Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America

by Michael Eric Dyson

Of course, the same astonishment and anger also greets those blacks who protest in the streets and are said to be disrespecting the police. The two are yoked: criticizing police brutality is said to be hating law enforcement. Sitting during the national anthem is said to be hating America. This sophomoric approach will remain a roadblock to genuine racial engagement until it is replaced by a deeper, more humane, more sophisticated understanding of the issue of race. The silence of white athletes must be challenged too. Prominent white athletes shouldn’t leave Kaepernick out on a limb by himself. Those who are socially aware should speak up and challenge the narrow perspectives and white privilege that protects them. They must at least be asked to do so. The unawake and deeply apolitical black athletes, and the ones who mimic the conservative values of the white mainstream, must be called out too. The best of our athletes have understood their responsibility to represent their people. They understood that their privileges meant nothing if others couldn’t enjoy them as well. They knew that if their kin and community were disrespected, it was only a matter of time before they were too. They could not justify remaining silent by making great sums of money and being embraced by the dominant culture while the masses of black people suffered. We have seen black athletes turning away from black suffering because they believed they were merely individuals, and not also part of a gr...