KENNETH

What black people did on that boat dock was long overdue. White people need to be put on notice that racist violence especially mob action will not be tolerated. Black people are willing and able to meet such action by whites with force. LIFT EVERY CHAIR AND SWING TILL EARTH AND HEAVEN RING !

In the case of Harvard the use of certain assessment tools by counselors and teachers that often stereotype Asians was discriminatory. The Court's right leaning majority wrongly tossed out Affirmative Action by being too broad instead of focusing that particular practice. The problem with Harvard and our social institutions in general is that they exclude blacks and other people of color on the basis of race. Thats true when it comes to subtle implicit bias or practices that appear neutral yet have a mainly negative impact on blacks or other people of color. Considering race as one factor in admissions did not put Asians or whites at a disadvantage. Affirmative Action is a needed tool that combats subtle yet systemic racism.

Last Thursday in a 6 to 3 decision the Supreme Court declared Affirmative Action in higher education unconstitutional meaning race can no longer be a factor in college admissions. In two cases involving the University of North Carolina and Harvard University the court's conservative majority ruled that race conscious admissions put white and Asian students at an unfair disadvantage in violation of the Equal Protect Clause of the 14th Amendment. The plaintiff in both cases was an organization Students for Fair Admissions founded by a white conservative activist named Edward Blum. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in part - “the Harvard and UNC admissions programs cannot be reconciled with the guarantees of the Equal Protection Clause.” He added “Both programs lack sufficiently focused and measurable objectives warranting the use of race, unavoidably employ race in a negative manner, involve racial stereotyping, and lack meaningful end points. We have never permitted admissions programs to work in that way, and we will not do so today.” While the court was wrong to end Affirmative Action it's important to realize there's a wider attack on every public policy or practice dealing with race that benefits black people. Consider the backlash against supposed Critical Race Theory in schools opponents claim is leftist indoctrination; the effort in Florida to prevent the teaching of Black History in high schools; and state governments defunding or abolishing Diversity Equity and Inclusion programs at colleges and state agencies. It's not just Republican politicians there's a popular backlash among whites who feel threatened by anything that narrows the racial gap. Black people must fight to protect the gains we have made. Think about how we took to the streets in 2020 to protest police violence and the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Consider how the demand for reparations has moved from the fringes of black political discourse to the mainstream. Yet, black people allowed Conservative Republicans to gain the upper hand politically in confirming judges to the Federal judiciary especially the Supreme Court. That led to the erosion of the Voter Rights Act of 1965 and the end of Affirmative Action. We have power to get things done. It's important to use it. Sure, we experience plenty of defeats and setbacks. But, that's not always the case. Too often we don't put up a fight. Besides voting or street demonstrations what can we do? 1. Boycott business and corporate backers of groups and individuals who oppose policies and practices that advance freedom and racial equality. 2. Use of all forms of mass media to shape and control messages around issues and policies related to race and politics. 3. Black Lives Matter Movement can't do it all alone. We must revitalize and reorient groups like the N.A.A.C.P and National Urban League to meet today's challenges. 4. If the US continues to pull back on political and public policy efforts that advance our rights and material wellbeing than blacks should seek a hearing before the United Nations regarding human rights. We cannot afford to react only when something outrageous happens. Furthermore, black people must not be distracted or deceived by symbolism. Having more black leaders in government or Corporate America is not enough either. The struggle for freedom is continuous, because systemic racism must be confronted. We should think about the effectiveness of our efforts.

