When Rob was in residency, we lived in Savannah, GA. We didn’t have money, and we didn’t live in the best part of town. Now, to be clear, mid- and downtown Savannah are a bit strange in that fabulous mansions and rundown trap houses can share the same block. But houses like ours – 2 bedroom, 1 bath, 900 square feet with a fenced yard – WERE the mansions on our block.

At night, the dope man hung out on the northeast corner of our backyard. Young black guys would yell and throw rocks, bricks, and empty 40s over the fence at our dogs – Pandora, a black lab; and Millie, a German Shepherd – day and night. We had a doggie door, so they could go in and out at will, and our dogs enjoyed fucking with those dudes as much as they enjoyed fucking with our dogs.

In 2003, we all, including Pandora and Millie, moved to the upper-middle class ‘burbs outside Nashville. After that, our dogs only real up-close contact with young black guys approaching the fence was on trash days. We had twice weekly, to-your-door trash pickup. So, the guys would roll up to the back door with a large empty bin, transfer trash from our bins to theirs, and roll back out. And, man, our dogs fucking HATED the trash guys. They were black, they were loud, and they came right up to the fence – just like those gang members who threw bricks and 40s – even tho they were completely legit.

In 2004, we got Piper. And Piper learned to hate those black men, too, because Pandora and Millie did. Pandora passed in 2011, so Millie and Piper carried forth that hate. We got Zeus in 2012, and he learned to hate those black men, too, because Millie and Piper did. Millie passed in 2013, but Piper and Zeus still carry on that hate.

So now I have two dogs – Piper, a mutt; and Zeus, a black lab – who NEVER experienced that dope man back in Savannah. But they despise all young black men just as much as Pandora and Millie, because they watched, they learned, and they emulated.

This is how hatred based upon skin color is passed down from generation to generation. There doesn’t even have to be a single, tangible, solid, reason based upon genuine, personal, threatening or fearful interaction. Because often it is just a watched, learned, emulated set of ideas and behavior.