How do you think highly publicized events like the Rodney King beating have affected race relations?
Maya Angelou: I think that one has to see what came first. I think that the Rodney King beating was caused by the sad state of race relations in our country. I’m afraid that a number of people can be charged with the sad state of race relations in our country, and I mean that leaders are responsible for a great deal, because we have, in many cases, ceded our own independence and our own thoughts to leaders. And if leaders mislead us, we tend to follow, unfortunately. I do hope that young men and women will start to think for themselves and start to take responsibility for their own thoughts. We have allowed ourselves this horrendous climate in which synagogues are vandalized, in which Asians are beaten, in which Native Americans, in which gays are badgered, in which single white boys are beaten, rapes are at an escalated level. Well, something terrible has happened, and so it is up to you.
Related Questions
- How do you think the events of September 11th changed the landscape or affected the intensity of findings associated with afterschool programs?
- How do you think highly publicized events like the Rodney King beating have affected race relations?
- Was the Rodney King beating the only reason for the LA Riots of 1992?
