Emancipation was supposed to be enough. “Separate but equal” was supposed to be enough. Brown v. Board of Education was supposed to be enough. The Civil Rights/Voting Acts were supposed to be enough. Affirmative action was supposed to be enough. A black president is supposed to be enough. Yet, here we are, facing mass incarceration, food insecurity, chronic unemployment, the erosion of the social safety net, income inequality, housing discrimination, police brutality and the seemingly unending deaths of our young people at the hands of police and armed vigilantes. Pardon the “profound gloom.” Here is the thing though: without minimizing any of the shittiness of mass incarceration, food insecurity, chronic unemployment, police brutality, etc., would folks rather not have emancipation, end of de jure segregation, voting rights, affirmative action and a black president? Is it really too much to suggest that things are progressing, however slowly, intermittently and haltingly? Is such suggestion inevitably beholden to white supremacy?
Posted on: Tue, 01 Apr 2014 20:03:20 +0000
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