I had no idea that he is black, either. I suppose that's because there's no
way you can tell it from listening to him speak.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Roger Loran Bailey
(Redacted sender "rogerbailey81" for DMARC)
Sent: Sunday, June 28, 2020 8:10 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx; Roger Loran Bailey (Redacted sender
rogerbailey81 for DMARC) <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Reflections On the Color of My Skin
I just learned something. Being a science buff I regularly listen to Neil
deGrasse Tyson on podcasts and I have read books to which he has contributed.
He is a very familiar personality to me and I find his talks about cosmology
fascinating. Sometimes I turn on the science channel, especially on Monday
nights and catch up with what is going on in astrophysics and he is very often
a contributor to those shows too.
But this is the first time I ever knew that he was a Black guy.
___
Carl Sagan
“Every aspect of Nature reveals a deep mystery and touches our sense of wonder
and awe. Those afraid of the universe as it really is, those who pretend to
nonexistent knowledge and envision a Cosmos centered on human beings will
prefer the fleeting comforts of superstition. They avoid rather than confront
the world. But those with the courage to explore the weave and structure of the
Cosmos, even where it differs profoundly from their wishes and prejudices, will
penetrate its deepest mysteries.”
― Carl Sagan, Cosmos
On 6/28/2020 8:00 PM, Roger Loran Bailey (Redacted sender rogerbailey81 for
DMARC) wrote:
https://m.facebook.com/notes/neil-degrasse-tyson/reflections-on-the-co
lor-of-my-skin/10158481422496613/
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Reflections On the Color of My Skin
JUNE 6 · PUBLIC
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
At a Physics conference I attended long ago, while sipping wine left
over from the final dinner, a dozen of us peeled off and started
arguing about fun, geeky things. Why does Superman need a cape? And
why do cans of Diet Pepsi float while cans of regular Pepsi sink? And
how would the Star Trek transporter actually work? As the evening
progressed, just after a discussion of momentum transfer in car
accidents, one of us mentioned a time when the police stopped him
while driving. The officer ordered him from his sports car and
conducted a thorough search of his body, the car’s cabin, and the
trunk before sending him on his way with a hefty ticket. The charge
for stopping him? Driving twenty miles per hour over the local speed
limit. Try as we did, we could not muster sympathy for his case.
My colleague had other encounters with the law that he shared later
that night, but his first story started a chain reaction among us.
One by one we each recalled multiple incidents of being stopped by the
police. None of the accounts were particularly violent or
life-threatening, although it was easy to extrapolate to highly
publicized cases that were. One of my colleagues had been stopped for
driving too slowly. He was admiring the local flora as he drove
through a New England town in the autumn. Another had been stopped
because he was speeding, but only by five miles per hour. He was
questioned and then released without getting a ticket. Still another
colleague had been stopped and questioned for jogging down the street
late at night.
As for me, I had a dozen different encounters to draw from. There was
the time I was stopped late at night at an underpass on an empty road
in New Jersey for having changed lanes without signaling. The officer
told me to get out of my car and questioned me for ten minutes around
back with the headlights of his squad car brightly illuminating my
face. Is this your car? Yes. Who is the woman in the passenger
seat? My wife. Where are you coming from? My parent’s house. Where
are you going? Home. What do you do for a living? I am an
astrophysicist at Princeton University. What’s in your trunk? A
spare tire, and a lot of other greasy junk. He went on to say that
the “real reason” why he stopped me was because my car’s license
plates were much newer and shinier than the 17-year old Ford that I
was driving. The officer was just making sure that neither the car
nor the plates were stolen.
Among my other stories, I had been stopped by campus police while
transporting my home supply of physics textbooks into my newly
assigned office in graduate school. They had stopped me at the
entrance to the physics building where they asked accusatory questions
about what I was doing. It was 11:30 pm. Open-topped boxes of
graduate math and physics textbooks filled the trunk. And I was
transporting them into the building, which left me wondering how often
that scenario shows up in police training videos.
