Caffeinated Politics

When I heard the following story for the first time, I blinked a few times and then asked it to be repeated. The story did not take place 30 years ago in Mississippi or 15 years ago in a redneck bar in Hayward. The story occurred just a couple of weeks ago in Janesville, Wisconsin.

A blues band was scheduled to play at a bar in the city of about 66, 000 people. Overwhelmingly white at about 85%, Hispanics at about 8%, and a Black population of about 3.5%, sums up the city’s demographics. Based on the most recent election results from April 2026, there are no Black members on the seven-person city council. I mention this data to put the local power structure in some context. I think that matters.

A Black musician arrived at the establishment early to set up some equipment and was greeted by about eight white men at the bar who repeatedly referred to him with the N word. Add in some MAGA lingo mimicry, and the scene is set. I did not ask if the Einsteins were wearing their red hats.

The musician who has an impressive recording studio, an array of musical instruments, and a resume that would impress Quincy Jones walked over to the bartender and asked, “Is this for real?” In other words, you need to correct this situation. The bartender had the temerity to say he could not do anything about it as “they are regulars.”

The musician took his equipment and left, and the rest of the band refused to play the gig. I heard the story and was embarrassed. There are those times when one has every reason to feel ashamed for being white. This was one of those times for me.

I have many emotions about this situation. I did not write about it upon hearing the story, as I was so taken aback that if I had put words to my views, this would not have been a family-friendly column. So, let me frame my response in parts. First, let me speak to those males at the bar using the most vulgar of racist words.

The Black man who was insulted for his race constructed a decades-long music profession. He made something of his life that is grounded in skills and sweat. Meanwhile, people who have nothing better than to hurl racial slurs, those who haven’t built anything, who haven’t invested in their own growth, and who haven’t taken responsibility for their own path, are the last ones who should feel entitled to tear down a Black man. I suggest that the full-out verbal assault is because that is all these white males have to offer.

It takes no talent, no courage, and no character to insult someone’s race. I would argue that what they did is the cheapest, laziest form of cruelty. I feel sad that those at that bar did not grow up in a home with parents who instilled an understanding of what humanity means. When those men chose to demean someone for being Black, they proved to people, not even at the bar that day (like this blogger at my Madison desk), far more about their own emptiness than about the person they were attacking.

We can conclude the men were not their high school valedictorians. So, I will not assume they can frame the N word into a narrative about the historical violence that follows its usage. If they were publicly named and had to defend themselves, we can assume their ‘defense’ would be pretending that it was just “a word.” But the N‑word is not just another word. It is a word built from centuries of dehumanization, brutality, and the belief that an entire group of people existed only to be owned, exploited, and controlled. It’s a reminder of chains, lynch mobs, segregation, and the constant message that Black people were considered less than human. You cannot separate the N word from the violence that created it. That’s why it hits with such force. That’s why it’s SO repugnant.

That is why it is utterly disgusting to hear this story. Then, knowing the bartender, when asked to remedy the overt racism, said that it couldn’t happen because “they are regulars.”

That’s not acceptable.

A bar that allows that word to be used openly chose a side, and it was the wrong one. It chose to ignore the pain and fear that word causes. It chose to let harassment slide because confronting it might be uncomfortable. I swear I could make a mint selling spines.

For this bar, I conclude that they seem able to enforce age limits and drink policies, but seem not competent enough to enforce basic human decency. And that starts with making it clear that racist language — especially the N‑word — is not welcome, not excusable, and not up for debate.