A couple of weeks ago, a social
justice page I follow on Facebook shared an article about institutional
racism and its effects. A commenter wrote the following, "I don’t
know, but I don’t think it is institutional racism. That would require a
culture-wide conspiracy. People aren’t smart or creative enough for that.
Besides, what would be the point? Businesses, the military,
the government, and society all benefit from wealthy people of all races.
Whatever the cause, I don’t believe it is intentional."
I replied, "By your own
admission, you don't know what is the cause but you're confident that it ISN'T
institutional racism. Then what might it be? Black people's laziness? Their
intellectual insufficiencies? Their innate criminality? There aren't a lot of
choices here. Either there are structural and social forces restricting social
progress or there aren't. It's X or Y."
He remained unconvinced. He
wrote back demanding to know whether I thought that the great laws of the Civil
Rights era were being routinely broken, beginning his response thusly, "I
agree that many people in America are racist. People of all races, religions,
and cultures fear people who are different than themselves. Fortunately, our
society has made great strides in the last 100 years to, at
least, put into place laws that prevent discrimination based on religion, race,
gender, etc. Do you believe those laws are being violated? In what way and by
whom?"
Here's the real problem here:
despite the presentation of empirical evidence, he could not be convinced. So I
have to ask the question: if data doesn't convince and the lived experience of
my and others' lives doesn't convince, what will? Answer = nothing.
The challenge that the great strides argument presents is that
it relies heavily on an innate goodness
of people principle which America's history has proved repeatedly is
entirely unfounded. Great strides thinking suggests that the enactment of laws fixed
everything. A couple of Civil Rights Acts are rolled out and voilà it's all
good? Um, no.
There is no person who knows
America's true and complete history with minority groups who could possibly agree
that Americans' innate goodness has made all things right. That's not how we
roll. How do I know? Um, maybe this?
Georgia Schools Superintendent Geye Hamby, making free with the word n*gger.
How might this language inform his policy-making?
That we can agree that many are racist but at the same time
challenge the findings of a data-driven study is telling. It tells me that you’re
clinging to the innate goodness line of thinking because you’re unwilling to
face the reality of two pervasive evils - supremacy and racism.
Basically, this guy’s view is
that people are racist but those people leave their prejudices at home when
they go to work. Those people may be school superintendents who use The En Word, but that has no impact on school policy. Those
people may be bankers but they don't create banking policies that harm Black
borrowers. Those people may be teachers, but they don't over-punish Black
students in their classrooms.
Racism works as a successful drag on Black and Brown life because
people like this commenter, even when provided with ample evidence, demand that
people like me do the emotional and intellectual hard labor to prove that
there's a there there.
Has there been great progress?
Sure, but there's also ample evidence that the path to equality is fraught with
stumbling blocks.
So to answer his questions.....
Do I believe laws are being
violated? Yes, I do.
In what way? In every way possible.
By whom? By every damn body who
can get away with it.
#RacismAintOver
#InstitutionalRacismIsAThing
#InstitutionalRacismRisesAndFallsOnIndividualRacism
#AskMeHowIKnow
