I keep hearing on the news these questions and concerns:
1. Can America ever come together again and make it through all
the racial division?
2. Can America be great again?
3. Can America survive the Trump’s presidency?
Let me start at the bottom and first get this question out of the way, so I can be freed up enough to better address the others. Yes, America will survive the Trump’s Presidency. It will end at this year’s voting polls. Enough said!
Can America be great again? I answer this question with a question (we were told not to do this in school). When was America great? I suppose it has been great for some. I even understand why many immediately go here — if you don’t like America why don’t you just leave?
As a black man and a person living with a disability, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else other than the United States. I love the U.S., but I also know the U.S. doesn’t necessarily love me as well as the many other people of color who are oppressed.
So, when I see, “Make America Great or Greater Again,” I wonder which part of America’s history are we referring to — the America, that even in 1776, fighting for their independence from the British, had black slaves?
Or, maybe America was great when writing the Declaration of Independence where many of the writers themselves were slave owners.
Or, America was great when establishing our system of government, the Senate and House government, and the use of the Three-Fifths Rule, stating that every 5 white folks were equal to 3 black slaves. Thus, preventing the South from having more power than the North in the House of Representatives because of the many slaves owned in the Deep South.
Or, was America great when the Proclamation Emancipation was enacted and freed slaves, then with it's passage, America’s free laborers (slaves) were set free (supposedly), but soon thereafter used an exception written into the U.S. Constitution that allowed the use of prisoners to be used, leased or sold as laborers — this begins the very simple criminal violations (made up crimes) like loitering and vagrancy, not having the right paperwork such as proof of employment, or not having permission to change employers or permission to travel. Even engaging in loud talk with white women. This led to the mass incarceration of Black people being imprisoned, just for the purpose of needing slaves again to rebuild the economy of the South — working in the fields and coal mines. All of this was done only out of self-interest and building up of white wealth and power!
Or, America was great or even greater I guess when the Presidents of Law and Order such as Nixon, Regan, Bush, and Clinton started criminalizing Black people decade after decades, by creating racist laws such as the War on Crime, which was just code for locking up black people. Laws such as Three Strikes You’re Out, Mandatory Sentencing, Truth in Sentencing. All of these laws targeted black folks and people of color being locked up for 20, 30 years, or life for small amounts of marijuana or crack cocaine. This destroyed the family unit, leaving young boys without fathers. Then, the greater injustice, you labeled and treated these fatherless boys as “Super Predators”.
I could go on but let me move to the next question. Can America ever come together again and make it through all the racial division?
This is a tough one to answer because very few people with power and influence want to admit that America has a very long history of systemic racism that has been built on racist ideas, practices, and policies. Very few of White America accept the idea of “white privilege” or even believe he or she has racial biases that shape their thinking and interaction on a day to day basis.
Many are unwilling to see that everything we are as a country and every institution we have created such as education, religion, the economy and work, government, voting and elections, and health care system has been built on these racist ideas, practices, and policies. And, until this is seen and addressed, we will always have division.
Oppressed people will eventually say enough is enough (like what has happened throughout history and now)!
A lot of white folks are now saying, what’s next? They are tearing down our statues, America’s history. What’s next?
I don’t know the answer to that question, but I do know, my lack of an answer doesn’t give you the right to stop tearing down these symbols of slavery, these reminders of mass hangings and murders of Black folks.
So, then they say, when will it stop? I do have an answer to this one — when all people of color are seen and treated as human beings. When all people, regardless of the color of their skin can say, “We the People...” and know we are the people too. Or, “All People are created equal...” and know we will be treated equally! Or, “Justice is Blind...” and know justice is truly blind!
When we can do all of this, and do it well, then I believe one day we will make it through the racial division. Denial and not doing anything, is definitely, not the answer!
