May 19, 1968
This editorial takes on ways that racism has changed to become less overt, and we can still see some of these “code words” in print and speech today.
1. What does the author say has changed about the way people express racist ideas?
2. Do you think this coded language is a problem today? If so, why? If not, why not?
The article continues with a specific example of code language:
“Crime in the streets” is one phrase that always comes up. What do the people who use it so often really mean? Do they mean the brutal murder of Dr. King in Memphis? Do they mean the white collar crime and embezzlement that costs this nation enough to house thousands of the homeless?
Perhaps they mean the loan sharks and crime syndicate bosses and cheating store owners who prey on the poor. Or is it the crime of overcharging tenants for slum hovels? How about the street crimes of throwing bricks at nuns in a march for open housing?
“Crime in the streets” means none of these – it’s a code phrase for Negro demonstrations. Lately it’s come to mean riots too. It intentionally seeks to associate crime with Negroes without ever mentioning race – a good trick, and it’s working.
3. What other examples have you seen or heard today of code words that are used to make racist statements without using overtly racist language?
“Racism has gone underground.” Milwaukee Star, May 18, 1968. Milwaukee Public Library Microfilm Collection, Microfilmed by the Wisconsin Historical Society.