The Sunday morning news shows this week were dominated by two subjects; the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, when Dr. King gave his iconic “I have a dream” speech, and the events in Syria which may be drawing the US into military action. We will set Syria to the side for a moment and consider the discussion of civil rights and race relations in the country.
Congressman John Lewis and Rev. Al Sharpton dominated the interviews on Face the Nation, Fox News Sunday, Meet the Press, This Week, etc. Colin Powell offered his thoughts, as did others.
There is no doubt that we should all be proud of the marchers 50 years ago. Racism was a very real and horrible thing. Dr. King’s speech is not just iconic but is truly a statement of values and ideals that belongs among the most important in our nation’s history. It took courage to march and to sit at counters and there was often a real physical price to pay. We should not forget those parts of our history. It is right and proper to commemorate the occasion.
Racism was real, and is still real. People judge other people by the color of their skin alone. But as everyone agreed on the talk shows this morning, we have come a long way. The Civil Rights Act was a big step. We have a black president and first lady. We have a black attorney general, and black Supreme Court justices. We have had a black Secretary of State and National Security Advisor. We have had a black man as the highest ranking military officer in the country. The most powerful woman in the media needs no introduction. Oprah Winfrey is perhaps more of a household name than Barack Obama.
Everyone who spoke this morning and at the march yesterday had a common message, which is this; we have come a very long way since Dr. King made his famous speech, but we still have a long way to go. We need to examine what we mean when we say there is still a long way to go. One thing that is evident is that although we have made great strides in social equality, there is still a great deal of economic inequality. Unemployment rates in the black population are much higher. Incomes in the black community are much lower. Test scores in inner city schools are much lower than in the suburbs. Graduation rates for these inner city schools are about 50%.
George Will made a statement this morning that was met with a very awkward silence. Nobody responded to him, and they moved on as though he had not said it. He stated a fact, which was that in the 1960’s the number of single parent families in the black community was about 25%, and today it is three times that, about 72%. Kids need strong role models to develop the skills they need to make them successful.
Parents are responsible for the ideas they put in kids heads at a young age that then influence their entire lives. If white parents tell their kids that black people are inferior, or lazy, or somehow less than white people, they do a great disservice not only to their kids but to society. Likewise if black parents tell their kids that white folks are nasty, that society is going to keep them down, and that studying and doing your homework makes you a sellout, they do just as great of a disservice.
I must pause and mention the young men who murdered Chris Lane in Oklahoma because they were bored. One of the young men had posted on social media that “90% of white folks are nasty”. He danced and laughed while they were booking him. His mother was in prison and his father was not in the picture. I do not believe this young man went astray because of “structural barriers”.
If you want to fix a problem you need to take a real close look at what the problem really is, and then go and address it directly. It is true; we do have a long way to go. There are two problems we need to overcome. The first is racism, and the second is poverty and economic opportunity.
The problem with racism will not be addressed by marches on Washington. It will not be addressed by non-racist Americans getting together and fretting about it. To solve racism you need to change the minds of racists. That is where the problem is. You have to address their concerns, instead of ignoring them.
I don’t claim to have all the answers, but let me tell you how to address white racists. Show them that you are fair. Show them that you do not just care about getting their money. Show them you are looking for equal opportunity, not special treatment. Convince them that you are fair and that there are no double standards and there is a good chance they will be fair and not have double standards. Both white and black racists have it in their heads that the system is inherently unfair and things are stacked against them. To some extent, for different reasons, they both have valid points.
When Barak Obama and Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson make a huge deal about Trayvon Martin and do not even mention Chris Lane or Delbert Belton, there is a double standard. When they march to bring attention to the racism of white people but never address white people except in negative terms, they perpetuate racism rather than trying to address and fix it. When the black leaders fail to condemn the racist comments by Chris Lane’s killer, they show that they have a double standard when it comes to race. If you REALLY want to put an end to racism, stop talking about needing special treatment and start talking about equality. You have to change the minds of racists to end racism.
The double standard is the crux of the matter. Racism still exists and will continue to exist until we do away with the double standards in both directions. We need to be colorblind, and teach our kids to be colorblind, or we can never hope to have a colorblind society. If the goal truly is to rid our society of racism, then we cannot continue to call attention to the race of every individual. We know racism still exists on both sides. What I see in this country with all of the marches and comments and media is a preoccupation with skin pigment and the differences between them. Downplaying those differences is not ignoring the problem; it is the first step in correcting the problem.
If we want to end the economic disparity, let’s address poverty without bringing race into the equation. We should focus on the idea of equal opportunity for all children, rather than trying to bring about equal outcomes through income or wealth redistribution.
We need to provide assistance to poor people, but not based on skin color. We need to help kids have better schools so they can have an honest chance to succeed. We need to do something about the dismal prospects for the working poor, who are trying but struggling. We need to encourage marriage and intact families. In short, we need to change attitudes about education and families and success.
These things are not sexy. These things are not easy. They do not produce immediate results. But they are pretty much foolproof when carried through with. I realize there is a lot of disagreement on this subject. Many of you will want to blame government or corporations or the structure of society. Fixing attitudes and families and kids may seem impossible and it is easier to start a new program to transfer money to people who need it. But as a long term strategy that will not work. Just look at the statistics.
I have a dream. I dream that people will stop considering skin pigment. I dream that every child will have an intact family, a good, safe home life, and a great education. I have a dream that everyone will have an equal opportunity to be successful in life. I dream of a society where hard work and perseverance will pay off and people who work hard and do the right things can make a decent living. I dream that the vision of our founders, and that of Dr. King, become reality.
Roger L. Simon on why it is time to end the civil rights movement:
Listen to Morgan Freeman on racism:
Listen to Bill Cosby on Meet the Press 11 years ago:
Listen to Thomas Sowell on Diversity:
A slightly older Thomas Sowell on Multiculturalism:
And yes, listen to the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from 1963:
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