We went on for two more hours. But before we retired for the night we
searched for common denominators among the stories. We had all driven
different cars—some were old, others were new, some were
undistinguished, others were high performance imports. Some police
stops were in the daytime, others were at night. Taken one-by-one,
each encounter with the law could be explained as an isolated incident
where, in modern times, we all must forfeit some freedoms to ensure a
safer society for us all. Taken collectively, however, you would
think the cops had a vendetta against physicists because that was the
only profile we all had in common. In this parade of automotive
stop-and-frisks, one thing was for sure, the stories were not
singular, novel moments playfully recounted. They were common,
recurring episodes. How could this assembly of highly educated
scientists, each in possession of the PhD — the highest academic
degree in the land — be so vulnerable to police inquiry in their
lives? Maybe the police cued on something else. Maybe it was the
color of our skin. The conference I had been attending was the 23rd
meeting of the National Society of Black Physicists. We were guilty
not of DWI (Driving While Intoxicated), but of other violations none
of us knew were on the books: DWB (Driving While Black), WWB (Walking
While Black), and of course, JBB (Just Being Black).
None of us were beaten senseless. None of us were shot. But what does
it take for a police encounter to turn lethal? On average, police in
America kill more than 100 unarmed Black people per year. Who never
made it to our circle? I suspect our multi-hour conversation would be
rare among most groups of law-abiding people.
As I compose this, about 10,000 chanting protestors are filing past my
window in Manhattan. And because of the intermittent looting and
related violence, the curfew for this evening has been pushed earlier,
to 8pm, from 11pm in the preceding days. The most common placard was
“Black Lives Matter”. Many others simply displayed the name George
Floyd, who was handcuffed face-down on the street with a police
officer’s knee on the back of his neck, applied with a force of top to
half the officer’s body weight, resulting in his death. Curious irony
that NFL star Colin Kaepernick offered a simple demonstration of care
and concern for the fate of Black people in the custody of police
officers. He simply took a knee during the Star Spangled Banner
before football games. (One media outlet mangled the moment by
describing him as protesting the national anthem itself.) The outrage
against his silent act of concern for a national problem persisted
through the 2017 season when, as a free agent, he went unsigned by any
team to continue his livelihood.
So, we went from a peaceful knee on the ground to a fatal knee on the
neck.
The way peaceful protesters and the press are being shoved, maced,
tear-gassed, pepper-sprayed, and tackled in the streets of our cities
(when the police should really focus on arresting the looters) you
would think the protestors were doing something illegal or
un-American. But of course, the US Constitution has something to say
about it:
Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom … of the press; or
the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the
government for a redress of grievances.
Which amendment was that? The First Amendment. So, the founders of
this nation felt quite strongly about it. As such, protesting for
redress of grievances is one of the most American things you can do.
If you are the police, pause and reflect how great is the country
whose Constitution endorses peaceful protests.
What do we actually expect from our police officers? To protect the
peace and arrest the bad guys, I presume. But also, to be armed with
lethal force that they can use when necessary. That part clearly
requires training on how and when to use (and not use) the power of
your weapons. The rigorous Minneapolis Police Academy training lasts 4
months. The slightly more rigorous NYC Police Academy lasts 6 months.
Yet to become a certified pastry chef at a prestigious culinary
academy requires 8 months. The perfect croissant needs it. So maybe,
just maybe, police recruits could benefit from a bit more training
before becoming officers.
In 1991, Rodney King (age 25) was struck dozens of times, while on the
ground, by four LAPD officers, with their batons, after being tased.
The grainy 1990s video of the incident went media-viral, inducing
shock and dismay to any viewer.
But I wasn’t shocked at all.
Based on what I already knew of the world, my first thought was, “We
finally got one of those on tape.” Followed by, “Maybe justice will
be served this time.” Yes, that’s precisely my first thought. Why?
