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THE PUBLIC EYE: Five Things You Can Do About Racism
It’s been 57 years since Martin Luther King, Junior, gave his “I have a dream speech.” And, 56 years since the passage of the Civil Rights Act. Over this period, too little has changed. The United States has a persistent systemic racism problem that must be fixed.
In the most recent Gallup Poll (https://news.gallup.com/
I'm a privileged white man. Therefore, I broach the subject of racism with trepidation. Nonetheless, here are five suggested actions that white folks can take to improve race relations. These are actions you can take at home or in your community.
1.Inquire within. Start your personal work on racism by having a serious talk about race within your family, or circle of friends, or church. In other words, have a meaningful discussion about race with people that you care about but who, perhaps, you've avoided having this discussion with. (Rather than talk about race in the abstract, talk about specific situations that affect your family members.) This will take time; be prepared to go slow, listen a lot, and (possibly) have your feelings hurt when non-white family or friends tell you of their experiences with racism.
My multiracial family has started this discussion. It's hard. What helps is that we all love each other and want to have a totally honest talk about race.
Caution: If you are a white person, GET OUT OF YOUR HEAD. Racism is best understood on a visceral level. LISTEN more than talk.
2. Provide financial support for the "Black Lives Matter" movement. To be sustainable, the movement needs money.
I'm a member of Indivisible and I trust them. Recently the leaders of Indivisible provided a list of BLM-related organizations to support (https://secure.actblue.com/
White folks need to do more than talk. We need to act. Start by writing a check.
3. Hold Police Departments accountable: Take a long look at your local police department. Compare how your non-white friends are treated by the police with how you are treated. Be prepared to be shocked.
Americans must "reimagine" policing; local citizens need to reassert control over their police departments and not leave control in the hands of police unions and the white elite. Reimagining policing will, not doubt, result in reducing the funds that most cities spend on their police departments.
A fair criminal justice system requires national policy changes. For example, on June 8th, the House of Representatives passed the "Justice in Policing Act:" (https://www.nytimes.com/
4. Provide Equitable Healthcare: The middle of a pandemic is a good time to be aware of how race affects the delivery of health services.
African-Americans, and other people of color, are more likely than whites to succumb to COVID-19. A recent Guardian study (https://www.theguardian.com/
The Public Policy Institute of California (https://www.ppic.org/blog/
The obvious solution is an equitable healthcare system, such as "Medicare for all." But that's a way off. Start by helping your family and friends get adequate healthcare.
5. Protect Voting Rights: The Civil Rights Act was intended to safeguard the votes of African-Americans, and other people of color. Nonetheless, for the last 56 years, there have been well-organized white initiatives to nullify the votes of non-whites -- and women. We've seen this recently in Wisconsin, Georgia, and Kentucky.
No one denies this is a problem. See for example, this USA Today story: (https://www.usatoday.com/
Summary: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was intended to end segregation in public places and ban employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. While it succeeded in the first objective, it failed to effectively ban employment discrimination and did not achieve the objective of ending segregation. In 2020, the United States is a segregated society.
Segregation continues to impact the life chances of African-Americans. It affects their education, healthcare, housing, employment, and access to capital. For example, a recent Time Magazine article (https://time.com/5855900/
The United States has a persistent systemic racism problem that must be fixed. It's up to white folks to make the changes required so that the United States can actually become a functioning Democracy, "one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Bob Burnett is a Bay Area writer and activist. He can be reached at bburnett@sonic.net