Had Virginia Governor Ralph Northam committed a crime he might be in less hot water than he is now over a decades-old picture. Politicians can salvage their careers after a criminal conviction, but no apologies will save them from a search and destroy political climate where the slightest allegation of racism spells the end. A criminal conviction, on the other hand, isn’t … [Read more...] about No Apologies Will Save Racially Insensitive Politicians
Race in America
The Race in America category is about how our government, society, and institutions respond to racial differences.
Race in America is our most valuable political issue. The Democratic Party just struck election year gold after years of stirring the race pot. Post-Obama America started out angry and divided. Liberals used Donald Trump's presidency to label conservatives racists and white supremacists. A death at a Charlottesville, Virginia white nationalist rally fanned the flames and gave this portrayal the appearance of credibility.
Now we've got more than we bargained for after heavily politicized incidents involving law enforcement culminated with the unwarranted, police-involved killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020.
On the docket now is a slate of new and revisited reforms including taking down symbols of the confederacy, restructuring or abolishing police departments, paying reparations, and extending federal assistance to under served minority communities.
Our politics claims to address the racial pain that tortures America, but politicians' dependence on this issue presents a tremendous problem. The politics of racial conflict are simply too vital to the back and forth between Democrats and Republicans to give us much hope that one day we can move past our history.
Boycott Coffee Shops to Promote Exclusion and Division
I wasn’t at the Philadelphia coffee shop that touched off the newest excuse for a racial firestorm, so like most of us I don’t know what really happened. The image we are left with is a man in cuffs standing in a Starbucks. That’s not good for branding. It’s great for activism. The company took responsibility, but nothing it can do in the aftermath will rival the opportunity … [Read more...] about Boycott Coffee Shops to Promote Exclusion and Division
Civil Rights Leaders Threatened With Success Helped by Trump
America’s civil rights leaders have a problem. They can’t solve it because success is not an option. If they ever get what they want they will become relics, a part of history. That means no notoriety, no claim to political office, no fame, and no money. Trump gives civil rights leaders a helping hand On Saturday President Trump gave House civil rights advocates an easy … [Read more...] about Civil Rights Leaders Threatened With Success Helped by Trump
Monuments to Slavery Bill: H.R. 3660 Gives Us Hard Numbers
Sponsor Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) calls it the No Federal Funding for Confederate Symbols Act. H.R. 3660 would more appropriately be titled the Monuments to Slavery Bill. Before he introduced the new legislation to the House on August 18, 2017 Rep. Espaillat joined Congressman Dwight Evans to announce the purpose: Federal Funds Should Not Support Monuments to Slavery or … [Read more...] about Monuments to Slavery Bill: H.R. 3660 Gives Us Hard Numbers
African American Anger is About Money, Not Injustice
There is an enormous contradiction in African American anger at the institutions many in urban communities rely on to survive. The riots this week in Charlotte aren’t about police shootings or oppression. Neither were the violent outbreaks in Ferguson or Baltimore. They are about the injustice of money. How should people react when the hand that feeds also hurts? Government … [Read more...] about African American Anger is About Money, Not Injustice