to (barely) react.

"They just hadn't heard anything like this before," said Whoolery. "They were chanting on the bus, 'Assassinate Obama. Assassinate Obama.' Then adding in a name sometimes of a classmate on the bus, 'Assassinate Obama and Kate.'" The Whoolery's explained to their kids what assassinate means then contacted the school about what was happening. Source "I think the thing that struck us was just like, 'Where did they get the word and why would they put that word and that person together?'" said Whoolery.

Young white people (mostly young men) on Facebook post racial slurs and even assassination threats against President-elect Obama, and the young man of color who exposes them is threatened with account suspension. An excerpt from a soldier in uniform:

Taylor West wrote at 1:51am What do we do!?! The antichrist is in Office now!!! KILL OBAMA!!! I didnt get to vote out here, but I hate that Obama won. I dont want some dude with the name Hussein, as my president. He dont even stand up for the national anthem. I swear on everything hes a terrorists. Source: Honky Talk blog

And according to the Associated Press:

Four North Carolina State University students admitted writing anti-Obama comments in a tunnel designated for free speech expression, including one that said: "Let's shoot that (N-word) in the head." Obama has received more threats than any other president-elect, authorities say.

At Standish, Maine, a sign inside the Oak Hill General Store read: "Osama Obama Shotgun Pool." Customers could sign up to bet $1 on a date when Obama would be killed. "Stabbing, shooting, roadside bombs, they all count," the sign said. At the bottom of the marker board was written "Let's hope someone wins." Source

Howard Witt, of the Chicago Tribune, reports that Klan membership is up, and the Southern Poverty Law Center is alarmed while the FBI and Secret Service are investigating:

"We've seen everything from cross burnings on lawns of interracial couples to effigies of Obama hanging from nooses to unpleasant exchanges in schoolyards," said Mark Potok, director of the Intelligence Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center, based in Montgomery, Ala. "I think we're in a worrying situation right now, a perfect storm of conditions coming together that could easily favor the continued growth of these groups."

The FBI is investigating the recent Klan-related incidents to determine the extent of any possible conspiracies. And the Secret Service is monitoring the apparent sudden surge in hate incidents "to try to stay ahead of any emerging threats," according to spokesman Darrin Blackford in Washington. Source

It's that last graph above that caught my attention. It's good to know that the FBI and Secret Service are investigating any conspiracies or coordinated activity against our President-elect. I for one completely believe that Barack Obama will serve out the full term(s) of his presidency in good health. I am not worried and have pretty much read about these incidents with some head shaking and eye rolling in response. None of it surprises me.

But it occurred to me that ignoring these incidents won't make them go away. What will make them "go away" to some extent is for each of us committed to anti-racism to make it very clear to those around us that racist talk or actions will not be tolerated. Don't stand for it. And if you hear something threatening, call law enforcement and report it.

Obama campaigned on "Yes we can." We proved we could. Don't let it slip now. Stand up and speak out.