Browns v. The World

I first want to say that Tim Wise, author of “Between a Rock and a Hard Place” was correct when he stated in his interview,

 “… contrary to a lot of rhetoric we’re hearing; we’re no where near a post-racial America.”

Wait, wait...What?

So how do we know that we still need to work on becoming a post-racial society? Well, we could turn on the TV... Or we can realize texts like McIntosh’s “White Privilege Knapsack” still rubs people the wrong way. We know that racism in America is still a problem because we still have issues with segregated schools (closer than you think!), and newspapers are still running stories like Salim Muwakkil wrote about. Or, just ask Jo(s)e Zamora.

Slavery in the United States lasted for over 245 years; slavery has only been abolished half as long as slavery’s entire duration. And, in all things considered, it has been a relatively short time since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down racial segregation in public schools. Brown v. Board of Education only happened sixty years ago. That is not even a lifetime for most people. And I'm sure there are still many people from that time that can remember Brown v. Board of Education kicking... or, erm... shuffling about. 

But I also think that it’s okay for everyone to be “cautiously optimistic” about the topic of race relations. In comparison to most countries, we're still young. We are still working through a healing process, so to speak. We have to continually make sure we have our "global glasses" on; making sure we are looking through to our society with empathy to culture and life experiences.

 I feel Wise summed it up marvelously in his interview,

  “It would be dishonest and I think disrespectful to suggest the ball hasn't moved quite a ways… But my concern is that every other time that we've seen, and look we’re in black history month as I’m speaking to you, the reality is that, in this month, we learn about the accomplishments of individual folks of color, and most of them accomplished the things that they accomplished under a system of formal apartheid. Under a system of formal white supremacy. So even in the midst of horrible oppression individuals of color can accomplish great things”

So how do we translate this? Take Bob Herbert, for example, columnist from the New York Times. Bob writes, 
"Schools are no longer legally segregated, but because of residential patterns, housing discrimination, economic disparities and long-held custom, they most emphatically are in reality."

So, we still live in a society that is not yet post-racial. We can see this because of segregation in schools to this day, except now its under the insidious ploy of classism. We can see this when 6 out of 10 white adults readily accept stereotypes about black people as common knowledge. 

Who really knows the long term impacts of prejudice and discrimination (they might)? 

But here's the catch. It is going to be an on-going push to achieve the goal of a post-racial society. We are going to play the whole game of Monopoly, and not just quit when someone gets mad. It's going to take everyone, not just the disadvantaged. Do not collect $200. Go directly to Delpit. Page 26. ;)


But! We have a black president... so that's something... right?

Right.

Because every step counts. 

We're one black president closer to a post-racial society! Guys, it's kind of a big deal. 

'Merica!