Reflection Essay: Examining Racism in the Article 'When Calling Po-Po'

This reflection essay delves into the pervasive issue of racism, sparked by Karen Grigsby Bates's article "When Calling the Po-Po Is a No-No," which highlights the racial biases evident in incidents like the Starbucks restroom arrests. The essay explores the concept of "black tax" and the misuse of 911 calls against people of color, emphasizing the need for white individuals to acknowledge their privilege and actively combat injustice. Referencing research on the 2016 elections and testimonials from African-American students, the essay illustrates how racial discrimination manifests in various contexts, from schools to online spaces. It argues that addressing racism requires collective action, urging both black and white individuals to challenge discriminatory practices and promote equality, with silence being interpreted as complicity.

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Reflection essay on When Calling the Po-Po Is a No-No
It was thought-provoking to read “When Calling the Po-Po Is a No-No” (Bates). Once
again, the author draws attention to the old-age issue of racism that refuses to budge from the
mindset of society. The infamous April video by Melissa DePino got millions of views.
Moreover, the arrests were made simply because of the violation of the restroom code in a
Starbucks café. Although Starbucks quickly apologized a couple of weeks later, the incident does
bring back the muck of racism to the surface. The author has used the term” black tax” very
appropriately as this is the price the blacks have to pay for the color of their skin amongst the
whites. The author reminds the fellow white people that dialing 911 is for something really
serious and not to call the police just because they suspect a person of color. They should know
how the police and criminal justice systems work in such situations where the police and the
black person is involved. I agree with the author when she writes that the Whites are aware of
their advantages positions and do not shy away from taking advantage of being white.
The above incident forces one to think if racism will ever go away from the US or from
the world. A recent body of research on 2016 elections shows how the views of the voters are
divided as per the race and gender (Grossmann). At the same time, the elected officials and
candidates can change their views if they are loyal to the party. Americans who were pro-white
people than pro-black people became Republican as asserted by Grossmann. There are
testimonials from African-American students in the Greendale School District that they feel

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discriminated. A mother from that was suspended from joining homecoming activities over using
the "n-word" (Enriquez). The incident shows that racial slurs are still there.
The case of Swansea woman fired from Fairview Heights shows that harassment and
discrimination can exist even for the whites (Rieck). Here it is not the skin color but the race
which is the issue. In another incident, a youth football team from Maryland has been sidelined
without warning, and it is a predominately black team. Many people are not surprised as this is
the era of Trump’s America (Crockett). Forrest talks about racial discrimination even in online
sexual networking spaces. Racialized rejection, exclusion, and degradation occur when people
prefer partners only of particular skin color or ethnicity. It is common to see parole writing
hateful things about people of certain ethnicities and races. Just because of the anonymity in the
digital spaces, one can see the true expressions of the people and their hidden expressions.
There are plenty of incidents, to show that Jim Crow is very much there and raises its
ugly head every now and then. It is not just the responsibility of the blacks to fight against the
injustice but also the white people to stand up and speak out. Bates in her article is right when
she says that keeping quiet about such incidents means that you are complying with those issues
and giving space to the racism and discrimination.

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Works Cited
Bates, Karen Grigsby. “When Calling the Po-Po Is a No-No.” NPR, 14 Jul. 2018,
www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/07/14/628899391/when-calling-the-po-po-is-a-
no-no. Accessed 10 Nov. 2018
Crockett. Stephen A. “Undefeated Youth Football Team Believes They’ve Been Banned From
the Playoffs Because of Race.” The Root, 30 Oct. 2018, www.theroot.com/undefeated-
youth-football-team-believes-theyve-been-ban-1830099264. Accessed 10 Nov. 2018
Enriquez, Darryl. “Probe into racial discrimination in Greendale schools should be done by early
November.” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 23 Oct. 2018,
www.jsonline.com/story/communities/southwest/news/greendale/2018/10/23/racial-
probe-into-greendale-schools-should-done-early-next-month/1743673002/. Accessed 10
Nov. 2018
Forrest, Sharita. “How does racial discrimination impact users of online dating websites?”
Illinois News Bureau, 26 Oct. 2018, news.illinois.edu/view/6367/710089. Accessed 10
Nov. 2018
Grossmann, Matt. “People Are Changing Their Views On Race and Gender Issues To Match
Their Party.” ABC News, 2018, fivethirtyeight.com/features/people-are-changing-their-
views-on-race-and-gender-issues-to-match-their-party/. Accessed 10 Nov. 2018
Rieck, Dana. “White Swansea woman says she was fired from Clarkson Eyecare because of her
race.” Belleville News Democrat, 30 Oct. 2018,
www.bnd.com/news/local/article220786130.html. Accessed 10 Nov. 2018