By William Heisel, Center for Health Journalism, July 6, 2020
The idea that there is a systemic problem with racism in the United States is a pill too big to swallow for some. We tend to act as if we have put racism behind us. We elected a Black president. Twice. We must then, collectively, be more open-minded, right?
That kind of mindset often leads to the “one bad apple” theory.
I saw this recently in my Facebook group. I had posted about a photograph that went viral of Samantha Francine, a Black woman protesting police brutality, being shouted at by a White man in Whitefish, Montana, my home state. As comments on my post and direct messages poured in, three themes emerged: 1. This protester was a brave woman who should be admired and emulated. 2. There’s more racism around us than we want to admit. And 3. This angry White man was an anomaly, maybe not even from Montana.
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