"Who on the bus got my money!"

Here's an editorial I wrote while I was still at the University of Montana. I'm still not sure what to think about this strange incident.
“Who on the bus got my money!” Aboard the campus shuttle bus, my face in a book, I look up and see a 6-foot-5-ish black man holding an aluminum baseball bat. I look around at the other passengers - some have a look that lets me know their fight-or-flight response has been activated.
“Speak up! Who on the bus got my money?” the man repeats, talking loud, but not yelling. It's only now that I realize he's smiling, and that he's not wielding the bat, just leaning on it. Nobody responds, and he takes a seat across from me.
The passengers who seemed frantic begin to relax. The man starts chatting with two women next to me as if nothing had happened, mentioning that he's headed to play softball.
I think this guy is a genius. This was a performance by someone very aware of the image he is projecting – the African-American student athlete. And he was aware of his audience – predominantly white University of Montana students.
He made a point by playing a joke on the bus that day. Playing the thuggish black man and playing off the fear that image generates got everyone with a brain thinking about race.
On one level, I have to respect someone with the bravery to get on a bus and create this intense situation. In a homogeneous place like Montana, why not force people to confront race directly? Why not create a situation where people come face to face with their attitudes and stereotypes?
Maybe that was his motivation. But whatever it was, I have to believe it was counterproductive. It doesn't do anyone any good to get people to confront stereotypes if those stereotypes are reinforced at the same time.
But what to do on a campus where events promoting diversity are poorly attended? What to do on a campus where panel discussions in the University Center are largely ignored? These events have their place, but lack power and immediacy because they happen in a context removed from daily life.
As a campus community we need to figure out ways to address racial issues in a more immediate and meaningful way, otherwise we leave it up to individuals to address them.
And it won't go well if those individuals have baseball bats.