You can’t judge a book by its cover, and you never know who might be an unexpected ally to the cause of racial equality.
Just ask Richard Watkins. This 72-year-old loves to share his opinions about Black people and race relations in America, which are all imbued with deep-rooted racism, but that doesn’t stop him from using the term “African American” without fail.
“I have extreme respect for African Americans,” said Watkins, who is going to say something bad soon. “I always favored integration since I can remember, even in pools!”
“Of course, my family only swam at the country club, so it’s not like it would be an issue there,” Watkins added.
Though everyone becomes nervous when Watkins segues into discussing race, his white family and almost exclusively white company get some relief when they hear those two slightly-out-of-favor but much-more-acceptable-than-some words: African American.
“When Grandpa starts talking it’s like, ‘Oh no, here it comes,’” says Watkins’ granddaughter, Saskia Watkins. “But then he says African Americans and it’s like, okay seriously guys, he’s trying his best, give him a break. Kind of like Biden!”
Watkins has long enjoyed the supportive complacency of younger white people while he traverses the murky waters of thinly veiled anti-Blackness.
“I do worry for African Americans,” said Watkins thoughtfully. “Especially the young men. I hear their ‘music’ on the radio and it’s so violent. It’s no wonder there are such problems in blacks’ communities.”
“I mean, African Americans,” Watkins added.
Who said old white men can’t learn one thing and then stop taking in any new information that could potentially alter their racist misconceptions of the world!
Though Watkins has his fair share of concerns about the state of Black people in America and what they might do to fix it, he manages to remain optimistic.
“The club actually recently gained an African American family,” Watkins says. “I think it’s great.”
The Barraults, who are Haitian-American, declined to comment.
