Listen to racism’s victims

Regarding Mr. Womack’s letter, “Racism not a problem today” (Feb. 13), it’s ridiculous to claim that living Americans have nothing to do with our racist past. Ex-congressman Tom Tancredo recently proposed a “literary test” to vote. Historically, such tests had racist motives and still do.

Also very recently, I witnessed an African-American friend being racially stereotyped here in Spokane. As we were leaving a restaurant, a white customer said, “What are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be behind the counter cooking?”

My friend said, “I’m a customer. I just had lunch.” As if to make sure I clearly understood his hurtful, racial stereotyping, the white customer repeated his comment, making it obvious that I was not having a flashback to Selma, Ala., 1960.

For the record, my friend is a retired university professor, not to imply that being a short-order cook isn’t a valued profession. It is; my weight attests to that.

We have the potential to act in racist ways, me included. But we should listen to those hurt by such acts and correct our behavior. When that failed, as it has, we passed laws to partially counter harmful stereotypes that penalize red-blooded, hard-working Americans.

Tom Dukich

Spokane