I want Bernie Sanders to talk about race

[Gregorian]

5. I'm going to take a leap here and say what I think Bernie is thinking.

And I don't mean to minimize what I also feel is seriously important.

I think Bernie's visions for a more civil society also affect other areas without actually addressing them. After all, it's pretty hard to change someone's mind by trying to change it. But to give people rights that make their lives better through more knowledge, dignity, and health will no doubt lend to a more accepting society. I say this because what we have seen, since forever, is a kind of bad competition. One person gets and another goes without.

Maybe my post is inappropriate in that the problems we see now require acute remedies. Cops getting away with slamming a pregnant African american woman to the ground under any circumstances is horrendous, but for no reason, is just criminal.

How else do we explain our behavior compared to that in the friendlier European countries? A lot of black musicians moved to Europe in previous decades. I know Billy Cobham did, along with numerous jazz players. I think the kind receptions they received there gave them a sense of home they didn't get here. I'm speculating on a lot of this, but just think this is so important that we have to include all thoughts.

Gil Scott Heron's tune Whitey On The Moon spoke volumes to me. It almost doesn't matter whether it's chicken or egg if the situation exists. I mean that even if we can't change the racist's mind, changing those who endure racism to have better lives will help part of the equation.

I think ignorance is at the heart of racism. I'll admit that after Vietnam my town was flooded with immigrants. I was finding myself harboring racist thoughts. I ended up with a job where I was working exclusively with Vietnamese. I got to hear the stories of death, and survival, and learned that there was something inside of each one of these people that had a story to tell. A story of vulnerability and fragility. And everyone has that story, no matter how tough they seem. We're really all in this together.

Better schools; better job opportunities; better health care. That's how this gets turned around. Just my rambling thoughts.