The state of Virginia is a mess. Racist skeletons are falling out of every single closet, cupboard and pantry. First it was the governor, then it was the attorney general. Now, there’s a senator implicated too. But it’s not just the state of Virginia that’s housing racists.
Just ask Liam Neeson.
Last week, Liam Neeson made the questionable decision to admit to a journalist that he used to harbor racist thoughts. Apparently, there was a time in Neeson’s life when he was having revenge fantasies against Black men after his friend was raped. Neeson admitted that after finding out that his friend had been attacked, he went out looking for any Black man to beat up because he was so angry. But he sought help for his anger and is now officially not a racist.
Black Twitter and her allies have come down hard on these white men who claim their racism was a thing of the past. People are calling for Governor Northam of Virginia to step down. Liam Neeson had his red carpet premier cancelled. But I ask you, dear readers. Is it possible to rehabilitate a racist? Is it possible that these men, and countless others, could change their ways and no longer harbor racist thoughts and shun any type of racist actions? And if the answer is yes, then why do we need to punish these men today for a crime they committed in the past?
Rehabilitation 101
This past week, I’ve listened to two unrelated podcast episodes that shared a common theme of rehabilitation. The first podcast was Fresh Air. On the episode in question, host Terry Gross interviewed Earlonne Woods, a former violent criminal, who now is the co-host of his own podcast called Ear Hustle. Woods was sentenced to thirty-one years in prison for attempted second-degree robbery. This was Woods’ second prison sentence. Woods admitted that rehabilitation was the furthest thing from his mind the first time he went to prison. But the second time was different.
Through a series of personal choices, prison programs and intense self reflection, Woods worked to rehabilitate himself, turning away from criminal enterprises and turning towards contributing to society in any way he could. California governor, Jerry Brown, agreed Woods had been rehabilitated and commuted his sentence this past November. Now, Woods is free and works full-time producing the Ear Hustle podcast.
The other podcast episode I listened to came from NPR’s Rough Translation. This episode, called Intruders, shared the story of how feminism became popular in Argentina via a trashy, daytime talkshow called Intrusos. At the center of the story, was Intrusos host, Jorge Rial, who is known for making lewd comments about women and being an all-around sexist pig. Over the course of the episode, we learn that through a series of coincidences and a desire for higher ratings, the producers of Intrusos brought a well-known feminist on the show to verbally spar with Rial. They didn’t know how it would go over since, up until then, feminism was a dirty word in Argentina. As it turned out, ratings soared, women started calling into the show in droves, declaring themselves feminists and sharing their stories of abuse and discrimination because of their gender. By the end of the podcast episode, Rial isn’t a feminist himself, but he refers to himself as a “recovering machista.” In other words, he is well on his way to being rehabilitated.
Who Can Be Rehabilitated?
So, we know prisoners can be rehabilitated. That’s the whole (supposed) point of prison. And machistas can be rehabilitated. So, what about racists? Can’t they too change their ways? Of course they can. Look at all of the former white supremacists and skin heads who have committed their lives to anti-racist work. If you can’t think of anyone who fits that description, check out this article from PBS’ Independent Lens called Reformed Racists. It is chock full of formerly violent racists who have done a complete 180 with their lifestyle choices. In most cases, their change in behavior came about as a result of actually getting to know a Black or Jewish person, causing their wicked ignorant belief system to implode.
So, if the child of the grand wizard of the KKK can change his stripes, can’t we assume that Governor Northam of Virginia can too? Isn’t it possible that Liam Neeson used to be racist, but he isn’t anymore? Why can’t we allow for the possibility that these men might also be rehabilitated racists?
Denial Doesn’t Work
The problem with this latest crop of “I’m not a racist” racists, is that they are in denial about the significance of their actions. Anybody who knows anything about 12-step programs knows that admittance is the first step towards recovery – and rehabilitation. (Actually, that might not be the first step, but it’s definitely somewhere at the top of the list.) Earlonne Woods knew he was guilty of many crimes and never tried to claim himself innocent. He went into that prison knowing he had work to do and that’s what he did for 20 long years. Twenty years he worked on his rehabilitation. And he didn’t do it alone. He listened to the victims of violent crimes tell him what his lifestyle did to them. He educated himself and humbled himself and worked at helping others as a sort of penance if you will. Rial, for his part, listened to many feminist activists who he invited on his show for weeks and attempted to unlearn his own bias. But more importantly, he said, he listened to his 18-year-old daughter because he wanted to be a better male role model for her.
Lowercase Racist Is Still Racist
I know some white people, like the governor and his ilk, think if they don’t sneak around at night burning crosses on Black people’s lawns, then they’re not racist. I know they think wearing blackface for a dance competition or editing a yearbook and allowing pictures of people dressed up as the KKK doesn’t make one racist, but it does. It may not be uppercase racist, like shooting people at Black churches, but it still qualifies as despicable and wrong. It’s still racism.
It is still unacceptable and it still contributes to the inequality and culture of fear we experience in this country.
The Kavanaugh Effect
All of these white men with their racist bones in their closets remind me of bad boy, Brett Kavanaugh. While I still don’t think he should be sitting on the Supreme Court, I do believe he had an opportunity to admit his guilt and then talk about how for the last 30 years he has tried to rehabilitate himself as a former asshat who abused women. He could have gained a lot more support that way. But he didn’t do that. Instead, he chose to play the victim and in so doing, lost any chance at redemption.
Governor Northam, Liam Neeson and the rest of Virginia’s elected officials shouldn’t follow Kavanaugh’s lead. (Although look how far it got him!) Instead, they should admit that they were in fact racist and that they are working on becoming rehabilitated. Then they should read Robin DiAngelo’s book, White Fragility and learn what racism really looks like, particularly the kind of behind-closed-doors racism that they think doesn’t count. In addition, they should practice rigorous self-reflection and they must spend time listening (not talking) to Black and brown people share their experiences as the victims of racism, both the violent obvious kind and the quiet Halloween costume at medical school kind. Then, and only then, like Jorge Rial, can they claim the title of “recovering racist.”
And that, in my opinion, would put them on the road to true rehabilitation.
