By Derek Barnes–
It’s February, and we’ve landed, again, in the month when Americans celebrate Black history. It should be a time to promote our value and remember the contributions to the world in terms of intellect, culture, labor, and innovation—not just the struggles that a race of people had to endure. There was a rich Black history before America became a country. But before we celebrate, we must recognize and acknowledge the achievements first and be clear about the work needed to achieve full equality.
In 2022, we’re still living in a country where a significant segment of its citizens hates the idea of losing control and power, voting rights for all, sharing resources, or equitably distributing benefits. It outrages them so much that they are willing to undermine and dismantle the very democratic system designed to advantage them. Today, over 56% of the GOP support violence in acquiring and retaining power—the elements of fascism. Likewise, seemingly progressive policies that are not thoroughly examined or interrogated can also uphold systems of racial dominance and can ultimately work against those they are portending and claiming to serve.
While racial and ethnic groups grapple over definitions of race and who’s been traumatized or disenfranchised the most, the grift or sleight-of-hand by those in power is alive and well. One painful truth is that a large part of the U.S. population has been brainwashed and has no interest in doing away with racial inequality because they benefit economically from institutions and systems that divide the privileged from those who are often disadvantaged or oppressed the most.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., not widely beloved or revered while alive, talked about the war on poor people in America raging in plain sight, as did other civil rights leaders at the time. He was a strong advocate for economic justice. Since his assassination, an estimated $50T of wealth has been transferred to the top 1%, with no end in sight. The radical redistribution of wealth excluded so many from its benefits.
It’s also not sustainable as we’ve racked up over $30T in national debt since his death. Inequitable social constructs are retired when economically convenient and expedient. But first, we need to acknowledge why we are here and how our leaders should bring people together to clean up the mess of racial division and oppression.
Another truth is that hiding or rewriting history isn’t just convenient, it’s also necessary to maintain the status quo. Keeping people ignorant and uninformed is a considerable advantage. If you can hide the truth, covet information, and induce fear, you can manipulate minds and perpetuate division. The past offers so much evidence of this, alongside all the triumph. American history should include the struggles and accomplishments of all racial and ethnic groups that make up the fabric of this nation, and we should critically examine exclusionary practices.
Many programs and policies were devised to grow and stabilize the middle class in the 20th century. They have intentionally excluded Black, Brown, and Indigenous people. We can use critical race theory (CRT) to assess and understand these practices. However, there are now concerns and a backlash in disrupting exclusionary systems, as amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the wake of more recent racial injustices. CRT examines how laws, structures, and systems promote exclusion, injustice, inequality, and inequity.
The foundational premise of CRT is that things are built on what came before and contribute to the conditions experienced today. For example, the Homestead Act that eventually ended in the ’80s pledged to distribute more than 270M acres of government-held land—often taken from indigenous people. However, preference was given to citizens of white European descent. Black and Brown people were often denied the opportunity. The impact meant that generations of people were left out of building wealth for themselves and their families.
We shouldn’t conflate CRT, graduate-level course study, and Black history or Black studies. The universal teaching of CRT to children in public schools is a canard and promotes a false argument for not teaching the full history of contributors who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color. It’s threating to those in power if too many people know the truth about how our systems really operate, their role in perpetuating these systems, and who ultimately benefits keeping them in place—like decoding the Matrix.
On the history and dirty laundry that the U.S. attempts to hide with the stains it has left over the decades, Dick Gregory, comedian and activist, once said, “I’m America’s soap.” Let’s all be “America’s soap” and use this month and moment to learn more about our collective history, align ourselves around shared economic goals, and examine past policies that have contributed to today’s conditions of inequity.
Derek Barnes is the CEO of the East Bay Rental Housing Association ( www.EBRHA.com ). He currently serves on the boards of Horizons Foundation and Homebridge CA. Follow him on Twitter @DerekBarnesSF or on Instagram at DerekBarnes.SF
Published on February 10, 2022
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