Ending Racism in America Begins With a Thank-You
Toppling White supremacy has never been more within reach, but its defenders are too sensitive and ungrateful to allow for meaningful progress
It has never been easier for White America to stop racism in its tracks, and yet here we are in the summer of 2021, debating over things like Juneteenth and Black history in classrooms and, still, the matter of Black lives. Apparently the melting pot of America is more like a tepid hot plate when it comes to fulfilling and honoring old values, never mind incorporating new ones. We refuse to acknowledge or contend with the past, opting instead to gentrify it to make way for people with no past, and thus no context for caring or empathetic citizenship.
All the tools to end White supremacy as we know it lie before us. America has never been richer. The overwhelming majority of Americans have the ability to communicate instantly with one another. There is more literature on racism than ever before, and more of it is being generated every day and across platforms. What information you cannot read, you can watch, and what you cannot watch, you can listen to. The world is brimming with ideas and examples and history, and all of it is in a race to reach as many people as it can.
