Commentary: Racist social media video once again shows there is work to be done in rural town

Quaint.

It’s a word used by every realtor throughout the Midwest. Every Chamber of Commerce member uses this word to describe their downtown. It’s a word used to describe the unique, the small, the revived, the picturesque. 

These are the places where people listen to bird songs instead of trains passing. Where you’re sure to see your friends at the grocery store. Most likely where you would feel like you could leave your car unlocked all night. Where there might be a crop growing within walking distance. 

Quaint always makes me feel welcome and safe. 

But then I saw the perspective of quaint in a different light yesterday. As I scrolled past updates on Ukraine and the upcoming State of the Union Address, a Black mother wrote that she would love to move her children to a “quaint” part of the Midwest, a place where the kids could run and play and just be kids, but she knows that moving to them to that “quaint” space might also take away much of their childhood. 

I grew up believing that racism was something of those southern white boys, the ones with the confederate flags. I couldn’t be a racist because I did not agree with the institution of slavery and I was a Yankee, and we weren’t part of that (right?). 

Of course, this is a generalization. But I do believe it sums up the belief of many in the quaint small towns of the Midwest. We are not racist because when we see a person of color, we don’t believe that they are less than white people. Many of us would, in fact, say that we “don’t see color.” 

Part of my question, then, is where do our children come up with the racist things they say and do? For me, it’s not only how do they believe that one race (gender/religion/class)  is less or deserves less than another, but how do they get the gumption to attack people within that community?

When news broke that a racially-charged video made by two 14-year old students at Paxton Buckley Loda that included the words “Kill all the Blacks. Kill all the Blacks. Get back in your cage, monkey,” (source Iroquios County Times Republic) was being investigated, I once again asked myself these questions. I have not seen the video, but it was enough for the PBL School District to release a statement: 

“It goes without saying that the contents of the video (are) offensive and unacceptable,” Cliff McClure’s statement said. “PBL Unit 10 is a community where all are welcome, and the safety of our students and staff are of paramount importance (source PBL Facebook Page).” 

A mother pulled her children from the school district, citing years of anxiety and low self-esteem as they have felt like “nobody cares” about them because of the color of their skin (source WCIA). 

And now, the Paxton Police Department is asking the Ford County’s prosecutor to criminally charge the boys who made the video with committing a hate crime, a Class 4 felony; harassment by electronic communication, a Class B misdemeanor; and disorderly conduct, a Class C misdemeanor.

This incident is not one that has been brushed under the rug as has been the case in so many rural communities before. The Superintendent did not say that they were looking into the video or allegations; he did not call this “unfortunate” or look the other way. He said that the video was not appropriate and held those who made it accountable. 

His actions, in this instance, match his words. He said this is not acceptable and went through the proper channels to ensure that the boys and their fellow students know that it’s not something that will be tolerated. 

McClure has one more year at the helm before retiring in 2023. Seeing as BIPOC parents have told news outlets stories about the mistreatment their children have experienced in the quaint-Paxton town, I’m certain this is not the first time he’s encountered a situation where a student or a group of students felt threatened or unseen because of the color of their skin. 

I’m not sure what course of action he’s taken in the past, but there is more work to be done. That is exemplified by the fact that it is 2022 and these blatant and public displays of racism are a part of many school districts’ stories.  Racism isn’t just a divide or a difference of opinion: it is ignorance; it is self-serving; it is evil.

Ensuring that racism is not a part of children’s lives, making sure that they can live in “quaint” towns without their mothers’ fear that they will feel unseen or different is up to the adults within any given community. 

It’s not just slapping a child on the hand when they paint their faces black; it’s not just saying that a social media video was a joke; it’s not just singing that Jesus loves all the children. Saying we “don’t see color” only ignores another’s identity, their culture, their history and it diminishes the unique differences and experiences racial groups face. This saying just gives white people permission to not see or understand the issues people within the BIPOC community face. 

White adults in these quaint towns need to come to terms with their historical viewpoint. They need to realize that there are different perspectives to take into account.

We have to educate these children on more than the Black persons’ plight through slavery. To only teach slavery suggests that there is only one dimension to the history in this country, as slaves.  It ignores the tapestry and wholeness of a person and what they contribute to a society, how they impact it.  Black people have love and joy and grace abounds. Black people have accounted for the success of their own freedom, and for the freedoms that many other communities in America enjoy. At every turn of the foundation this country was built on, you can find Black people doing something significant.

If we don’t start teaching students how to celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of the Black humans, we will continue to raise children who think that the color of someone’s skin makes them into someone they are not.  If we don’t raise the stakes on these displays from “jokes” to hate crimes, then our children cannot understand the gravity and hurt that these types of actions inflict. And if we continue to think that we, those who live in “quaint” Midwest towns aren’t part of the problem because the problem is somewhere else, then we will continue to raise children who are just as ignorant as I once was.