Since childhood my parents instilled in me and my siblings, via
monthly, sometimes weekly lessons, rules of conduct to avoid getting
shot by the Police. “Make sure that when you get stopped, the officer
can always see both of your hands.” “No sudden movements.” “Don’t
reach into your pockets for anything without announcing this in
advance”. “When you move at all, tell the officer what you are about
to do.” At the time, I am a budding scientist in middle school, just
trying to learn all I can about the universe. I hardly ever think
about the color of my skin. It never comes up when contemplating the
cosmos. Yet when I exit my front door, I’m a crime suspect. Add to
this the recently coined “White Caller Crime,” where scared White
people call the police because they think an innocent Black person is
doing something non-innocent, and it’s a marvel that any of us achieve
at all.
The rate of abuse? Between one and five skin-color-instigated
incidents per week, for every week of my life. White people must have
known explicitly if not implicitly of this struggle. Why else would
the infamous phrase, “I’m free, White, and 21” even exist? Here is a
compilation of that line used in films across the decades. Yes, it’s
offensive. But in America, it’s also truthful. Today’s often-denied
“White privilege” accusation was, back then, often-declared.
The deadly LA riots associated with the Rodney King incident are often
remembered as a response to the beating. But no. Los Angeles was
quiet for 13 months afterward. Everyone had confidence, as did I, that
the video was just the kind of evidence needed to finally bring about
a conviction in the abuse of power. But that’s not what came to pass.
The riots were a response to the acquittal of the four officers in the
incident, and not to the incident itself. And what is a riot if not
the last act of helpless desperation.
The 1989 film by Spike Lee “Do the Right Thing”, which explored 1980s
Black-White-police tensions in Brooklyn, New York, ends with a
dedication to the families of six people. Eleanor Bumpers (age 66),
Michael Griffith (age 23), Arthur Miller (age 30), Edmund Perry (age
17), Yvonne Smallwood (age 28), and Michael Stewart (age 25). All are
Black. One was killed by a White mob. The rest were unarmed and shot
by police or otherwise died while in police custody. All deaths
occurred within the 10 years preceding film, and all occurred in New
York City. None of the police-induced deaths resulted in convictions,
as continues to be true for 99% of all police killings.
We know of these events because they each ended in death. But even so,
back then it was only local news. Was this just NYC’s problem? I asked
myself. I also wondered, for every police-related death anywhere, how
many unarmed victims are shot by police and don’t die, or are
wrongfully maimed or injured? Most of those cases didn’t even make the
local news. But if you lived in those neighborhoods, you knew. We all
knew. For what it’s worth, NYC now has the lowest police-caused death
rate per capita among the sixty largest cities in the US. Could it be
those extra two months in the New York Police Academy?
The corrosion and ultimate erosion of our confidence in the legal
system in cases such as these, even in the face of video evidence, has
spawned a tsunami of protests. With sympathetic demonstrations across
the United States and around the world. If the threat of prison time
for this behavior does not exist — acting as a possible deterrent —
then the behavior must somehow stop on its own.
Some studies show that the risk of death for an unarmed person at the
hands of the police is approximately the same no matter the
demographics of who gets arrested. Okay. But if your demographic
gets stopped ten times more than others, then your demographic will
die at ten times the rate. But even after we get the bias factor down
to zero, there’s still the matter of police killing unarmed suspects,
White people included.
I talk a lot. But I don’t talk much about any of this, or events along
these paths-of-most-resistance that have shaped me. Why? Because
throughout my life I’ve used these occasions as launch-points to
succeed even more. Yes, I parlayed the persistent rejections of
society, which today might be called micro-aggressions, into
reservoirs of energy to achieve. I learned that from my Father,
himself active in the Civil Rights movement during the 1950s and 1960s.
In a way, I am who I am precisely because countless people, by their
actions or inactions, said I would never be what I became. But what
becomes of you if you don’t possess this deep supply of fuel? Who
from historically disenfranchised communities, including women,
LGBTQ+, and anybody of color, is missing — falling shy of their full
potential, because they ran out of energy and gave up trying.
Are things better today than yesterday? Yes. But one measure of this
truth is a bit perverse. Decades ago, unarmed Black people getting
beaten or killed by the police barely merited the local news. But now
it’s national news – even breaking news – no matter where in the
country it occurs.
