Virtue is a word that had for a while been lost to time. We would like to think the meaning of the word is common knowledge, but is it? The problem the founders had with the development of a new Republic was, Creating a Virtuous Republic. The founders reasoned that “Unless a Republic’s citizens were willing to sacrifice their own private interests for the good of the whole the government would collapse. A truly virtuous man, classical republican theory insisted, had to forgo personal profit and work solely for the best of the nation. In return for sacrifices, though, a republic offered its citizens equality of opportunity”.[1] These are the thoughts of men crossing the threshold from the old world into a future not even enlightened men of the 18th century could fathom.
On April 26th 2010, I sat down with Bernard Streets Jr, whose father was a dentist, civil rights leader, and a pillar of the community. My aim was to get his perspective on how far we have come as a people. Bernard Jr, himself an accomplished man has seen much in his time. A graduate of Indiana University Bloomington, and Masters from the University of Michigan, he has spent a number of years on the issue of racism and its effects on the black community as a whole. During our time together he continued to stress the word “Virtue”. Not in the context of a nation, but in the context of a people. A people whose rights for centuries were nonexistent, but they managed to overcome. When asked how do you think blacks survived? Bernard’s answer was simple “Virtue”. Naturally questions arose, and the most pressing questions were. What are American virtues? Are American virtues grounded in the documents crafted by the so called founding fathers, or is virtue something greater? Are American virtues individualistic, capitalist, socialist, or is virtue something greater? At first glance American virtues seem to be spelled out in the Declaration of Independence, but that is open to interpretation. The American idea is great on paper, but in practice it is a different story. The story of America is full of contradictions from “All men are created equal” to the complete destruction, of the Native American way of life. From “All men are created equal” to the enslavement of an entire race of people; through all of the contradictions built into American society, Americans have held on to some of their virtues. Virtue is defined as “a particular moral excellence”[2]; but who is the authority on moral excellence? Each individual must be their own authority, because there is no law on moral excellence. People must have a sense of self, a sense of purpose, and a sense of the past in order to understand where American virtues got lost, and how American virtues can be restored for future generations. It is imperative for America and its’ future that real virtues not just on paper, but also in practice become a part of everyday life; because if this nation does not hold on to the virtues it was founded on, it may very well come apart at the seams.
Virtues are not only based on a person’s past, but also in the education they receive. This could be what happened to the virtues America was supposedly built on. When people learn about the Civil Rights movement today they tend to only learn about Southern States like Mississippi, Alabama, or Arkansas. Few people know that far before there was a national movement, people in Northern States had already challenged the status quo. In 1922 the Natatorium opened its doors in South Bend Indiana. On the façade of the building the word public appears, but it was only open to the white public. Blacks were not allowed at all, but the irony is, blacks still had to pay taxes. A group of influential South Bend residents decided to challenge the system, people like Attorney Chester(Chet)Allen, the Tolchinskys, and Dr. Bernard Streets. They reasoned with good reason that something was not right here; why should black people have to pay taxes to repair a pool that blacks were not able to use? Eventually they came to a settlement with the tax commission that, “blacks could use the pool one day out of a week on a segregated basis. After they were done, the pool would be drained, cleaned, and then filled again”[3] . Those mentioned above understood this would be a long fight, and the only weapon they could yield against an unjust system was virtue.
These struggles continued to consume America; a nation supposedly built on virtue, but actually built on division. “Race is something that divides people, every group has good folks. The key is: with us, we had to take the guilt of the white race on our shoulders. No one has a monopoly on violence”[4]. If history teaches anything, it is that every race of people has a minority of people who will do as they please regardless of what the law says. But for blacks it is different. “In the black experience it came from everywhere that you were nothing”[5]. This is what Dean Barnlund coined “Individual unconscious”[6], meaning that people get so accustomed to their normal lives that they continue to do those things unconsciously. Like Streets said “This is custom, this is how it is”. The question now becomes: is that the way it has to be? In short, the answer is no, but if people are not vigilant, that is the way it will continue. So Americans especially blacks, but whites as well, need to never forget the virtues set forth by the people who sacrificed the same things we take for granted today.
