The Appalling Silence

When I set out to write Unwritten Truce, I wanted to share a personal story of my family’s journey into the middle class. I wanted to share with the world my own personal dealings and triumphs over racism. The more I dug into my personal history the more I realized that my families story is emblematic of millions of Black Americans’ journey through Jim Crow and in this regard a quintessential American tale. Racism has shaped this nation since before it was a nation and continues to influence our present and future. The problem is that half of the country does not wish to acknowledge this reality, nor do they wish to discuss it.

If you are an ethnic minority it is difficult to describe the hurt and anguish one experiences as a consequence of racial discrimination, nor is it possible to convey the seemingly inescapable reach that race plays in our lives. There comes a moment in every person of color’s life when they realize that American society views them differently; a lower value is assigned to their life and experiences because of the pigmentation in their skin. I call this the “Awakening Moment”. Mine occurred when I was eight years old. While waiting with my mother for a connecting flight, I was perusing in an Atlanta International Airport gift shop. I chanced upon something I had never seen before, a Confederate Patrol Cap, it was made of cool grey felt, emblazoned with the Stars and Bars Flag. It was perched next to the U.S. Patrol Cap, but because it was novel I choose it to put on my head. Up until that point, my mother had been giving me a little more latitude to tacitly push boundaries. She firmly removed the hat and gave me a book. I didn’t know what I had done, but I knew I had breached some protocol or social norm. When we returned home I asked her why she took the hat off my head and she explained to me it had belonged to a group of men who wanted to keep Black Americans enslaved.

My mom didn’t have to explain any further. I felt a sudden, sharp sense of shame from learning that I descended from a formerly enslaved people, and I was horrified and angered at the thought of participating in my own denigration. I was certain everyone who saw me got quite a chuckle out of my naivety. My youngest daughter’s awakening moment came when she was only four. While riding home from childcare while we were stationed in Germany, strapped in her car seat she blurted out, “Daddy, why are we not White?” “I want to be White”. What could cause a four year old child, the daughter of a Major in the U.S. Army, to question her identity and conclude it wasn’t good enough? Children of color lose a bit of innocence when they are confronted with the legacy of a society steeped in racial inequality. It wasn’t until I reached college that I learned to be proud of the contributions of my enslaved ancestors who were hearty of enough to survive the middle passage, and courageous enough to believe in a country that didn’t always believe in them.

This is part of the baggage of America’s heritage of white supremacy, yet too many Americans are content with the status quo and only become moved to action when the racial inequity that still pervades our society becomes unavoidable; such was the case in George Floyd’s murder or when Travis and Randy McMichael stood trial for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. Both murders were captured on video for the world to see, yet the entire nation watched in suspense to hear the outcome of both trials. We honestly didn’t know what the verdict would be for the depraved murders of two unarmed Black men at the hands of White assailants caught on video. We were in suspense because America has historically permitted this type of violence to be visited upon Black body’s without consequence.

For all of the changes America has made (progress) we have never dismantled the system of white supremacy this nation was established upon. Many White Americans believe to destroy this belief-system would be to fundamentally change the country in a manner they deem to be “unacceptable”. I believe this is why 55% of White Americans voted for Donald Trump in 2020 and why 90% of Black Americans voted against Donald Trump in 2020.[1] 63 % of Hispanic Americans voted against Trump and 70% of Asian Americans voted against Donald Trump in 2020. Trump has made it clear that he does not believe in racial equality through his call to White Nationalists and White Supremacists groups like the Proud Boys prior to the January 6 Capitol Insurrection “Stand back and standby.” Trump’s Executive Order banning diversity training in the federal government, and his veto of a bipartisan bill to rename military bases named for Confederates underscore his beliefs.

One cannot continue to support Donald Trump or the present day National Republican Party and claim to be ignorant of their bigotry, and misogyny or the Republican party’s platform to preserve racial inequality by not allowing the teaching of history that illuminates America’s racist past.

“Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past… The past is whatever the records and the memories agree upon. And since the Party is in full control of all records, and in equally full control of the minds of its members, it follows that the past is whatever the Party chooses to make it. ”- George Orwell, 1949.

This quote from the classic fiction novel, 1984 is the essence of America’s current battle over what can be taught in schools. Twenty-nine states have introduced bills or taken other steps that would restrict teaching critical race theory or limit how teachers can discuss racism and sexism, according to an Education Week analysis. Thirteen states have enacted these bans, either through legislation or other avenues.[2]

From Black American's perspective the sum total of our experience on North American soil can be summed up by our collective efforts to achieve self determination and equality. Everything from the struggle to end slavery, the Civil War reconstruction, the Great Migrations of the early 20th Century, and the Civil Rights struggles of the 1960s were all attempts to end oppression and achieve equality. Delegates from all 13 colonies fiercely debated the issue of slavery during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 before agreeing on a compromise which permitted for the Transatlantic Slave Trade for another 20 years before it would become outlawed.

