NENA Tells Another Story

Why, out of ten white boys, was it precisely the only Black boy who was singled out for punishment? Was it just an unfortunate coincidence? Or are we facing something deeper: the cruel face of racism, the racism that chooses its victims even before any wrongdoing has occurred, or the intolerance that finds a convenient target in those who are different?.

Why, when eyes turned to that group of children, did suspicion so naturally fall on the boy whose skin color stood out from the majority? And how can we explain that the men who took part in that attempted lynching were, for the most part, descendants of European immigrants—especially Italians—families who proudly cherished their roots and made Italian identity a kind of symbol of value and belonging?.