Let’s Work to Heal

By Kimberly Harris, M.Ed.

Distinctive Voice Consulting

September 2023

“Why can’t we all just get along,” questioned Rodney King, after the Los Angeles riots in 1992. The riots erupted after the acquittal of four Los Angeles Police Department officers charged with usingexcessive force in the arrest and beating of Rodney King in March of 1991.

Fast forward to today in Montgomery, Alabama, at the Montgomery riverfront park on August 5, 2023 and we see a similar brutal beating of a uniformed Black riverboat worker by white boaters. The attack of the Black riverboat worker occurred because the worker asked several white owners of a pontoon boat to move their boat because it was parked in the spot where a larger commercial riverboat was scheduled to dock. Many folks posted video on social media of the riverboat employee talking to several people from the illegally parked pontoon explaining how it needed to be moved. One of the pontoon passengers grew tired of the request and hit the riverboat worker who was simply doing his job. What followed was an epic brawl that started when white pontoon boat passengers physically assaulted the Black riverboat worker, and ended with passengers from the docked riverboat coming to the rescue of the riverboat worker. The video can be seen here.

When I look at this incident from an equity, diversity and inclusion perspective, two resources come to mind: Common Patterns of Whites by Dr. Kathy Obear, shared by Dr. Robin DiAngelo, which can be found here, and White Supremacy Culture by Tema Okun which can be found here. Of the many patterns of behavior within the Dr. Obear framework, I see #11, whites resenting taking direction from a person of color, as a key issue here. From the Tema Okun construct, I see “fear” (white supremacy culture of instilling fear), as the tactic used in this incident.

In my curiosity to get more perspective concerning this event from someone I know who lives in Alabama, I reached out to a white associate who shared that she was embarrassed that her home state was associated with an episode like this one, that drew national attention. Then she said something that struck me as telling, even though she knew nothing of the incident until I raised it with her. My Alabama associate said that she thought the pontoon boat owners were not acting based on race, and that they were most likely from out of town. This response struck me as denial/defensiveness from the Okun framework, and #13 from the Obear framework, focus on their (whites’) “good intent” as whites, rather than on the negative impact of their behavior. Another thought that occurred to me from my associate’s comments of denial, is that even if these bad actors were from out of town, that would mean that they believed that their behavior was perfectly acceptable in Alabama. We now know that the pontoon boat passengers were locals.

As Americans, we will never heal from systemic and individual racism with denial. It is important for folks to acknowledge the truth of these interactions, call them what they are, and do the work to address the overlying and underlying issues of bias and racism. An update to this story by WSFA 12 in Montgomery Alabama which can be viewed here, indicated that police did not believe race to be a factor in this incident so defendants will not be charged with a hate crime. I find this decision laughable and question the motive, though I understand that eliminating the racial component of the incident is an attempt to mitigate the matter as suggested in the above-mentioned frameworks.

America needs a healing reckoning from its roots in racism, oppression, and marginalization of Black and Brown people. Healing from systemic and individual racism and bias requires honesty, self-reflection, and hard work. It requires education and conversation in a safe space and healing space. If you are interested in conversations about bias, equity, and inclusion in a safe and educational space, please contact me at DistinctiveVoiceConsulting@gmail.com or visit my website www.DistinctiveVoiceConsulting.com for training opportunities.

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