RACISM IN AMERICA

THE BERNHARD PERSPECTIVE

No-one can rationally suggest or pretend that racism in America is a thing of the past. In truth, it is deeply ingrained in our nation’s history and culture. The question of slavery in this country was settled on the battlefield over a century and a half ago; Jim Crow was abolished in our lifetime.

Today, however, systemic racism exists when policies, practices, and institutions create or maintain racial inequality. Overt prejudice is not a factor in this equation. It is seen in disparities across key areas of society like education, housing, employment, healthcare, and criminal justice.

For example: Black Americans are more likely to attend underfunded schools due to a history of redlining and school funding based on property taxes. They’re more likely to be stopped, searched, arrested, abused, convicted and sentenced harshly in the criminal justice system. In healthcare, studies show Blacks have less access to affordable healthcare, have higher maternal mortality rates and shorter lifespans. In employment, Blacks are still often the “last hired and first fired,” and résumés get fewer callbacks when the names sound like the applicants are African American.

These patterns aren’t explained by individual racial choices alone. They reflect structures that disadvantage some while privileging others. Systemic racism isn’t necessarily about intent, it’s about outcomes. And when inequality is predictable by race, it signals an ingrained system that has been part of the nation’s history and culture almost since its inception.

President Donald T*** is not interested in promoting equality of opportunity in America. His obsession with the term “DEI”” and efforts to wipe away all traces of programs designed to promote DEI objectives are clear evidence of this.

For in truth, Donald T**** is a racist bigot. This was clear as far back as the 1970’s, when allegations that he and his father refused to rent apartments to Black tenants led to a federal lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice. This resulted in a consent decree settlement.

More recently, T****’s racism was highlighted when he referred to Black, sub-Saharan African nations as “shithole” countries, expressed his desire for immigrants to come from white Nordic countries, and more recently when he offered an invitation for a million specifically white South Africans to migrate to America, saying he wanted to “save” them from mass slaughter. That claim is a lie, yet 59 white Afrikaners arrived yesterday.

Following T****’s lead, Conservative bigots actually use the phrase “DEI hire” as a racist dog whistle. They draw a direct correlation between race (ie: being Black) and competency. Their racist nod is that there is no résumé a Black person could have that would qualify them for high-level government appointments.

The clear, understood yet mostly unspoken implication among MAGA Conservatives from top down is that the country should be run primarily by white people.

The fact that America is being governed by unabashed and unashamed bigots and racists is patently offensive. History shows that the country has won this battle against racism and bigotry before.

And we can do it again.