Racism affects every community, but every society must stand up to it.
By Dallas Morning News Editorial
Few things are more disturbing than a malicious attack on a person’s essence. That’s why a racist epithet spray-painted on the house of a top high school quarterback in Allen last month was both demoralizing and risky.
“WE DON’T NEED YOU HERE IN ALLEN [N-word]” was scrawled across the left side of the house’s white garage door in foot-tall black writing. Former NFL star Mike Hawkins Sr. reacted as a protective parent, informing The Dallas Morning News that he had removed his two boys from Allen schools.
Parents make decisions like this to safeguard their offspring. As Hawkins Sr. told the publication, “the first thing that comes to mind is getting your kids to safety.” You’re not thinking about sports or education. We didn’t labor this hard to get to this place, where you have to be afraid to walk out your door.
“Imagine having children, and every time they leave the house, your anxiety increases.”
He expresses deep truth. Such heinousness is an attack on humanity, and it calls for a zero-tolerance approach to racism, sexism, homophobia, and any other effort to intimidate another person. Police and prosecutors must hold the person or persons who spray-painted the garage door accountable for promoting hate.
However, the rest of us are also accountable for combating hatred in our societies. We’ve seen disturbing instances across the nation, from adolescent females singing the N-word in Southlake to minority students feeling marginalized and mistreated in several school districts. While it is easy to disregard such events as the actions of a few bad apples, it is also important to remember that bad apples can poison anything they come into contact with. Even if evil cannot always be controlled, it can be fiercely resisted. No community is exempt, but every community has a responsibility to minimize its effect.
Collin Packer, a member of Allen’s community involvement council, believes locals must work together to combat racism. People can’t just say, “This isn’t who we are,” he says. “We’re kidding ourselves if we just go on the defensive.”
A community, like a chain, is only as powerful as its weakest component and the willingness of people of goodwill to honour their neighbours’ rights, feelings, and well-being. The Allen community appears to be reacting with justified indignation and a determination to find out who is responsible for the garage door epithets. The next stage, and one that most communities must constantly question themselves, is how to maintain community cohesion and regard for others.