There are times that necessitate that this site reaches beyond the scope of blindness and technology because of issues that are greater than any accessibility challenge. This is one of those times.
I've been doing a lot more listening than talking lately. As a white male, I don't have a constant target on my head or the fear to go outside. It's so easy to think and believe that the freedoms that white Americans enjoy are analogous to those that black Americans do. But sadly in 2020, racism is a very real thing, and it goes far beyond the police. A black man in Livonia, a Detroit suburb, had the cops called on him because he was depositing a check. Someone called 911 because of a large group of black people gathered in a park in the Grand Rapids area -- it was a graduation party. These are recent events, not the 1960’s. Racism has been passed down through generations, through biased institutions, and through negative media portrayals, and it is just plain sickening. I don't have the solution, or the means to it, and frankly it's not my place to be the focus of that solution. But I know what the end result unequivocally needs to be: a country and world where racism is a term left to the history books and where the color of a person's skin is merely another physical characteristic to be proud of. To all of you, I stand with you. Let us talk, and learn, and mourn and grieve, and most importantly let's effect lasting change.
If you have resources or ideas to share, please send us a message. We are always happy to talk, whether about technology or issues far more important.
Category: NewsThank you for posting this. I could not agree more. I recommend all white people and even those of color, read White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo, available both on BARD and Bookshare.
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J.J. Meddaugh is an experienced technology writer and computer enthusiast. He is a graduate of Western Michigan University with a major in telecommunications management and a minor in business. When not writing for Blind Bargains, he enjoys travel, playing the keyboard, and meeting new people.