While Bernard Streets Jr, was still in the womb his father Bernard Streets Sr. was fighting against a system bent on segregation. Although segregation was not the law in South Bend, it was what Dr. Martin Luther King, coined “De-facto”, so embedded into the culture of this nation that it became normal regardless of place. Born in South Bend on February 8, 1933 the first of four children to Odie Mae and Dr. Bernard Streets Sr. He grew up on South Bend’s west side on Birdsell St close to Linden School. “I attended Linden school, while there the school changed to a Jr High School and finished in the ninth grade. I started Central High School as a sophomore in 1948”.[7] It came as no surprise that Streets attended Central High, because most people from that neighborhood also attended Central. However, there was a sharp contrast between his neighborhood and high school. “The neighborhood was very integrated, peaceful, and safe; we had the love of the community”.[8] While attending Central High, Bernard attempted to join the swim team, he tells it like this. “I had seen the Summer Olympics, and I seen African Americans winning dashes (track) and stuff. I wanted to be the first colored Olympic champion (swimming), so I went out for the swim team. The coach said well Bernie it is not up to me, but we do not allow coloreds on the swim team, so how do you handle that?”[9] The answer to that question is virtue.
Was Streets, surprised by this? A person could suspect so, but this was not the first time he faced segregation. “We could swim at the school during Phys Ed; we just could not join the team. It was by custom, we could play football, basketball, track, and after 1947, baseball. We were not allowed to play tennis, golf, wrestling (not like I wanted to wrestle), or swimming”.[10] Prominent South Bend residents would not continue to let this happen, however changing it would be all but impossible. “Trying to get that changed even through the law was impossible, because the law was like; this is custom, this is how it is”.[11] South Bend was not the only place that was having these issues. This was a national phenomenon, but when people think about issues like these they tend to think about the south. Like Streets says, “How do you handle that?”[12] The answer is virtue.
Education is one way to remember what those people sacrificed for equality. During that time even public institutions of higher learning was segregated, and like Dr. Eng, said owned their own slaves. It was not uncommon for Southern Universities to own slaves; but who would have thought Northern States would have segregated colleges? “While going to school in Bloomington, my father could not live on campus because he was black”.[13] But by virtue that did not stop Dr. Streets from attaining his degree while working three jobs in the process.
Brown vs. the Board of Education was a monumental judgment for black people in America; but was it put into practice as planned? “I think school systems generally tried to do that. I think it is not so much the schools fault as it is the American peoples fault”.[14] Until Americans change their beliefs and consciously look at the world around them no judgment will make any difference. “During the Civil Rights struggle African Americans fought hard to get the same rights that Euro- Americans were virtually born with. Some three thousand pieces of legislation and Executive orders just to give African- Americans the same rights as white people got just for being born white”.[15] Technically African- Americans are still fighting that very same struggle, and will continue to do so until America come to terms with its inimical history. This will take the effort all Americans, not just one segment of the population. Exercising a common virtue will be necessary to accomplish this.
The character of a nation
“Many people confuse and equate the term “racism” with “prejudice”. Racism, in fact, contains the element of prejudice, but also includes the possession of economic, social, and political power by one group over another”[16] In 1964, President Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act. “Black America celebrated in the 60’s when President Johnson signed into law a series of Civil Rights bills, and now legislation was there”.[17] Who was supposed to enforce these laws? Executive orders and bills on the books mean nothing when they cannot, or will not, be enforced. “I see frustration in much of black America since that time, because it is one thing to pass the laws on the books, but what I see is the change of attitude and minds of many of our Euro- American brothers and sisters eternalizing equality. What you see over that time is all of a sudden private academies and moving kids into private schools to get away from integration”.[18] This was not a new idea, but Americans are creatures of habit that seem to be content with what the status quo is, however, with virtue the status quo can be challenged.
Although America has made great strides trying to equalize race relations, this nation still has a long way to go. Affirmative Action was a program that was meant not to level the playing field, but to make it fair. People tend to listen to what they want to believe and not what is really true. “I know a lot of people were pretty angry at what they perceived as Affirmative Action. I have read thousands of pages of Affirmative Action, and I never seen the word quota, yet you have people talking about quotas”[19]. This brings to mind the health care debate raging through congress now. There are so many untruths floating around that people have no idea what the truth really is. How do you handle that? The answer is virtue.
