Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 24, 1991 TAG: 9103240045
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: D5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MELANIE S. HATTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
It hadn't been long since he'd just learned how to drive. But he was in a hurry and furious that the driver ahead of him was being so slow.
Rutstein peered out of the windshield and saw an old black man at the wheel of the car in front. The word "nigger" flashed through Rutstein's mind, which horrified him.
He considered himself a liberal, and he wouldn't tolerate racial jokes. But in that moment more than 30 years ago, the disease of racism overcame him, Rutstein said to about a dozen people Friday at Virginia Western Community College.
Rutstein has since learned to understand and overcome his own racism. He founded the Institute for the Healing of Racism, which, despite the sound of its name, is an informal organization. Its goal is to "provide all people with a forum on how to heal each other of racism and the wounds racism creates," he said. It's a bit like Alcoholics Anonymous, he added.
Rutstein was invited to Roanoke by members of the Baha'i Faith to share his thoughts and experiences with the community. He gave several talks in Roanoke and Salem on Friday and spoke at Virginia Tech on Saturday.
Rutstein, a Baha'i since 1955, is a former international news editor for NBC News and foreign news editor for ABC News. He is the author of the book "To Be One: A Battle Against Racism."
Rutstein now teaches at a community college in Amherst, Mass., where he lives.
Racism is a disease that affects all people, but most deny they suffer from it, he said. Denial is one of the greatest barriers to healing racism.
"So many of us live a lie. I know I did," Rutstein said. "As a liberal, I had to pretend I didn't have this infection, which . . . affects everyone in this country."
Rutstein repressed the hateful feelings he had had that day in the car, only to have them resurface a few years later when he moved to Chicago.
A friend found him a place to stay, but it wasn't until he arrived that he discovered that he would have to share an apartment with a black man. "I was in a rage, but still smiling, and I put my hand out," to shake his hand.
Rutstein would lie awake at night, afraid the roommate would cut his throat while he slept, Rutstein said. The experience was liberating for the man who was raised in a Jewish community in South Bronx, New York.
He couldn't rationalize his behavior and began to search his past to understand why he would feel that way. He discovered the Baha'i Faith, which teaches oneness of God, religion and humankind. Baha'is believe in the eradication of all prejudices.
Growing up, Rutstein experienced subtle racism. He saw his father get upset when a black family was going to buy a house across from their home, then saw his father's joy when a white family moved in.
He attended a family celebration when his father opened a liquor store in a black neighborhood. He went to the movies and cheered for a white Tarzan beating the black savages in the jungle.
There are two kinds of racism, Rutstein said, the overt kind, such as the Ku Klux Klan; and the more dangerous, subtle form that is difficult to detect "like a poisonous gas."
Most everyone will agree that Nazi Germany and South Africa are racist countries, he said. But America is a racist country, too. "I hate to say this because I love my country . . ., but the truth shall make you free. The truth is often painful."
Racism can be cured, but the healing starts with the individual, he said.
People must recognize the disease and overcome the denial; learn the true American history so they can appreciate the suffering of blacks and Native Americans; then reach out to people of different colors.
The purpose of the Institute for the Healing of Racism is to allow people to "recognize the oneness of humankind" and learn to love each other. A desire to heal the community grows and becomes a launching pad for social action, he said.
A day will come when the world is united as one. "It won't come easily. There will be travail and sorrow, but it will come," he said.
Local members of the Baha'i Faith are forming a local version of the Institute for the Healing of Racism. For information call 343-0326, 345-6848 or 362-0505.
by CNB