Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
The Montgomery, Alabama, riverboat brawl is a reminder that racism is alive and well, and a recognition that a bad situation could have ended up far worse.
Dameion Pickett, a riverboat crew member, was attacked by a group of white men who were blocking a dock. Pickett was trying to do his job by informing them to move so that they didn’t hit a smaller boat. Pickett defended himself, and his friends and co-workers Roshein “RahRah” Carlton and later, 16-year-old Aaren Hamilton-Rudolph (who famously swam to shore to help Pickett) came to his aid. The fight escalated into a massive brawl between Black and White people, symbolizing the long-standing racial tensions that continue to exist.
Racism lingers. Racism kills.
Pickett (co-captain of the Harriott II and lead deckhand), Carlton and Hamilton-Rudolph never imagined they would be at the center of one of the most famous brawls in recent memory. The three spoke about the incident for the first time publicly Monday on “Good Morning America.”
The victims of the vicious assault reconciled the events of that day, and the events leading up to it, leaving viewers wondering whether the lasting impacts of this trauma will ever go away.
And the answer is that it may not, because racism kills, both directly and indirectly. The attack on Pickett was a horrific example of overt racism; and while the physical wounds may heal, the mental, emotional, and physical scars will likely last a lifetime.
The lives of Pickett, Carlton, Hamilton-Rudolph, the others who were involved — and even some who viewed the video over and over — have changed…
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