Benjamin Todd Jealous, who led the NAACP from 2008-12, spoke at Pruis Hall Jan. 20. His presentation, “The Origins and Consequences of Race in America,” was part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Speaker Series.
Jealous commented on what he considers the truths about race. This included regarding race as a social construct, realizing it is older and bigger than we think, and most of all, realizing that racism “puts us all at risk.”
The CEO turned venture capitalist and author recalled multiple events throughout history to back up his views, including one he personally experienced.
Jealous lived in Washington, D.C., during the 2002 Beltway sniper attacks and explained how the police had been looking for suspects who were “antisocial, military-trained, traveling alone or in small group, male and white.” The attacks were a series of coordinated shootings that went on for three weeks, during which ten people were killed and three injured.
“It got frustrating. This is not a way to live in the land of the free,” Jealous said.
The actual perpetrators were black, and had been stopped by police nine times without being searched. This was because they were looking for entirely different people, based on preconceived notions.
Other preconceived notions include the idea of race itself, Jealous explained. Race, he said, is a lie.
“If common sense hadn’t taught us...mapping of the human genome taught us,” Jealous said.
But it is something that is now prevalent in society, and people take notice. Jealous noted how when he says the word “colored,” as in the NAACP, people probably first think of black.
“People say, ‘Why don’t you modernize the name?’ We’ve already changed our name… apparently you don’t know what colored means,” Jealous said. “During segregation, there were whites, and there were colors. The NAACP respectfully changed its name for that very purpose.”
Moving forward, Jealous is aiming to overcome the legacy of racism. This includes legislation changes, and also a general change in mindset.
"We have to start by shifting how we think. We need to get to anti-profiling legislation and legislation against use of force," Jealous said.
Jealous also urged people to think of the children of America as all of their children. He told the audience to stop fearing someone else's child and allowing the fear to "trump the love of our own."
"Every child is our child, whether they have citizenship or not," Jealous said. "This is the land of the free because we are the home of the brave."
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