Folding chairs have been placed in a circle in Redd’s living room – a bright, airy, and modern space. Freeya and Rashad are already seated. Ms. Lund is organizing a tray of cookies at a table placed against the wall behind the chairs. Redd is pacing the floor waiting for others to arrive. It’s early evening.
REDD: What’s taking so long? Why is everyone always late to these things.
MS. LUND: Redd, the meeting wasn’t scheduled to start until 6 pm. It’s only 6:01.
REDD: 6:01 is late. People are late. How can people be late for a revolution?
FREEYA: We’re here Mr. Redd! Me and Rashad. We came as soon as we got your text.
REDD: I know and thank you for that. Although I did send that text 3 hours in advance of the meeting, you didn’t have to come so early.
FREEYA: We wanted to help set up Mr. Redd. Rashad nods.
The doorbell rings.
REDD: That must be everyone else, finally. I’ll go let them in.
MS. LUND moving to stand next to Redd and whispering:I’ll keep an eye on those two. Nods toward Rashad and Freeya.
REDD looking puzzled: Keep an eye on those two for what?
MS. LUND: It’s just that, you know, their kind . . .
REDD: Their kind what?
MS. LUND: Well, they have high rates of diabetes don’t they? Those two have already had 2 cookies. Each!
Redd sighs.
REDD: They’re teenagers, Ms. Lund. High metabolism and all that?
MS. LUND: Well one would think they would at least ask for a second cookie . . .
REDD: Ms. Lund, why don’t you go wait by the cookie table, just in case a black person needs help choosing just one cookie?
Redd walks off to answer the door. Ms. Lund moves toward the cookie table eyeing Rashad and Freeya suspiciously.
Redd comes back into the living room with Dorothea and Ralph Watkins in tow.
REDD: Now that everyone’s here, help yourself to cookies. Ms. Lund clears her throat. Uh, just 1 cookie if you’re prone to diabetes.
FREEYA whispering to Rashad: Cookie Nazi is at it again.
RASHAD: Damn, black man can’t even have a cookie.
FREEYA: And women. Black women can’t have them either, apparently. Rashad nods in agreement.
REDD: Alright, once you have your cookies or cookie please take a seat so that we can get started.
Everyone sits down. No one, except Ralph Watkins, takes more than one cookie. Ms. Lund glares at him.
DOROTHEA: First, I’d like to open us up in prayer. . .
GROUP shouts in unison: No!
DOROTHEA: But why?
RALPH WATKINS: You know why Dorothea. We asked you to keep it faith neutral. But every time you pray, you keep calling on that God of yours that no one else has ever even heard of!
DOROTHEA: I’ll have you know that the god Basher dates from the 11th century BCE and is . . .
Rashad groans loudly which makes Freeya laugh.
REDD: Let’s move on. I called you here today to plan our response to Mayor Ellerby’s announcement at the press conference last week.
The group shakes their heads some shaking fists in defiance. Ms. Lund reminds them that raising fists is now outlawed per Mayor Ellerby at the press conference. They glare at her.
REDD: So what are we going to do about it?
RALPH WATKINS: Well, I, Ralph Watkins won’t stand for it I tell you, I simply won’t.
REDD: That’s great Ralph. Ralph stares at Redd. I mean, that’s great, Ralph Watkins. Ralph nods his head and signals to Redd to continue.
REDD: But, what are we going to do about it? Does anyone have any ideas? “Unfairness, Inequality, and Injustice for all” is ridiculous! We have to do something, we can’t let them take away our right to protest.
RALPH WATKINS: Nor our right to fist raise!
DOROTHEA: Nor our right to be angry, especially when people tell you that you can’t pray.
RALPH WATKINS: Shut it, Dorothea.
MS. LUND: Or our right to look after the health of our citizens by simply suggesting they take one cookie. Glares at Ralph Watkins.
FREEYA: Why don’t we start a social media campaign to raise awareness about what’s going on here in Clayburn?
DOROTHEA: Oooh, I like that. Raise awareness. Let’s film the mayor, record some dirt, post it on social media. Blackmail the mayor to get what we want. Done.
FREEYA: No that’s not what I meant, I meant we should . . .
RALPH WATKINS: That’s a great idea. Haha, smear campaign it is! You young folks are geniuses. Freeya beams at being called a genius and stops trying to correct the group about her idea.
MS. LUND: Oh, I do love a good blackmail. This will be just like the soap operas!
REDD: Alright. Now that we have a plan we need to figure out how we’re going to surveil the Mayor.
MS. LUND: We could have a bake sale to raise funds for the surveillance equipment.
RALPH WATKINS: A bake sale where you restrict people from buying more than one cookie?
MS. LUND: I’m simply trying to help people with their health. . .
The group, crowding in, starts arguing about cookies and planning their next steps.
Author’s Note: Did you catch that? Everyday racism, health disparities, and cookies in one episode. Ms. Lund is an everyday racist who would be shocked, I mean shocked, to be called a racist. Why? Her form of racism -the “I know what’s best for you people” form –is so normal in our society that it’s almost mundane. If this were a different era we’d find Ms. Lund teaching at a Native American Boarding School or on a missionary trip in Africa. Why does the group tolerate her? Probably because, of the myriad forms of racism that people tackle daily, this one seems almost not worth it. Until it is.
The World We Live In Now 