Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Larry Buford: ‘What Will it Take to Open People’s Eyes?’

Woman (with eyes closed)
Getty

*“Hate only hides, it never goes away”

The threat of the new coronavirus variant Omicron, and the fact that some people still won’t get vaccinated, prompted someone to tweet, “What will it take to open people’s eyes?” What will it take to remove the blinders short of a deathbed experience? A reversal of a line in the song Amazing Grace from “was blind but now I see” to “I see but still I’m blind” would best describe the darkness that beguiles so many.

Last week when I went to see the play “Paradise Blue” at the Geffen Playhouse, I was inspired to write a review to encourage others to see it. Little did I know there was turmoil behind the scenes. A few days later, the writer, renowned playwright Dominique Morisseau, cancelled the play citing disrespect of black women working on her show. In a public statement on Facebook she said, “I gave the theatre an ultimatum. Respect the Black womxn [sic] artists working on my show, or I will pull my play.”

RELATED NEWS ON EURWEB: Dominique Morisseau’s ‘Paradise Blue’: A Bang-up Performance! – An EUReview

 

Dominique Morisseau - Getty
Dominique Morisseau – Getty

With no official statement at the time from Geffen, she went on to say, “Geffen Theatre might tell you that they have work to do. Perhaps they programmed the wrong play (meaning mine) in the wrong time (meaning after a year of [“Black”] trauma).” She described the ordeal as a “sweeping under the rug” that she refuses to accept, showcasing a microcosm of the larger picture. America has been sweeping the filth of racism under the rug far too long, and now that the rug is being rolled ALL the way back, some people don’t want to face the stench and ugliness of the truth. With all that is being revealed, it’s too late to turn back now!

When elected officials themselves spin falsehoods in an effort to whitewash history, what can be expected of the constituency? Is there any wonder why the highest rate of COVID-19 cases occurs in southern red states? What does that say about the politicized teaching of right-wing southern churches? Can we now trust and believe anything they say? The blind leading the blind will not lead to blind justice.

Racial hatred, just like a virus, doesn’t just go away. Stevie Wonder once quoted [the then] former Vice President Joe Biden saying, “hate only hides, it never goes away.” The condition of this world will never be perfect, but we as a people, as a nation, should regard our neighbor with love, respect, dignity, and fairness “in order to form a more perfect union” as the Preamble to The Constitution states. Embracing with empathy the precept, “do unto others as you would have done unto you,” would usher “blind justice” which is vital to racial equality as it is also so vital now to herd immunity against the pandemic. That precept alone would lessen injustice and victimization. With distortions of government overreach and the path to socialism being promulgated (among other things), the question remains, “what will it take to open people’s eyes?” We’re all in this thing called life together! Wish we could say we’re ALL TOGETHER!

Larry Buford is a Los Angeles-based contributing writer. Author of “Things Are Gettin’ Outta Hand” and “Book To The Future” (Amazon); two insightful books that speak to our moral conscience in times like these. Email: [email protected]

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