I Wish My White Colleagues Had Not Included Me in This Email Thread
They were discussing the news network departures of Don Lemon from CNN and the right-wing Fox prime-time host Tucker Carlson. Both were terminated today. I won’t get into why both were fired and whether or not they deserved it. These stories usually have a spin that is not revealed in reality. So I take their reasoning with a grain of salt.
However, when one of my colleagues wrote that “Don Lemon, who during the funeral of the Queen said on air that this was her final funeral…he was a lousy sports commentator and even worse as a regular news host…but he helped hit the quota,” it triggered an uneasiness in collaborating with this person. I could easily see a similar angry-dog-to-a-rag-doll comment towards me or someone like me for some comment that may or may not have meant harm. He is always nice and respectful to my face, but now I have to be careful and suspicious of his agenda.
For people on the beneficial side of colonialism, the Queen of England is their gift from God. Hell, for many of those colonialized and who continue to suffer for it, she and the monarchal system is still their gift to the Earth. Clearly, my colleague felt personally insulted by any negative remarks about his queen, real or perceived. His defense, therefore, was to suggest that Don Lemon was hired so CNN could hit its quota, meaning, of course, the black hire quota. The suggestion is that he could not have been hired for his experience and qualifications. No similar comment was made about Tucker Carlson.
My trust and confidence in this colleague were eroded by one simple comment triggered by his need to defend his queen from a black man. He may not have meant much harm, but this is America, so such comments are always pregnant with the weight of Americanized racism — one I have come to painfully learn and write about.
Part of me is glad that he revealed himself, as I believe all people who feel this way should make themselves known so that non-white people can be careful of them. But part of me also wishes they had just recognized that I suffer from trauma due to the racism here. I wish they were sensitive and caring enough to have left me out of the email thread.
