Raising the Bar
by Roger Brewer
by Roger Brewer
I search for the positive for
Americans of African descent arising out of Mr. Donald Trump being elected President
of the United States. Perhaps there is more, but I find one positive thing in
particular.
Some concerned citizens are confronting their fellow Americans who voted for Mr. Trump based on the position that Mr. Trump is bad news for racial equality. People who voted for Mr. Trump and who are confronted in this way are usually inclined to answer that they are not racist and neither is Mr. Trump. But this answer, even if correct, is not sufficient because it wrongly assumes that all anyone has to do to be a good citizen with regard to race relations is not be a racist.
In case you have not noticed, a new standard is evolving concerning personal behavior in matters of race. This new standard did not begin with Mr. Trump, but certainly it has become more prominent than before as a result of Mr. Trump's election.
Increasingly, it is no longer sufficient that you are not a bigot or that someone you know is not a bigot. If you are not a bigot, that's surely a good thing. But do you also confront family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and others who make bigoted statements or commit bigoted acts as you witness such behavior in your everyday life? Do you participate in or actively support efforts to eliminate political, social, and economic injustice caused by current or past bigotry and prejudice? Do you hold all elected and appointed public officials to standards that require them to stand proactively and prominently against racism and address all racial inequities?
Simply not being a bigot falls short of the requirements of good citizenship. It is wrong to do nothing while your fellow Americans suffer injustice.
Beginning with Colonial America, we have existed as the American People for a period of 411 years. For all but 53 years of our journey, the disparate treatment of black people was cruel, overt, and pervasive. Specifically, we had 259 years of slavery followed by 99 years of racially oppressive laws, policies, and practices, including the brutal "separate but equal doctrine" that was approved by the United States Supreme Court in 1896. We have this horrible history of racial oppression precisely because not enough non-bigoted Americans spoke out in support of their fellow human beings of African descent.
Of course, the past is the past and certainly we, the American people, should move beyond the past. But we have not moved beyond the past. Indisputably, with the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, we now have laws that prohibit racial discrimination. But these laws against racist practices have been in effect for only 53 years as compared to 358 years of past racial oppression that was permitted, sanctioned and compelled by law. Bigoted attitudes continue today as they are passed from one generation to the next. Bigoted attitudes today result in racially motivated denial in jobs, housing, business endeavors, voting rights, and other areas of life. These bigoted attitudes threaten and intimidate Americans of African descent and harm them further in their sense of self-worth, even when there is no denial of a specific material benefit. In addition, racist practices of the past are the direct cause of inequality today in jobs, housing, education, and economic status.
The most effective way, and perhaps the only way, to finally bring about racial justice in the United States is for the American public to take personal responsibility. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends." The bar has been raised. If you have not done so already, take up this new standard of personal behavior and apply it to yourself. Encourage others to do the same and challenge them if they do not. As Americans, we proudly and boldly claim the benefits of our American heritage without hesitation. May we now have the courage and integrity to accept responsibility for its harm.
Some concerned citizens are confronting their fellow Americans who voted for Mr. Trump based on the position that Mr. Trump is bad news for racial equality. People who voted for Mr. Trump and who are confronted in this way are usually inclined to answer that they are not racist and neither is Mr. Trump. But this answer, even if correct, is not sufficient because it wrongly assumes that all anyone has to do to be a good citizen with regard to race relations is not be a racist.
In case you have not noticed, a new standard is evolving concerning personal behavior in matters of race. This new standard did not begin with Mr. Trump, but certainly it has become more prominent than before as a result of Mr. Trump's election.
Increasingly, it is no longer sufficient that you are not a bigot or that someone you know is not a bigot. If you are not a bigot, that's surely a good thing. But do you also confront family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and others who make bigoted statements or commit bigoted acts as you witness such behavior in your everyday life? Do you participate in or actively support efforts to eliminate political, social, and economic injustice caused by current or past bigotry and prejudice? Do you hold all elected and appointed public officials to standards that require them to stand proactively and prominently against racism and address all racial inequities?
Simply not being a bigot falls short of the requirements of good citizenship. It is wrong to do nothing while your fellow Americans suffer injustice.
Beginning with Colonial America, we have existed as the American People for a period of 411 years. For all but 53 years of our journey, the disparate treatment of black people was cruel, overt, and pervasive. Specifically, we had 259 years of slavery followed by 99 years of racially oppressive laws, policies, and practices, including the brutal "separate but equal doctrine" that was approved by the United States Supreme Court in 1896. We have this horrible history of racial oppression precisely because not enough non-bigoted Americans spoke out in support of their fellow human beings of African descent.
Of course, the past is the past and certainly we, the American people, should move beyond the past. But we have not moved beyond the past. Indisputably, with the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, we now have laws that prohibit racial discrimination. But these laws against racist practices have been in effect for only 53 years as compared to 358 years of past racial oppression that was permitted, sanctioned and compelled by law. Bigoted attitudes continue today as they are passed from one generation to the next. Bigoted attitudes today result in racially motivated denial in jobs, housing, business endeavors, voting rights, and other areas of life. These bigoted attitudes threaten and intimidate Americans of African descent and harm them further in their sense of self-worth, even when there is no denial of a specific material benefit. In addition, racist practices of the past are the direct cause of inequality today in jobs, housing, education, and economic status.
The most effective way, and perhaps the only way, to finally bring about racial justice in the United States is for the American public to take personal responsibility. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends." The bar has been raised. If you have not done so already, take up this new standard of personal behavior and apply it to yourself. Encourage others to do the same and challenge them if they do not. As Americans, we proudly and boldly claim the benefits of our American heritage without hesitation. May we now have the courage and integrity to accept responsibility for its harm.
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