To appease Southerners, Article I Section 9 of the Constitution was created which states “Congress could not prohibit the "importation" of persons prior to 1808.”[3]?To ensure this rule would stand, Article I Section 10 states, Section 9 could not be amended or repealed until 1808. This is but some of the history that the Republican Party has engaged in a national campaign to prevent from being taught in public schools. Republicans do not want this history taught for the same reason alcoholics don’t want to talk about their drinking problem, for to acknowledge it requires change.

A number of former military officers like myself have come forward to speak out against Republican’s unmitigated assault on American Democracy. Brigadier General Steven Anderson (Retired), a self-described conservative Republican, and two other retired generals, Major General Antonio Taguba, and Major General Paul Eaton wrote a scathing Op-Ed on the possibility of a military coupe if leaders of the January 6 insurrection are not held to account. Anderson stated that he took an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that never in his 31 years of uniformed service did he ever belief it was remotely possible that he would have to defend the Constitution against a domestic threat fomented by a defeated former President, Donald Trump.[4] For those who have not served our nation in uniform I can tell you that the oath we take to defend the Constitution is enduring. It is the seed-corn of the pride we feel defending our belief system abroad with our lives if necessary. The cornerstone of the Constitution is the specified belief in equality that we have yet to achieve, but until now have collectively pushed forward to become a more perfect union. These leaders concerns should give us all cause for great concern. Are we willing to set aside our widely held democratic beliefs and embrace an authoritarian, minoritarian rule because we fear a changing society?

These are the same concerns that prompted me to write an August 2020 essay entitled, Get off my Page. I gave a stern rebuke to my Trump supporting friends because like many, I could see the impending doom and the calamity of the January 6 Insurrection unfolding in slow motion. I challenged my Trump supporting friends to examine our friendship and the deleterious effects Donald Trump was having on our society and prioritize our relationship accordingly. My intent was not to end life-long friendships, but to shake people to their senses, and facilitate a discussion on why so many of my White friends still supported Donald Trump. I was vindicated but I still failed as many of my Republican leaning friends are still embracing Donald Trump and the GOP’s racist tactics designed simply to maintain power. During this year’s Black History Month I am reaching back out to them in hopes to better understand their support of this malfeasance.

I believe in the goodness of people and I know the overwhelming majority of Americans are not racist. Yet as a nation we lack the moral courage to confront issues of racial inequality in a meaningful and transformative manner. Racism breaks down at the personal level. That’s why this year during Black History Month I want to facilitate a dialogue on White grievance. I want to understand why 86% of Republican voters supported the Republican Presidential Candidate based on a perceived amount of “anti-white discrimination” based on an August 10, 2021 FiveThirtyEight Poll.[5]

While I believe in the goodness of people and I believe that most people individually are not racist, I also believe that groups of people and institutions possess the capacity to be virulently racist the same way most individuals are nonviolent, but mobs of people are capable of unspeakable violence. I have personally been touched by people who don’t look like me who have helped me through extraordinary acts of compassion and grace because they knew I was a worthy of their support. Institutional racism is impersonal, it is the sum of individual acts of prejudice compounded overtime, combined with system of rules and policies that give legal authority to discriminatory practices. Over time discriminatory practices become precedents and norms that stifle progress.

My Black History Month Challenge is for everyone tagged to reach out to a friend who doesn’t look like you and ask them: “How are you doing? How has the pandemic impacted your life? Has your life or that of your children ever been affected by race? Do you belief greater changes in our society are needed to make America more racially equitable? Then come back and share your experiences with me. If you want to go for the gold star go see the documentary, “Who We Are”, encourage a friend who doesn’t look like you to watch the film, then tell us about your collective takeaways from the movie. You can inbox me with your results or post it under this article. This is what legitimate political discourse looks like. As Dr. King said, [paraphrasing] If the moderates fail to act now, history will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.- Dr. Martin Luther King, 1958

Happy Black History Month everybody!

Troy Mosley is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and author of The Armed Forces and American Social Change: An Unwritten Truce.?

[1] NPR Staff (2021, May 21). Understanding the 2020 Electorate: AP VoteCast Survey. National Public Radio (NPR). https://www.npr.org/2020/11/03/929478378/understanding-the-2020-electorate-ap-votecast-survey.?

[2] Map: Where Critical Race Theory Is Under Attack (2021, June 11). Education Week. Retrieved Month Day, Year from https://www.edweek.org/leadership/map-where-critical-race-theory-is-under-attack/2021/06

[3] Educator Resources (2022, January 7). Teaching with Documents, The Slave Trade. National Archives. https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/slave-trade.html#toc-the-act-prohibiting-the-importation-of-slaves-1808.

[4] Eaton, Paul; Taguba, Antonio, Anderson, Steven. (2021, December 17). 3 Retired Generals: The Military Must Prepare Now for a 2024 Insurrection. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/12/17/eaton-taguba-anderson-generals-military/

[5] Tesler, Michael. (2021, August 10). How the Rise of White Identity Politics Explains the Rise of Critical Race Theory. FiveThirtyEight. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-the-rise-of-white-identity-politics-explains-the-fight-over-critical-race-theory/