Spencer’s family moves into Rosedale, an all-white community. The residents living there look at them as a threat and fight to drive them away from their neighborhood. In one incident, their house is destroyed as other residents watch, and later, a bomb blast outside their place as a warning. The residents claim that blacks have forced them out of their previous homes by being violent and increasing crime rates. Their greatest fear now is that more blacks would flood their neighborhood with the Spencers moving in, and the same would happen. To the Spencers, this was an injustice as all they wanted to do was live. They had a right to live anywhere in the US as long as they could afford it. Despite receiving external support and the constitution protecting their right, the residents of Rosedale would not accept them.
This was quite an informative clip; it allowed me to look at the issue of racism from both sides more closely. The interviewers were unbiased and therefore captured the real issue affecting both ethnicities. I do, therefore, believe what all parties say, and I understand their different perspectives. However, I think the white residents would have handled the issue better than they did; it is unfortunate that people will refer to others as animals because they have a different skin color. The saddest bit is that the hate keeps trickling down to the younger generations. I have learned something new: our political leaders may set policies and directives regarding issues that affect us directly, but they do not get to live in the experiences as they are privileged enough to escape from these realities. It is the responsibility of all citizens to find ways to coexist and protect each other.
Reference
Bill Moyers’ Journal – Rosedale: The Way It Is. (2013). [Video]. YouTube. Web.