A poison that contaminatesNovember 1, 2011Dear Sir,My question initially to Lawyer Charles Richardson and then to a wider audience was not a rhetorical one. It was a serious one. It was a serious one because so many Bermudians, including so many black Bermudians, are taking this racial divide for granted as if it is inevitable, despite all of its destructive implications, not only for the black community, which is obvious, but for the entire society. It is a poison that contaminates not only all aspects of the economy but everything that we do. It is evident that many blacks accept the situation despite its disparities and destructive impact on the black community. They are not concerned about the racial divide as long as we do not talk about it. How often do we hear on the talk shows, and see in letters to the Editor, and in many other situations the demand that we “stop talking about black and white”. For them to talk about it is the evil, not the racial divide itself! They have no proposal about how to be rid of the divide, just do not talk about it.Then there are the high profile black commentators, who are supposed to be both responsible and influential, but who seem more interested in appeasing the white community and in finding favour with them then in ridding this country of the most significant and long lasting evil that we have experienced. Stuart Hayward is not alone when he expresses concern about the influence on race relations of Rolfe Commissiong (who was in his role for a brief four years) and LaVerne Furbert (who seldom talks about the issue of race relations) but expresses no concern about the racial divide itself, imposed by a white community, that has been with us through four hundred years of slavery and almost 200 years of official Government sponsored segregation, (often still continuing), nor does he express concern about the destructive impact that it has had over the decades so he is not likely to think about any proposal to get rid of it.Then there are those like Sir John Swan, a successful business man, and now seen as an elder statesman, undoubtedly influential, who blames black people for all that is clearly wrong in the society as a direct result of the racial divide, yet who never addresses the divide in any meaningful way or acknowledges either its origin or its consequences. He, like all of the others that do not what to hear about black and white, clearly believes that all in the black community should be as accepting of the racial divide and all of its destructive consequences as they are.Thus with so many blacks, and so many significant blacks, anxious to appease a white community and gain their approval and a white community that is clearly intent on retaining that divide, even when we were prosperous, without recognising the damage that it is doing to the entire society, someone needs to suggest that the racial divide is man-made and therefore “man” can get rid of it, no matter how difficult it may be. It has taken six hundred years to bring us where we are today, so it will not happen overnight. But the longest journey begins with a single step. But that step must be taken. One might justifiably ask what about a black PLP Government, elected largely by a black community, and what is the future of Bermuda if the racial divide continues to be as widely accepted as it is currently? With your indulgence Mr Editor, that is a question that I would like to answer in the immediate future.EVA N HODGSONCrawl