Hello World. What I hope to accomplish by writing this article is for people in this community to wake up and not just here, but maybe other parts of this country.

I am a white male in my 20’s in the state of Iowa. I have lived here my entire life. I live in a town that had kind of a bad reputation in the 90’s for racism. This is the small city of Dubuque.

Now we are in the year 2016. Quite a lot has changed here actually, but not quite enough. I still witness racism everyday that most of my other white peers shrug off, or simply do not notice. Even some of my good friends have said some very racist things without even realizing it. When i try to confront them on the subject, they instantly shoot me down with what i like to call “dad facts”. “Dad facts” are little rumors that usually a family member like a father, (or some other relative or person that a young white person looks up to) says something to a young impressionable mind similar to, “look son, there are n-----s, and black people, just like there are white trash, and white people.” These horrible little phrases are then repeated by youth, without them even batting an eye. A phrase like that is so repulsive it makes me sick to my stomach. Can we just agree that there are good people and bad people? Why does there have to be a term to go with it based on your skin shade? And the term “white trash” versus the term “N----r”?????? C’mon people. Let’s not pretend the term “white trash” even comes close to the burdens that come along with the word “N----r”. Another common “dad fact” is, “Well I am just so sick of going to work everyday and paying my bills and riding around in my old ford pickup, and this guy (points to random black driver on the street in decent car) is on food stamps with no job and receiving welfare checks, meanwhile he’s driving that brand new cadillac.” How do you even know this person is on welfare/food stamps/any government assistance/has no job? There is no possible way for you to know all of that. That my friends, is what is wrong with today’s white community.

Another thing I have noticed from growing up in this town, is the blame put on blacks for close to all criminal activity in Dubuque. This is where “dad fact” #3 comes into play. “When i was a kid, we could walk down the street downtown without having to worry about anything. Now there is shootings, stabbings, robberies, burglaries, break ins, and drug dealers everywhere down there. It isnt safe. I wish they’d all go back to chicago.” It is then usually followed up by something like, “Im not racist. There’s bad whites here too.” As if to quick save themselves from being called out on there racist accusations, on the chance that the person they are talking to catches on and doesn’t feel the same. What they mean when they say “When i was a kid…” is, when there were no blacks in this town. A lot of Dubuquers will claim that the town has since gotten so horrible and crime ridden, that it is unbearable. I quickly found the information to debunk this silly claim.