Gobble Gobble
It’s not really my style to write a sappy “here’s-what-I’m-thankful-for” post. BUT. In light of the steady downpour of troubling events and trends during the past two years, I’d be remiss if I didn’t express at least some gratitude. Considering the losses many have suffered, I’m extremely grateful that my small circle of family and close friends has stayed healthy and safe. Not necessarily sane…but sanity has probably eluded most of us. With that said, I hope everybody has a safe and happy holiday.
On to today’s smorgasbord:
THE SERIOUS
Despite Kenosha’s proximity to Chicago, my legal background, and my deep-seated interest in race relations and social justice, I did not closely follow the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. To me, it was a foregone conclusion that he would be acquitted. My only surprise was that some people were surprised by the verdict. “Can you believe it?” people asked in shock. Yes, I can definitely believe it.
I’m currently reading Eddie Glaude’s Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul. Glaude, a professor at Princeton, explains the idea of a value gap, “that no matter our stated principles or how much progress we think we’ve made, white people are valued more than others in this country.” This value gap dates back to our pre-independence days. It is a much truer part of who we are as a country than the democratic principles we purport to represent. Viewed under this framework, the Rittenhouse acquittal seems inevitable and entirely unsurprising.
It's interesting to contrast Rittenhouse with Ian Manuel, whose case gained national attention several years ago. In 1991, Manuel was sentenced to life without parole for accidentally shooting a white woman (who survived) during a botched robbery attempt. Manuel, who is black, was just fourteen-years-old at the time. Eventually the sentence was reduced, but not without considerable legal efforts, and not before Manuel served roughly twenty-five years in prison (eighteen of which he spent in solitary confinement).
In his memoir published this year, My Time Will Come, Manuel recounts his experience as a teenager the justice system essentially viewed as incapable and unworthy of ever re-entering society, regardless of his remorse, his efforts to improve himself, and the victim’s public forgiveness. Until a fairly recent Supreme Court decision, the U.S. was the only country in the world that sentenced offenders so young to life without parole, even for non-homicidal offenses. It’s not a shock that most of these sentences involved non-white offenders.
I think the value gap helps explain why Rittenhouse got acquitted while Manuel, at just fourteen, was determined to be irredeemable. To put it simply, Rittenhouse’s life just means more.
THE SILLY
If you need to keep your kids out of the kitchen and out of your hair on Thanksgiving, feel free to use this holiday-themed picture I drew. We’re going to cut out the images and hide them for a scavenger hunt. Perhaps we’ll color them too. Enjoy!