Pioneer1 makes a very important point about the lack of sympathy black people have for each other. To the extent blacks will write off white racist violence against other blacks they believe misbehave in public or make " the black people look bad." All of us no matter our race or class don't like to be bothered or inconvenienced by homeless people who are often mentally ill or addicted to drugs and alcohol. We disdain them. If they are perceived as disruptive or a threat force or violence is welcomed. Let me be honest and confessional for a moment. I have a certain contempt for people standing around begging for money. Whether they have signs or hang out around businesses. I try not to give them money if possible although I do sometimes. I used to be more willing to. But to the extent I have always worked and had two or three jobs in some cases. Healthy able-bodied men panhandling make me really mad. I realize many of them might actually be addicts or mentally sick, but that's not everybody, however. It's not always easy to discern, and i'm sorry to say I don't try in many cases. Our political leaders have got to be held accountable. At the same time however, maybe I just need to be more compassionate too. But, make no mistake what happened to Jordan Neely was wrong to say the least. I hope Daniel Peters goes to jail for a long time.

No I don't live in NYC that's true. But if no more immigrants or refugees came after tomorrow for let's say a decade. Blacks in that city and urban areas across the country would be struggling with discrimination, lack of public investment, and poverty. Immigrants don't necessarily make it any worse. In fact they tend to work and later start businesses. Black people wrongly believe in representation and passivity in dealing with Democrats politically. Imagine if we would take to the streets around economic and social conditions the same way we approach police violence things would have to change. If we would put in place truly Liberal and Progressive Left politicians not Moderate Center Right Democrats like Eric Addams or others things would change. Instead when they can't fix problems it's easy to scapegoat immigrants and refugees.

I don't think migrants will hurt black people if the situation can be better controlled. But the Republican Right has no incentive to govern and work with the President to do that. They thrive politically on portraying them the enemy the same way they do us. Ultimately if we're going to control immigration and solve the border crisis America needs to focus more attention on Latin America than the Pacific or the Middle East. By working with Latin American governments to make those countries more liveable and prosperous not everyone will be compelled to immigrate here. American elites are hell bent on keeping all working people down at home and maintaining White Supremecy. Abroad they are determined stop China from rising and meddle in the Islamic world. Meanwhile things are falling apart in Latin America and the humanitarian crisis is spilling over our border.

Systemic racism past and present deprives black people of rights, opportunities, and material wellbeing. While this common reality unites black people there are still differences among us. Progress and problems are not the same for all black people. Recognizing the obstacles faced by black men are unique from those of black women is not new. It's a long-standing discussion and debate among black people. From the 1980s onward various black activists, politicians, authors, and thinkers have analyzed the problems of black men and offered possible solutions. I can personally remember books like the three volume set Countering The Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys by Juwanza Kunjufu and Black Men Single, Obsolete, and Dangerous by Haki Madhubuti. Some have emphasized job training and public sector work projects to fight black male unemployment. In some cities there are all black male schools - academies with dress codes and black male faculty that address the educational deficits faced by black males. However, none of this occurs without controversy or tensions among black people. Some believe equal effort should be made and attention focused on black women and girls too. They argue that while black women have made some gains, they still face challenges related to race and gender. All of this speaks to a gender divide among black people. Many believe that if black men are doing better than black people are better off. Others including Black Feminists believe black people must confront racism and sexism which intersect. Now mainstream think tanks like The Brookings Institute and white liberal experts like Richard Reeves are talking about the problems of black men in a new article from the organization's website entitled The Inheritance of Black Poverty It's All About the Men. It reads, " Black Americans born poor are much less likely to move up the income ladder than those in other racial groups, especially whites. Why? Many factors are at work, including educational inequalities, neighborhood effects, workplace discrimination, parenting, access to credit, rates of incarceration, and so on. But gender is a big part of the story too, as detailed in a new paper from the Equality of Opportunity Project, “Race and Economic Opportunity in the United States: An Intergenerational Perspective” by Raj Chetty, Nathaniel Hendren, Maggie Jones, and Sonya Porter. " It's more important how black people focus our activist and political energies. If more things improve for black men will our communities automatically be better for black women? Black men are in trouble by every social and economic measure. For all the progress made since the 1960s it appears they have lost ground. Problems like crime, mass incarceration, the decline of marriage, and family are tied to the unique and negative circumstances of being a black man in a racist society where economic inequality is worse than any time since the early twentieth century. Here are the facts- Black men born into poverty are almost twice as likely to remain poor compared to anyone including black women. Black men working fulltime hourly or salaried earn $ 378 less than white men and $ 125 less than white women. They are twice as likely to be unemployed compared to white men. One in every three black males will be in prison compared to one in every 17 white males. What about black women ? They have made some significant progress compared to black men. Consider the this they are narrowing the gap with white women in avoiding intergenerational poverty, more women are going to college getting bachelors and master's degrees, and they have a rate of participation in the labor force. However black women because of racism and sexism still lag behind white men and women. They work making 36% less money than white men and 12% less than white women. Going to college doesn't erase the gap. But it's worse for black women in terms of health and wellbeing. Black women are five times more likely to die than whites from pregnancy related complications, and they are more likely to die from breast cancer too. More frightening is black women and girls making up disproportionate share of those missing and exploited. And they are less likely to be found alive or dead. Call it conservative, masculine, patriarchal, or sexist the idea that we can afford to focus on black male wellbeing and not black women is wrong. The unique problems of black men need attention, but that doesn't mean black women have arrived. They don't have it easy. Furthermore, their progress doesn't diminish black manhood. For all our outrage and struggling for change too many black people buy into the idea that women should be subordinate to men. That should not be the case. If the struggle for black freedom and equality over racism is simply about putting black men on the same level as white men what good is that? I would say none. We must rise and move forward together as equals. Helping black men shouldn't mean ignoring black women.

