In 1975 I moved back to Battle Creek, Michigan to finish my last 2 years of high school. 

In the previous 4 years, I had lived in Nashville, Michigan (small-town America).

Nashville was rural, agricultural, 95 percent white, very small population.

Big city kids like me were WAY out of place in Nashville. I had to work to fit in (and I did)

But I grew up in Battle Creek in my elementary and middle school years. I was the white kid/minority kid. Most of my friends growing up were black. Never thought much about it.

Until I moved back....

Now I was 16  and (by association) "country white". (Hey I had driven a tractor like ...twice :)

And...

I got along. 

In 7th grade, I had to convince the white kids in Nashville (with a 7 iron in one case) that I was just like them.

In 11th grade, I had to convince the black kids in Battle Creek, mostly with quiet diplomacy and a little Neurolinguists that I was learning, that I was just like them.

Never considered any of them as stupid. They were just different. In their life experiences, in their beliefs, and of course their skin color. Honestly, I never cared. I don't think the vast majority of the generation I grew up with cared much about race. As we grew up we taught our kids that history of racism was mostly a closed subject and it was.

That's the blessing of America. We are a "melting pot". but...

The politics of the last decade have aggressively promoted racial division. It's manufactured racism from the left-wing who realize that the economic prosperity of the 1st 3 years of President Trump means meant that he would get a larger percentage of the minority vote than any Republican in decades.

All of the organized rioting these last couple of weeks is disgusting but not surprising. Lot's of emotionally wounded folks, after months of Wuan virus lockdown, got caught up in a false narrative that this one horrible incident indicates some widespread racism.

America is a fair, moral country with the best opportunity for self-determination and personal prosperity in the world. 

Let's not let some far-left political operatives who work for CNN or MSNBC or the DNC to convince us otherwise.

Bill Bateman - unapologetic American

PS - get back to work - viruses will always be with us - don't be a victim of disinformation.