So how to change all this? Organizations have surely put forth
demands for Police Departments. Here, I offer a list of my own, for
policy experts to consider:
1) Extend Police Academies to include months of cultural awareness
and sensitivity training that also includes how not to use lethal force.
2) All Police officers should be tested for any implicit bias they
carry, with established thresholds of acceptance and rejection from
the Police Academy. We all carry bias. But most of us do not hold the
breathing lives of others in our hands when influenced by it.
3) During protests, protect property. Protect lives. If you attack
non-violent protesters you are being un-American. And we wouldn’t need
draconian curfews if police arrested looters instead of protesters.
4) If fellow officers are behaving in a way that is clearly unethical
or excessively violent, and you witness this, please stop them.
Someone will get that on video, offering the rest of us confidence
that you can police yourselves. In these cases, our trust in you
matters more to a civil society than how much you stick up for each
other.
5) And here’s a radical idea for the Minneapolis Police Department —
why not give George Floyd the kind of full-dress funeral you give each
other for dying in the line of duty? And vow that such a death will
never happen again.
6) Lastly, when you see Black kids in the street, think of what they
can be rather than what you think they are.
Respectfully Submitted
Neil deGrasse Tyson — trying hard to Keep Looking Up.
New York City
Illustration by Armando Veve
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Mike Werthmann
Great read.
I think about the one time in 45 years of driving I was pulled over,
in a speed trap.
I was such a prick to that officer. I let him know for the entire time
he wrote the ticket, that I deserved, how much of a waste of time it
was, and my opinions on speed traps.
I wonder how that would have went if I looked different?
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Chris Gupta replied · 4 replies
Steve Makohin
I’m watching Cosmos II (I bought it, because I love the series so
much). I always welcome you into my home, Neil. Virtually, or physically.
❤️
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Rm Sf replied · 7 replies
Dorian Gray
I look at my son and daughter with all their brilliance and hope they
will achieve to their greatest potential as you have and continue to
do. Thank you for speaking in this moment.
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Lilyann Majella replied · 17 replies
Darian Ross
I love you brother. You have brought so, so, so much to humanity and
this world. You are a treasure and gem to mankind.
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Zak Brown replied · 5 replies
David Thomas Devine
I like the idea of forcing police to have parades with full honors for
anyone who they unlawfully kill ... it would reinforce that they, as a
group, respect innocent victims of their actions as much as they
respect each other.
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Rm Sf replied · 4 replies
Jessica Worsley
Dr. Tyson you are unequivocally my absolute hero! I have followed you
for years, read so many of your books, and I have learned so much from
you! Thank you for sharing your perspective. As always, I can tell it
comes from your heart. Thank you for being such an amazing human
being, despite the circumstances that tried to keep from achieving
greatness! You touch so many lives and inspire so many people to be
better. I am determined to be better. I appreciate you so much!
Sending love from North Carolina!! ❤️
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Chris Gupta replied · 1 reply
Erica Helmick
I have always respected you, learned from you, and fully valued what
you had to say. But today, that respect, learning, and value has only
grown. You are a giant among men. Thank you for being you! 🖤
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Corinne DeLutis replied · 15 replies
Patricia A. Hunter
Thank you for your grace, sanity and wisdom.☮️
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Kevin Edwards replied · 1 reply
Nancy Golden
Thank you for your words of wisdom. Everyone would benefit from
reading this.
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Audrey Murphy replied · 1 reply
Blowindankerday Ondeezhoze
I truly love reading your words as well as listening to them. I like
for my son's to know that there is nothing wrong with being a well
spoken, articulate black person.
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Durell Favaroth replied · 1 reply
Michael A. Zvonar
Initial evaluation of bias, and cultural training and sensitivity are
vitally important... but I think renewal training, or continuing
education and evaluation are equally important.
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Elizabeth Quirk replied · 7 replies
Timi Heiser
Thank you, Neil. Your words always inspire.
I would like to add one more suggested policy you might want the
experts to consider:
Hold police officers to the same if not more stringent standard as
they do citizens when those officers break laws. If 3 ordinary
citizens had been sitting on Mr. Floyd's back at the time of his
death, you can be assured that all of them would have been arrested
immediately. Why we don't do the same for police officers who have
sworn to uphold these laws is a tragic injustice.
