Most people believe racism and bigotry are the same, they are not. Any individual or group can be bigoted, however, racism is the ability of one group to control another based on race or ethnicity. (Therefore, it is virtually impossible for Blacks and other people of color to be racist in America.) This country was obviously racist from the start and racism continues in different, more subtle, but no less harmful forms in the 21st century.
Racism was clearly evident in the 2012 presidential campaign and in the House of Representatives’ 33 attempts to overturn the Affordable Care Act. The emergence of the Tea Party and its tacit acceptance by much of America is another clear example of the continuing prominence of race. The unparalleled obscene attacks on President Obama by right wing extremists are also blatant evidence of racism’s poisonous tentacles. Of course, the problem is not only properly defining racism, but people actually doing something to challenge it.
Barack Obama’s first campaign and the aftermath of his election attested to racism’s deep roots. But even his steadfast avoidance, initially, of the words “Black” and “African American” was undoubtedly calculated to avoid alienating white voters. Similarly, not once during their respective speeches at the 2008 Democratic Convention did either Barack or Michele utter those words. Republican candidate John McCain’s racial innuendos were especially evident when he pitched to “Joe the plumber” crowds. And, in Torrance, a Los Angeles suburb, post-election vandalism was a crude manifestation of continuing racism: Homes with Obama lawn signs and cars with his stickers were painted with “nigger,” “Hitler” and “go back to Africa.” Could the message be any clearer?
In 2008, Obama lost votes because of his race, but this was partially offset by the landmark financial meltdown that caused many white voters to reluctantly switch to him towards the end of the campaign. The popular vote was extremely close and arguably, but for the financial crisis, McCain could have won the election -thus the continuing significance of the Black vote. Many Republican voters abandoned McCain because like countless others, they were hurting financially and came to see him as an extension of Bush’s failed policies.
This column regularly addresses the harms of institutional racism while also bemoaning the fact that Blacks themselves tend to minimize racism’s devastating implications. Such denial results in self-effacing mindsets fueling self-fulfilling prophecy that reinforce a status quo inimical to Blacks own best interests.
Effective leadership is crucial if Blacks are to regain the collective strength necessary to address 21st century educational, political and economic challenges. (This also requires actually holding elected officials and other Black leadership accountable.) And ordinary people must become sufficiently motivated to make concrete demands on their leadership and the powers- that-be, backed up by organized strategic action should those demands not be met. Cornel West: “Blacks must shed the twin burden of victimization and futile dependence on others…..” In other words, transformative (new) behavior requires a reaffirmation of racial pride.
Racism, by definition, is damaging and it has a particularly crippling impact on our children. Among a host of other negative factors, Black youth suffer conditioned inferiority; tragically, in many urban neighborhoods, neglecting their needs has become the norm. Schools, especially, do a serious disservice to these children by failing to provide them adequate resources, given their special needs. Tragically, Black students continue to occupy the lowest levels of academic achievement.
The Occupy Movement, which has dwindled, did not necessarily help Blacks, but they should take note of that movement’s focus and resolve. Its demonstrators believed they were wronged and did something about it. Until the continuing protests following the grand jury “not guilty” decisions in the police killing Michael Brown and Eric Garner, the last time Blacks collectively demonstrated such sustainable outrage, was during the civil rights era, which for most Blacks is a distant memory.
We’ve seen that Obama’s momentous victory did nothing to bring about substantive change in the Black community. Actually, such change will only come about when Blacks, leading the way, exert sufficient pressure on the powers that be to make real change a reality. And despite an iconic affinity with President Obama, in order to really get his attention, Blacks, like all other special interest groups, must give him doable proposals and recommendations and hold him accountable for responding in a timely manner. The challenge is even greater because Blacks lack recent experience with group-oriented (versus individual) efforts and successes.
Tackling racism and race-based issues is especially difficult for Blacks because many have internalized the white majority’s values and are reluctant to challenge them. Also, ineffective leadership has resulted in only a façade of political power, not real political power. However, Black people’s history is defined by pride, resilience and defiance that too many have forgotten or never experienced.
0
0
1
862
4917
Los Angeles Sentinel
40
11
5768
14.0
Normal
0
false
false
false
EN-US
JA
X-NONE
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
Are racism’s effects indelible? For Blacks, that depends on whether they hold their leaders accountable and work together for explicitly determined common good. Racism is a given, but Blacks’ uncritical acceptance of it should not be. Only with courage, renewed moral values and sustainable commitment will Blacks again determine their own destiny.
