What about the dots along the way? First America had slavery. Then fought a civil war over slavery, making it unconstitutional. There was a brief period of time during Reconstruction where blacks were allowed to vote, and many were elected to various local and federal government positions. Then in rides the backlash, aka Jim Crow laws and the rise of the KKK and other such groups, which endured in many places until the 1960's (and beyond). With the Civil Rights movement we saw the abolition of many Jim Crow era laws and segregation, but not all... They morphed and were absorbed into modern day legal practices.
Example: mandatory minimum sentencing laws of crack cocaine vs. cocaine. I believe the figure is 1 in 5 black men in America today will spend time in prison, and that figure is rising. Compare the statistics of the frequency of jury recommendations of the death penalty for blacks vs. whites, and how many blacks vs. whites are actually executed.
The progression from slavery to Jim Crow to these modern practices is obvious. I think these are something to be pissed off about, not just for African-Americans, but any person who values equality and fairness in our justice system.
However, this is not condoning racism. The system is skewed, but one shouldn't practice prejudice against a person solely on the basis of their ancestor's actions by virtue of the color of their skin. These types of prejudices should not be codified into law, but, unfortunately, they are. There's a whole slew of issues tied into this, income disparity, educational systems and opportunities, housing opportunities, job opportunities, social mobility, etc., it's not just the race issue, though race does play into all of these problems.
IMO, the system needs to be recalibrated to create a level playing field for everyone.
The town I grew up in has a statue in memorial to all the Confederate soldiers who died during the Civil War standing in the town square. The statue itself never bothered me. What did bother me was the lack of discussion about how honoring the white, Southern heritage is at odds with honoring black, Southern heritage. By honoring one aren't we putting the other down? This is an important question, and I don't have the answer to it. As a country of immigrants (forced or voluntary) I think we need to have this discussion, as sanely and calmly as possible.
Example: mandatory minimum sentencing laws of crack cocaine vs. cocaine. I believe the figure is 1 in 5 black men in America today will spend time in prison, and that figure is rising. Compare the statistics of the frequency of jury recommendations of the death penalty for blacks vs. whites, and how many blacks vs. whites are actually executed.
The progression from slavery to Jim Crow to these modern practices is obvious. I think these are something to be pissed off about, not just for African-Americans, but any person who values equality and fairness in our justice system.
However, this is not condoning racism. The system is skewed, but one shouldn't practice prejudice against a person solely on the basis of their ancestor's actions by virtue of the color of their skin. These types of prejudices should not be codified into law, but, unfortunately, they are. There's a whole slew of issues tied into this, income disparity, educational systems and opportunities, housing opportunities, job opportunities, social mobility, etc., it's not just the race issue, though race does play into all of these problems.
IMO, the system needs to be recalibrated to create a level playing field for everyone.
The town I grew up in has a statue in memorial to all the Confederate soldiers who died during the Civil War standing in the town square. The statue itself never bothered me. What did bother me was the lack of discussion about how honoring the white, Southern heritage is at odds with honoring black, Southern heritage. By honoring one aren't we putting the other down? This is an important question, and I don't have the answer to it. As a country of immigrants (forced or voluntary) I think we need to have this discussion, as sanely and calmly as possible.
