What If Henry Gates Jr. Had Been a Working-Class Black Teenager?
What If Henry Gates Jr. Had Been a Working-Class Black Teenager?
Two black males are seen attempting to enter a house and a concerned neighbor calls the police. When officers arrive on the scene a confrontation occurs and the resulting press coverage results in a debate over whether the alleged burglars should have simply been quiet and obedient. For anyone familiar with the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. in July, 2009, this story not only became front page news but part of the conversation at the dinnertable across the nation. Even President Obama stepped into the conversation. There was substantial debate about what happened, as well as what should have happened, but Gates' voice was heard and charges against him eventually dropped.
But what if instead of a nationally known academic, the individuals involved were working-class Black teenagers? That was exactly the case in Champaign, Illinois, where two Black, teen-aged males were seen trying to enter a house on October 9, 2009. A concerned neighbor called the police and the resulting press coverage has resulted in a debate over whether the officers acted appropriately or if the alleged burglars should have simply remained quiet and obeyed. Letters to the local newspaper the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette have both expressed outrage at the officers and the suspects in the case. Yet, there is a significant difference between what happened to Professor Gates and what happened to young Kiwane Carrington. Gates suffered a loss of dignity and experienced what happens to many black men in society today, but Carrington wound up paying with his life. This did not happen in a well-to-do neighborhood, and these teenagers did not have the type of social capital and academic clout that Professor Gates had at his disposal.
As you can imagine, it did not end nearly so well for the teenagers involved.
Two black males are seen attempting to enter a house and a concerned neighbor calls the police. When officers arrive on the scene a confrontation occurs and the resulting press coverage results in a debate over whether the alleged burglars should have simply been quiet and obedient. For anyone familiar with the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. in July, 2009, this story not only became front page news but part of the conversation at the dinnertable across the nation. Even President Obama stepped into the conversation. There was substantial debate about what happened, as well as what should have happened, but Gates' voice was heard and charges against him eventually dropped.
But what if instead of a nationally known academic, the individuals involved were working-class Black teenagers? That was exactly the case in Champaign, Illinois, where two Black, teen-aged males were seen trying to enter a house on October 9, 2009. A concerned neighbor called the police and the resulting press coverage has resulted in a debate over whether the officers acted appropriately or if the alleged burglars should have simply remained quiet and obeyed. Letters to the local newspaper the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette have both expressed outrage at the officers and the suspects in the case. Yet, there is a significant difference between what happened to Professor Gates and what happened to young Kiwane Carrington. Gates suffered a loss of dignity and experienced what happens to many black men in society today, but Carrington wound up paying with his life. This did not happen in a well-to-do neighborhood, and these teenagers did not have the type of social capital and academic clout that Professor Gates had at his disposal.
As you can imagine, it did not end nearly so well for the teenagers involved.