As recently as 100 years ago, white people in America committed diabolically criminal acts — and still do — against humanity in general, and against people of colour in particular, routinely.
Often, on mere whims, white men, women and even children, raped, tortured, castrated, boiled in oil, set afire, enslaved, lynched and performed every manner of the most vile forms of murder one can image on African men, women and children.
This isn't just another diatribe against the world's white population; on the contrary. I simply need the reader to conjure up true images of the past and present, as those images relate to crime in America. The heinous acts catalogued above, I think, will help to make my point more clear.
To moderate a bit, and note a more contemporary catalogue, let's consider Liz Taylor. After she fell victim to illegal drug use, she walked out of an elite drug rehabilitation clinic and announced that she was cured. Oprah Winfrey, Geraldo and Donahue — talk show hosts of international fame, of African, Puerto Rican and Irish ancestry, respectively — praised her, and the world forgave her, as do I. She was introduced on one of those talk shows as "that courageous woman who took back the control of her life". Ms Taylor's perfume, Obsession, sells like an elixir dipped straight from the Fountain of Youth! She has been forgiven, indeed — as sales soar.
Not to speak ill of the dead, but in truth, I must note that Elvis Presley was also an illicit drug user. Moreover, it is common knowledge he maintained an illegal penchant for young girls under the age of legal consent. All that has long since been forgiven, and in my opinion rightly so. Recently, the United States Postal Service commissioned a commemorative stamp to honour him. So we know he is highly thought of, despite the racist remarks he made about people of colour, 35 years ago.
Speaking of racist rhetoric, let's not forget the late movie star John Wayne, who, in an off-camera interview, when asked what he thought of people of colour, replied, "I believe in white supremacy until blacks are educated to a point of responsibility (sic)." (source: Peter's Quotations, Bantam Books). Despite his clearly racist and sexist attitude, Wayne, even in death, is "the great American hero" to most of the people in the world. While Wayne was never "hero" material to me, I forgave him his racist ignorance long before he died. I, too, have done ignorant things and entertained more than a few equally ignorant notions in my life. Not being able to forgive Wayne would have been very hypocritical of me.
What's the connection between Taylor, Presley, Wayne and slavers of the past? The answers are many, but let's just focus on the following common traits: (a) white skin, (b) varying degrees of criminal activity and (c) US citizenship. Most of the world has forgiven them their fallibilities.
It would seem that the majority of North Americans, and much of the so-called "civilised world" as well, forgave/forgive the dead and living perpetrators of large and small crimes against society and humanity as long as the perpetrators were/are white. I don't have a problem with forgiveness; in fact I hope this column promotes more of it. However, I do have a problem with selective forgiveness — the kind that forgives one group of people, but not another group, even though there is the same kind of criminal activity cited in both groups.
I understand the mechanics of forgiveness. I also know that once one musters the courage to forgive others, one can see him or herself in those others' failings. Once you do that, you can begin to forgive yourself in earnest, not only for your own fallibilities, but also for your inability to forgive your fellow men, women and children theirs, past or present.
Why, then, are Americans — most Americans, no matter their race or cultural background — so unwilling to forgive African-American males' past criminal behaviour?
That question is most poignantly asked when so many men of colour, myself included, have long since vowed never to engage in criminal activity again. Alas, by and large, even America's people of colour have demonstrated an inability to forgive us. This is especially true with much of America's so-called "Christian" population, no matter what denomination or race.
Like most men of colour in, or just recently out of, prison, I don't have Liz's fame or perfume sales to impress and woo people with. I don't sing like Elvis. I have no white skin, nor have many of us been movie stars — and surely none of us have ever been slave holders.
So what's it going to take to get Americans, in general, and African-Americans in particular, to forgive us — the way they have forgiven so many others, past and present?
If 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly readers have ideas or suggestions that they feel might help to promote the forgiveness sought, and are willing to share those ideas and suggestions or, if you just want to share your forgiveness, please let me hear from you.
I've never taken a life, but I've done some wrong in my time. Mere words cannot begin to describe the constant sorrow and remorse I live in, for my recognition of the wrong I've done, not only to others, but to myself as well.
Like so many others, I have, at long last, forgiven myself; it wasn't easy. Please try to forgive us/me. Are we any less deserving of your forgiveness than a slave master from the past or movie/rock and roll stars of today?
[The writer is a prisoner on death row in the United States. He is happy to receive letters commenting on his columns. He can be written to at: Brandon Astor Jones, EF-122216, G2-51, GD&CC, PO Box 3877, Jackson, GA 30233, USA.]