Virtue is a word that is rarely used today; possibly do to the lack of knowledge of what the word truly means. Each individual interprets this different, but for Streets it is simple, “people of character”[20]. This is what America needs now more than ever before. Regardless of a person’s race, “No one has a monopoly on violence”.[21] That is true; violence has no color. Again it will take this entire nation to fight this struggle, and it will take this entire nation to make sure that every American enjoys the freedoms set forth by the Declaration of Independence.
What does being black mean to you?
“What black means to me is, when I think about three of my great grandparentsbeing born into slavery. It is not using bad language, it means having good manners, and pride in whatever you do, being the best you can at whatever it is”.[22] More young black males should hear how Streets explains this because that message has been lost throughout generations. Younger generations have no idea what it took for black people to get to the point where they are now. This is a lesson America must not let be lost to history, this lesson is too important to America’s future.
America’s future is directly connected to its past. “I think I would be a disappointment to my great grandparents, who went through slavery, the worst of conditions, and came out people of character; no education, but people of character, people of substance, and people of virtue. True human beings’, loving- that is what black means to me”.[23] That profound definition is how today’s generation as well as generations to come, should define being black. “I would say that too many African American women, men, and children have not the foggiest idea about what it took to become American. The whole economy of this country was built on the backs of legions of black men and women, who toiled without pay in the most grueling conditions and yet they came out”.[24] They came out strong people who still had to struggle to secure the rights granted to them by God. “They came out as people of character, people of substance, People of virtue”.[25]
Conclusion
Be it race, gender, nationality, or politics, this nation has been divided. We have to define what virtue is, and what it means to be virtuous. We have to define humility; we have to define what it means to be a community. Not just a community of neighbors, but a national community. Streets seem to understand the true meaning of virtue; what it means to be people of character and people of substance. It would do us well to embrace his vision of what humanity should be. We should celebrate our diversity, and stop being afraid of equality. We should lend a hand when it is needed instead of keeping them in our pockets. We should talk about our differences instead of letting them divide us. With three Grandparents born into slavery, who came out of that institution stronger than those who imposed it; Streets has seen firsthand what it means to embrace virtue. He saw what it was like to have his father turned away from equal access to public education; and he saw access denied to ordinary people to places like the Natatorium. He dealt with discrimination within the public school system, while at the same time remaining true to those virtues he was raised with. In the founders attempts to create a more perfect union they failed to realize the character of men. They failed to address the issue of true equality, so now we must address that issue, but we can only address it as a collective. What Streets is telling us, is Virtue is the most powerful weapon we have in the fight against inequality, but we have to be virtuous to wield it.
Bibliography
Barnlund Dean, Communication In A Global Village. From Public and Private Self and the United States pg. 59, 1975
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary 11th Edition
Norton Mary Beth, Katzman M. David, Escott D. Paul, Chudacoff P. Howard, Paterson G. Thomas, Tuttle M. William. A people and a nation: A history of the United State, Vol 1, 5th edition. Pg. 174
Rutstein Nathan, Morgan Michael. Healing Racism: Education’s Role. Springfield, Mass, 1996. pg. 150
Streets, Bernard. Interview April 26, 2010
[1] Mary Beth Norton, David Katzman et-al. A People and a Nation: A History of the United States, Vol. 1, 5th edition. 174.
[2] Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary 11th Edition.
[3] Bernard Streets interview, April 26, 2010.
[4] Streets interview.
[5] Streets interview.
[6] Barnlund Dean, Communication In A Global Village. From Public and Private Self and the United States pg. 59, 1975.
[7] Streets interview.
[8] Streets interview.
[9] Streets interview.
[10] Streets interview.
[11] Streets interview.
[12] Streets interview.
[13] Streets interview.
[14] Streets interview.
[15] Streets interview.
[16] Rutstein Nathan, Morgan Michael. Healing Racism: Education’s Role. Springfield, Mass, 1996. pg. 150.
[17] Streets interview.
[18] Streets interview.
[19] Streets interview.
[20] Streets interview.
[21] Streets interview.
[22] Streets interview.
[23] Streets interview.
[24] Streets interview.
[25] Streets interview.