I can certainly be counted in that number of people who are unsurprised that Robert Aaron Long (21) of Woodstock, Georgia, entered into Gold Star, Aromatherapy Spa, and Young’s Asian Massage and left eight people dead. It confuses me as a Black man that anyone is shocked by the horrific violence that occurs in this nation on a daily basis. Of course, my community has been a lightning-rod of both intra-racial and inter-racial lethal violence perpetrated by outsiders of all races and ethnicities.

My study of history convinces me that lethal violence is as American as Baseball and Apple Pie. So, I am never shocked by brazen attacks such as the one that recently occurred in the Atlanta area.

One of the things that my nearly four-decade dedication to the study of Race in America has taught me is that there is an often-ignored bigotry train that transports various forms of oppression from micro-aggressions to lethal violence. The bigotry train that usually rests within black communities will venture out to other communities when it desires. It could be Blacks’ familiarity with the various manifestations of oppression that this train carries that causes them to lead the charge against it wherever it stops or it could be that they are soft-hearted and naïve regarding how other groups view them.

There may be no more efficient manner to discuss this matter than the words of Atlanta resident Malik Peay. Mr. Peay expressed the following sentiments in front of one of the shooting sites.

Black lives matter, black lives matter. Every life matters. Asian lives matter. Black lives matter, and even white lives matter. This is heinous and it’s close to being a terrorist crime.

I must tell you that although I do not take issue with Mr. Peay’s words, I do question why Blacks rush to the aid of other communities that have rarely if ever, do the same for them during their 400-year holocaust.

It is impossible to deny that the bigotry train and its passengers of police officers, bigoted city officials, economic exploiters, and biased educators visit black communities more frequently than any other location; yet, the historical record records few non-Blacks assuming a staunch oppositional position against such evil. Their ire only appears when the bigotry train visits their community.

Attacks such as the one perpetrated by Robert Aaron Long expose American racial/ethnic groups as not really being interested in squelching injustice; they only care when it impacts them directly. It is not that I lack sympathy for the lives lost to this episode of senseless violence, I find it difficult to view the Asian community’s public outcries as an indicator of their commitment to ending such tragedies across the board. Let’s be honest about this matter, their community has had thousands of opportunities to break their silence regarding similar violence perpetrated against their Black countrymen by both law enforcement officers and White citizens; I have yet to hear significant furor from them such as that articulated by Malik Peay.

I hope that this matter serves as a wake-up call to all groups that the racial bigotry train is chugging along the track and unless you are continually engaged in on-going efforts to stop its advancement, it will arrive at its next stop. All freedom-loving Americans must remember that the fight against oppression must be supported regardless of its proximity to you. If you can’t understand that, well, don’t dare consider yourself a freedom-loving American because you are definitely not that.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

© Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2021