Some things, we have found out, clearly have the power and persistence to pierce through even the coronavirus. In the midst of a global pandemic that has shaken the foundations of our lives and social construct, it seems as though racism has prevailed once again. Our country’s 400 year history of violence, hate, discrimination and inequality against African Americans has once again been pushed right in front of our noses for all to see. Just weeks after Ahmaud Arbery was attacked and killed by vigilantes because he had the temerity to be a black man taking a jog in their (and his) neighborhood, George Floyd’s life was extinguished under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer for trying to buy cigarettes with a possibly fake $20 bill.
Of course, those are just two in the endless string of acts of violence brought upon American citizens who happened to be black in this country. Tragically, the incidents go by and the human toll adds up. We almost cannot process the extent of the problem as the news cycle quickly moves on to the next thing. The fact that pretty much everyone now has a video camera in her or his pocket has forced us to face this reality in new ways. Unfortunately, one thing it hasn’t done is force us to change our ways.
That takes courage, leadership, compassion, insight, wisdom and truth. Those qualities, elements of which are found in most Americans, remain elusive in our collective national character. Winston Churchill famously said that “you can always count on Americans to do the right thing, after they've tried everything else.” Well, it would seem as though we’ve reached the point of trying everything else.
There are no simple answers, and in my view the issue isn’t going to be resolved through screaming or platitudes, and violence ultimately serves as a way to distract us from the core issues. Things are not going to change by demonizing people who have different cultural experiences than others. Local and national legislative changes will help, but they aren’t sufficient on their own. Criminal justice reform is desperately needed, but it too isn’t all that needs to be done. Something on the order of a national reckoning is required, led by not only elected leaders but by community leaders and people of good will from across the spectrum. We cannot change our history, nor what is in people’s hearts and minds, but we need to come to grip with what too many in our country have had to live with for too long and commit to a fundamentally different path forward.
We can also commit to removing the barriers that have been carefully constructed to suppress the voting opportunities of people of color and those from economically disadvantaged communities. Of course, too many people who are not obstructed from voting still fail to do so or they cast their vote for someone who has no real chance of winning. Their protest vote ends up enabling those who seek to assiduously ignore them. It’s self-defeating, but it continues to happen. Seeking perfection or 100% alignment in someone running for office isn’t only folly, it’s dangerous. It also shows an ignorance of history.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”
These bold words, written at the dawn of our democracy by the slave owner Thomas Jefferson, remain not just an elusive aspiration, but a tragic contradiction when viewed in their historical context. They have beauty and moral relevance only when “all men” actually includes everyone. It didn’t mean that in 1776, but after 244 years, it is time for it to include everyone.
It’s past time.
John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland