This morning, as I rounded a corner on the path and came out from behind a dune, the stench hit me again. I had forgotten about it, perhaps, or hoped it had finally gone away. Nope. For the past week or more, I have smelled it every time I passed this beach. You have to look very closely in the photo to see what is causing the stench. It is a rotting seal carcass, washed up behind a rock at high tide and stuck there.
The first day I smelled it, I looked over and it took me a while to spot it, its colors mimicking the surrounding rocks. But on closer examination I could see spots where scavengers had feasted on it. Day after day I have been walking by. A couple of days ago, I was hopeful, because someone had buried it in sand and the smell was much less offensive. The cover-up was not lasting, though, as the sand was cleared away by wind and waves.
It was a month ago, May 1, that I encountered another dead seal, on Asilomar beach. I called animal control, but they said due to the pandemic nobody was retrieving dead animals. It, too, smelled awful for weeks. It has been periodically covered with sand, yet the scavengers still feast occasionally - a seagull was picking at it this morning.
It has surprised me that people choose to sit and play on those beaches, in clear view (and presumably smell) of the carcasses.
I know this isn't my usual description of the beauty of this place I live. But my heart is heavy these days, and the dead seals seemed an apt metaphor for the sin of racism that has stunk up our country for centuries. I am white, so I don't notice the smell all the time. I am free to take other paths. I can walk by and breathe clearer air. We can cover it up, but it is still there. Until we eradicate it, we will not any of us be free of it. Its roots are deep, and too many of us white folks tell ourselves we are not racist, we are post-racial, whatever. If we are not actively anti-racist, we are not loving our neighbors as well as we must.
There are a number of reading lists out there to help us educate ourselves so that we might better work for justice, and an end to the scourge of racism. This is just one:
I have read several of these. One that I particularly recommend that is not on this list is James Cone's The Cross and the Lynching Tree. I have led two book studies on it. It is a hard read, but essential. I am currently reading White Fragility by Robin Diangelo. I have more books on my shelf to read. I urge you to join me. If you want to talk about any of them, or start a group to read and consider together, let me know. We must do better.