To the Editor:
Re “The Heartbeat of Racism Is Denial,” by Ibram X. Kendi (Sunday Review, Jan. 14):
The actor Sidney Poitier, who grew up in the Bahamas, remarked that only by coming to the United States did he begin to encounter racism. As a Virginia-born Southerner, I am sure that all Americans carry in our minds scars of racism.
Not long ago, in conversation with a good friend who happens to be black, we acknowledged to each other that we both had those scars. Who could escape them in the Jim Crow era in which both of us were raised? Check with anyone on the street who denies being a host to such scars, and I will have to suspect that he or she is not a native-born American.
A hopeful difference among us is that some of us, somehow back there, learned to fight the influence of racism in our upbringing. My allies in that fight were mostly some fellow members of the Christian Church, many of them spiritually akin to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As it says in the New Testament: “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” And one evidence of this truth is our common shares in the sins of racism.
The scars persist — in seminary presidents and presidents of the United States.
DONALD W. SHRIVER, NEW YORK
The writer is president emeritus of Union Theological Seminary.
To the Editor:
How sad that on a weekend when we celebrated the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, a peaceful black preacher who promoted unity and trust in our country, The New York Times afforded a black professor the opportunity to instead sow division and discord. To up the ante, Ibram X. Kendi specifically condemns as racists the American presidents Jefferson, Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Wilson, Lyndon B. Johnson, Nixon and Trump (low-hanging fruit).
Continue reading the main storyDismissing Jefferson’s “all men are created equal,” Mr. Kendi proclaims his own self-evident truth — that (presumably white) Americans are inherently racist and carry the stain of original sin in this regard. He asserts that any denial of this truth is a “beautiful delusion of self.” And like original sin, racism can be expunged only through the admission of guilt and the “heartbeat of confession.”
Let me be clear: I didn’t vote for Donald Trump and I am sickened by his racially tinged rhetoric and policies. But let me also assert I am not, nor will confess to being, a racist. Indeed I find Mr. Kendi’s presumption that I am a racist prejudicial and insulting.
I would suggest Mr. Kendi look into his own heart and read his article from the point of view of those Americans who choose to believe in, and aspire to live by, Dr. King’s optimism, nonviolent ideals and dream of a colorblind country. Perhaps Mr. Kendi will recognize that it is he who is in denial of his racism.
TONY VENEZIA, WHITE PLAINS
To the Editor:
The truth of Ibram X. Kendi’s take on racism in the United States is hard to swallow, but he is right. Even if you count yourself among those who despise racism, you reap the benefits of whiteness or the penalties of blackness, depending on the color of your skin. Until institutional racism, legislative racism, economic racism and social racism are dismantled, we are all still drinking at the same poisoned well.
Yet, I am hopeful because, day by day, according to Nicholas Kristof, the world is getting to be a better place. As President Trump displays the ugly underbelly of American culture, other nations, unencumbered by racism at every turn, are emerging as world leaders. In time, racism will no longer have a payoff for those who hold it dear, and we will move on to other preoccupations.
INGRID FURLONG
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.
To the Editor:
Ibram X. Kendi notes that Abraham Lincoln and Lyndon Johnson said racist things at various points in their lives. But the important thing is that both men overcame their earlier sentiments to eventually free the slaves (Lincoln) and sign comprehensive civil rights legislation that included protection of voting rights (Johnson). In both cases, these men decided that they loved the ideals “liberty and justice for all” with such conviction that they overcame their inner demons. Then they acted on their conviction. It is important what they did, not what they said.
NEIL CAREY, ANNANDALE, VA.
To the Editor:
Ibram X. Kendi did an incredibly succinct job of highlighting the disconnect between racist ideologies and the perpetrators of these ideologies who refuse to admit to participating in the first place. Senator Richard Durbin’s take on President Trump’s comments about Haiti and Africa as being “hate-filled, vile and racist” is well founded. As presidential scandal after scandal cycles through the news like clockwork, we are drawn to the conclusion that Mr. Trump is the worst thing to happen to the Oval Office in American history.
Granted, his presidency is definitely high on that scale. But when we take a step back and look in the greater context of American politics, we see a troubling trend. As Mr. Kendi reminds us, eight presidents owned slaves while in office. Lyndon B. Johnson said the N-word repeatedly, and even Abraham Lincoln was guilty of bigotry. Racism, and repeated denial of such beliefs, have been an integral part of our government since its founding, as much as we might try to deny it.
EMILY GETNER, CHICAGO
To the Editor:
As a cultural anthropologist and educator, I accept the premise that ethnocentrism and racism are universal human traits. Given this, it is simply natural that at one level all of us are racists and all of us have certain innate tribal tendencies. However, at the same time human beings have the capacity to understand that skin color is not a legitimate or even practical means of measuring or comparing individual human worth, character or potential. This assumption lies at the heart of modern democracy, the American Constitution and an efficient global economy.
If indeed at one level all of us are born with racist tendencies, feeling a natural preference for those who look like us, then what does it mean to be called a “racist”? Unfortunately, it is a descriptor that has been used so often in recent years that it has lost its meaning. The fact is there is a condition in some Americans, including our president, that runs much deeper than simple “racism,” a condition that causes them to debase people of color with impunity. It makes individuals seem oblivious to the regressive nature and sheer cruelty of their actions.
Yes, this is racism, but also something much more serious. It is what I would call “pathobigotry,” a mental condition born of one’s own feelings of inadequacy that drives one to degrade and consciously discriminate against others who are different as a means of bolstering one’s own sense of self-worth.
I think it is time we start calling Donald Trump what he is. A racist, yes, but more seriously a “pathobigot.” He needs help.
KENDALL BLANCHARD
LENEXA, KAN.
The writer is a former president of Georgia Southwestern State University.
To the Editor:
Re “No One Is Coming to Save Us From Trump’s Racism” (Op-Ed, Jan. 13):
Roxane Gay aptly urges us to “sit with” this moment of “sorrow, distress, and humiliation” rather than trying to get past it. She emphasizes that President Trump’s recent racist comments reflect the racism that has always been present and that even well-meaning attempts to overcome this racism will likely not be effective while Mr. Trump remains president. She is emphasizing the need for us to be self-reflective about the existence of racism.
And Ibram X. Kendi passionately argues that we in America are in denial about the racism that exists in our country.
We would do well to heed the thoughtful comments of both Ms. Gay and Mr. Kendi. We must all, individually and collectively, confront our racism as a first step in overcoming the social injustice and inequality in America. And beware the person who describes himself as “the least racist person you will ever interview.”
ELLEN OLSHANSKY
IRVINE, CALIF.