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I love books, especially biographies and autobiographies. Currently, I am in the middle of the autobiography of Sammy Davis Jr. The further I got, the more I appreciated what he went through to achieve what he had. People talk of racism today, but they have no idea what actual racism is. If they want to be educated I suggest they read his book. It’s remarkable and inspiring even for me, if nothing more than to be a better person to people of different ethnic groups.
I have never been racist nor understood why people are. I have experienced a touch of it, however. I have a friend from India. They came to America, became citizens, and owned their own businesses. I was asked once, “why do all these foreigners come here and open up stores?” My reply was, “they have good credit and can get loans.” He said, “well, I have good credit.” So I said, “then open a store.”
I once worked for my Indian friends and considered them like my family. But I have seen firsthand how they are treated differently by other people. For instance, all of us used to have a concession stand inside the Bristol Motor Speedway. I had mine, and they had theirs. During one visit to the track, we went a day early to prepare our stands, but every time my friend was held outside by a security guard. At the same time, I was allowed to walk in. I usually arrived first, and as soon as my friend arrived, he would call and say he was being held up, and I would have to go out and chew the security guy out. And during the race, it was more of the same. But it was nothing compared to what Davis endured, not just in the south; it happened in every city in America he went to, even when he was in the Army. It was insane to “Educate,” meaning torture a man because of the color of his or her skin. The concept makes no sense to me. I have friends from many nationalities, and I love learning about their cultures, trying their foods, and talking with them.
I think if more people would listen and learn in life instead of running around with blinders on, they would learn more, understand more, and realize that the color of one’s skin has nothing to do with who they are. We have good and bad people of every race, and color has nothing to do with a person’s heart unless they let it.