Walking Across America?

For the 4.5 of you who read this blog, you're not sure what to do with yourself given that I've put up more blog posts in the last 10 days than in the last year. Funny enough, I'm writing a blog post about why I haven't written many blog posts. 

This post involves a statement that I've heard at least 25 times over the years from students or colleagues. Normally, the comments come from students who are graduating and planning to take some time off before entering the work world (a luxury no one I grew up with could have ever afforded) or from colleagues who know that I've lectured and taught extensively in Europe during the summers. 

The statement normally revolves around some form of saying that these folks "backpacked across Europe" or they plan to do so during their gap year or they spent time staying in a hostel in this country or that. Invariably they'll ask me if I have done the same. My response is the same, I can't reasonably expect to be allowed to walk across the United States let alone another continent. In fact, I doubt that I could safely walk across a state. Even more so, I don't think that it's possible for me to walk from one side of my city to the other without being harassed. 

By now I don't need to recall to you all the ways that doing things like driving while black, eating while black, reading while black, knocking on doors while black, sleeping while black, etc. can get me hurt or killed.  It's a reality that people in this skin must learn to never let our guards down against. Some friends ask why I can't just "quit thinking about the race thing for one minute?" Because that one-minute lapse in judgement is all it takes for me to find myself in a world of hurt is how I reply.

Who might do the harassing and why if I tried to walk across America? Well, the why is easy. I'm a black man walking. Of course, you're saying that there is no crime in simply walking but actually there is. Being in this skin, I'm already subject to being stopped by law enforcement for "reasonable cause". Generally, the reason that law enforcement would stop someone to question them for 'reasonable cause' is that there is a suspicion that a crime has occurred and this person should be questioned in connection with that event.  In essence, something seems out of place and a black man simply walking down a street in an exclusive neighborhood or down a rural road is out of place. After all, what black guy could reasonably be expected to own property on such a street? Clearly, I'm there casing the joint for a robbery. The who part of my earlier question is easy too. That would be the people who live in that area and especially if it is primarily white. 

Don't believe me? I actually have had neighbors call the police on me while I was in my own yard. The odd thing is that I live in a rather nice house and I'm more likely to be robbed than be the robber. I was stopped repeatedly on campus running to class when I was a student. I got pulled over going to get ice cream with two other black grad students in St. Louis. After looking at our licenses and student IDs, the officer asked if we were all on the basketball team. Navigating in this skin is dangerous.

I watched this entire YouTube series about this young white man who walked 8,000 miles across the US and now has set off across Europe. The highway patrol allowed him to walk on the Interstate system. People stopped to offer him food and money. In fact, it took nearly 2 years because people kept giving him places to stay at night and often small towns and cities made special days in his honor. No, he wasn't raising money for a charity. He was just a guy who decided to walk and see America up close. I've asked my friends how far they think they would have gotten if they tried to do the same thing. The answer has generally been about 3 hours for blacks and as long as they cared to sleep outside for whites. 

Thus, I am not joking when I say that I believe that if I simply tried to walk from one border to another of any state in the US, I'd be taking my life in my hands. Walking down a rural road in Iowa or California or Alabama? I'd never make it. Being arrested by law enforcement would be the best outcome that I could expect. More than likely, I could be killed and the perpetrator would be set free because they "stood their ground". Standing their ground means that they felt their life was threatened and my mere presence is a threat in their eyes. Don't forget that in 2012, a 17-year Trayvon Martin was unarmed and followed by an armed adult and killed. He wasn't following the adult; the adult was following him. Why? He looked guilty.  

So, no, I won't be walking across America, Europe, Louisiana or anyplace else while in this skin. I'm generally calling it a success if I can simply get to work and back home every day. 

An addendum:

Since I wrote this post, I was contacted by one of the few people who read this blog. He was worried about my mental health. He said that he only read the title of the post and immediately needed to call me on the phone. He worried that I seriously was thinking about trying to walk across America and wanted to talk me out of it. I suggested that he read the entire post which set his mind at ease. That's the reality we live in.

Got any comments or questions about this or any other post? Contact me at garyhoover2012 [at] gmail.com