Over dinner one evening my junior year, Jim reminisced about his days as a student and young professional during Prohibition. Jim talked about the obstacles to socializing openly and the ingenuity required to find discreet alternatives. He described “speakeasies” — establishments in Lewisburg and throughout the country masquerading as soda shops, businesses or social clubs, where the privileged found sanctuary to eat, drink and enjoy good music.

They were called speakeasies because guests needed to whisper or speak “easy” to gain entrance and were invited back only if deemed discreet and trustworthy. The authorities simply turned a blind eye so long as “good people” were patronizing these places and their activities did not draw undue attention.

HEEDING BETTER ANGELS

Today I reflect on the lessons I learned from that conversation. COVID-19 and other recent societal issues have created meaningful disruptions to normal social patterns and illuminated the unequal economic effects of systemic racism in our country. Through the metaphor of the speakeasy — be discreet, don’t draw attention — I recognize how much damage can be done when people remain silent, turn a blind eye, or worse, denigrate as disruptive or unreasonable the efforts of others to protest obvious injustices.

As a Black man who is frequently mistaken for white, I have lived in two worlds, often simultaneously. I know too many people, including some longtime friends, who are hard-pressed to heed their own better angels and call out or publicly separate themselves from the ill-informed or narrow views of others. Staying in fellowship with them while maintaining my own emotional equilibrium is an exhausting exercise to balance feelings ranging from happiness to betrayal.

Another ongoing struggle is reconciling how others view me, as a consummate, nonthreatening insider who sometimes occupies the most prominent seat at the table, with my personal identity as a perpetual outsider. Sometimes, my insider status and relationships have allowed me to influence wonderful outcomes for diversity and greater understanding, but these “successes” don’t make the struggle easier.

RECOGNIZING ADVANTAGES

Long-standing discriminatory obstacles still hinder too many Black Americans and other people of color from attaining the American Dream. We will remove these obstacles only when we amplify all voices and elevate our collective consciousness, when good people emerge from their physical and virtual speakeasies to participate in honest, open — and yes, awkward — conversations about race and equality. Although I have felt let down (and have let down others) too many times in the past, I want to continue to use the voice I found so many years ago at Bucknell to make a difference.

Ed Robinson ’86, a sales/business development professional, majored in English and was the first recipient of the University’s Young Alumni Award. He has been a Bucknell trustee, member of the Bucknell University Alumni Association board and the founding chairperson of the Black Alumni Association.