By Lara Kajs
Thinking Out Loud
This piece reflects on the persistent impact of racism in the United States, connecting contemporary acts of hate to historical injustices and the enduring legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. By examining both recent violent incidents and long-standing patterns of racial bias, the article highlights the moral imperative to confront hate, educate future generations, and uphold the values of equity, inclusion, and human dignity. It is both a reflection and a call to action, urging readers to recognize the consequences of prejudice and to champion the content of character over the color of one’s skin.
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Those were the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., sixty years ago this week. But what should have been a milestone commemoration instead became a week of mourning for our nation.
On Saturday, 26 August, three people were killed at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, when a misguided 21-year-old male used his prejudice to take their lives. The gunman, wearing a mask and a vest emblazoned with swastikas, killed Angela Michelle Carr, Anolt Joseph “AJ” Laguerre, Jr., and Jerrald De’Shaun Gallion because he hated Black people. After his murderous attack, he took his own life.
The shooter first went to Edward Waters University, a historically Black college (HBCU), but was asked to leave by a security guard when he would not identify himself. Witnesses said the individual put on a bullet-resistant vest and mask before driving to the Dollar General. It is unclear if he intended to harm anyone at the college.
Racism and Hate
People are not born hating. A baby does not know what it is to hate. A child learns hatred from the people around them — most often, family. Hatred and bigotry are taught, modeled, nurtured, and absorbed. When people are conditioned to hate and live in a constant state of fear, distrust, and paranoia, they may commit murder. Racism is not new, and it cannot exist without racists to spread it.
Dr. King’s speech was delivered at a time when the rights and lives of Black Americans — and those who supported them — were frequently targeted. Less than a month after his speech, four young girls were killed when the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, was bombed by white supremacists. Although it took almost four decades, three Klan members were eventually charged and sentenced — all dying in prison.
Sixty years later, we are still missing the mark. In 2015, Dylan Roof killed nine African Americans at the Emanuel Church, claiming he wanted to start a race war.
A couple pled guilty in South Carolina to bias-motivated armed robbery targeting Hispanic victims. A man in Oklahoma was sentenced for a hate crime. Three men in Utah were attacked in a racially motivated incident. In Pennsylvania, the jury recommended the death penalty for the Tree of Life Synagogue shooter. A man in Missouri was sentenced for setting fire to an Islamic Center.
And those were just in August.
Confronting Hate
A 2019 Pew Research poll found that 58 percent of Americans said race relations in the US are not good, and 56 percent believed that then-President Donald Trump worsened race relations. Nearly 80 percent said his administration made it more common for people to express racist views. When the leader of a country encourages hate, it undermines standards like equity, diversity, and inclusion.
While we cannot change the past, we can learn from it. We have a moral responsibility to confront how racism continues to impact our lives. A national conversation is long overdue — and we must take action.
This week, three people going about their daily lives became three more statistics because another person chose to judge them by the color of their skin. He didn’t know them. He didn’t know the content of their character. But he revealed the content of his.
Photo Credit: Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial across the basin in Washington DC during the Cherry Blossom Festival 2021.
Published 31 August 2023
About Thinking Out Loud
Thinking Out Loud is a commentary series by Lara Kajs examining international law, humanitarian crises, and the prevention of mass atrocities. Drawing on field experience in conflict and displacement settings, the column explores the legal and policy challenges that shape contemporary conflicts
Lara Kajs is the founder and executive director of The Genocide Report, a Washington, DC-based educational nonprofit focused on atrocity prevention and international law. She is the author of several field-based books on conflict, displacement, humanitarian crises, and international humanitarian law, drawing on extensive research and field experience in Yemen, Syria, and Afghanistan. Her writing and public speaking focus on atrocity crimes, forced displacement, the protection of civilians, and the legal frameworks governing armed conflict.