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Wanda Hughes
As a white person I am appalled and heartsick that this has to keep
happening in our country to our citizens. I'm a child of the 60's and
simply can't get my mind around how anyone, any person feels they have
the right to take someone's life due to the color of their skin. Thank
you for what you have written here.
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Rimesh Solari replied · 4 replies
Sarah Davis
I love listening to you talk about the cosmos, you are a thoughtful,
eloquent, and beautiful storyteller. This reflection is just as
powerful as what we’ve come to expect, and I’m really glad you shared
it. It gives us some great perspective to think about.
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Michelle Denise
I'm sorry. I know this is a serious topic that must be addressed.
Discourse not discord, but all I see is the sexiest astrophysicist to
ever breathe thus far. Thank you for sharing and weighing in on this
incredibly volatile subject.
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Adam McCool replied · 4 replies
Pat Haynes-Burton
You have been my hero since the first time I discovered you on TV...
Your color or mine has nothing to do with it.. In fact, I think you
are a handsome man. One time I saw you talking to children and instead
of talking down to them, you sat on the floor and talked with them...
They were treated with respect and interest.. You have a great mind
and I just want to say .. You are still my hero..
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Patti Graham
I am in awe of You, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and have loved seeing and
hearing you speak. This piece is incredible and I see a book here.
That you must write. The world must hear from you and everyone else.
This time I have a bit more hope that things are different this time
finally.
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Cee Marie
Beautifully written, as always. Thank you, Neil. I’ve been waiting to
hear what you had to say, because you are a hero in our family. ❤️
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Ehud Bar-Niv
I would also suggest trying to partner up police officers with other
police officers of different ethnicity. The more diverse your team of
colleagues is - the more naturally you see the person in front of you
rather than the stereotype.
I've once read a paper about how diversity among teams of healthcare
professionals improves each professional's skills in making the right
diagnosis, and when I think about law enforcement, it seems to
possibly be even more obvoius.
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Brian Weiser
I don't see people by the color of their skin. I see them by their
heart, passion for life and the friendship they bring to the table.
Nobody should ever have to experience prejudice. Maybe one day we will
finally reach that point.. It will be a difficult road ahead to get
there. But one can hold out hope.
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Ellen J. Landp... replied · 8 replies
Greg Moj
You, sir, are a national treasure. Thank you for this and for
everything you do to educate and enlighten.
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Ian Firla
Shared with my children who adore you. Thank you for all of your
teaching and clarity of thought. You do so much for humanity.
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Jennie Persephone Wilson
Wonderfully stated. We all have some soul searching & learning to do.
I’m keeping my eyes & ears open to learn how I can advocate for
others. Thank you.
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Linda Berndt replied · 1 reply
John Steffen
You should deliver a speech! Every politician and police percient
needs to hear this! Thank you for sharing such a heart felt piece Dr.
Tyson!
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Cathy Pederson
Words of wisdom eloquently expressed. Thank you for trying to help
make this a better world for all. I hope the shift is truly as
palpable as it feels.
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Pam Schrieber
Thank you kind Sir. I will admit I read your article through tears, it
was beautifully stated. Keeping Looking Up. 🌌🔭
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Sharon Symington
It’s refreshing to read articles of substance that share insight and
encouragement. Leadership comes from many quarters and rarely from
politicians.
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Aaron LeRoy
I'd add to this list of demands, separate, civilian investigations for
misconduct or complaints. Having it internally in the police force is
ineffective. You cannot have the accused's friends investigate
impartially.
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Dan McCormick replied · 1 reply
Monica Montgomery
Gov. DeWine of Ohio suggested Police Officers should be licensed, like
Nurses, Doctors, Lawyers or Teachers, and undergo rigorous training to
earn that license. He suggested a state review board, like the State
Board of Education, to issue and oversee licenses.
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Marjorie Castle replied · 12 replies
John Hall
Beautiful. Thank you for these words.
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