Things are bad to say the least. However this society is fixable if we're willing to get involved. But if America is beyond reform then we're all in serious trouble because nobody is interested in a Socialist revolution or a Black Nationalist Sepratist struggle to form an independent Black state in North America. I say all this because accommodation and adaptation are not good options either. Thanks ProfD...

It is possible to reduce crime and treat drug addiction in the black inner city. We know in the 1990s violent crime rates went down. Drugs are a tougher problem. Moreover things will never be ideal so we need to focus on constant improvement instead. One thing that will help is putting more people to work in living wage jobs. More importantly Brandon Johnson is making the well-being of poor and working class people a political priority. That's not something a lot of big city Democratic Mayors white or black have been doing.

I use the terms race and class separately. 1. Race is a social construct not a fact of nature. It is often used to define those different from us as subhuman and lacking dignity. It is used to treat others unjustly. This is especially the case in Western Civilization and specifically the US. 2. In a social sense class refers to differences in status, prestige, and privilege. Of course, all this is backed by wealth and income. So of course it's economic. Often times when I write or think about class it is in the Socialist framework - there are the wealthy owners of capital and workers which is everyone else. Thanks Richard Murray.

Ultimately does this go beyond race and extend to class? After all powerful monied whites including the Founding Fathers were rich and waged a war of national liberation against British rule because they hated taxes and government control. Black enslavement and the genocide of Indigenous people were certainly racist, but also class driven economics. The least well off landless and small farmers after the Revolution needed land political leaders opened the West to expansion killing off even more indigenous people than in were exterminated in the original thirteen colonies. Jump forward today and if you notice the assault on welfare programs including Social Security and Medicare and union busting in the name of individualism, self reliance, economic growth, and fiscal control are done by those critical even hostile to political reforms that advance freedom and racial equality. Even wealthy and middle class blacks who get over are often opposed to critiques and class based actions challenging Corporate Capitalism because these blacks benefit more from legal and social equality with whites yet poor and working class blacks need material economic equality. When we talk about race and privilege class cannot be denied. It's not just systemic white racism. Uncontrolled Corporate Capitalism and those with money exploiting poor and working people is the other side. The latter can come in blackface just as readily as white.

This is as bad as the show Sister Wives about the white breakaway Mormon fundamentalist man with four wives and multiple children. Not going to bother watching this nonsense. All these shows glorify pettiness and dysfunction as fun and endearing which is wrong. We would all be better off not taking in this stuff.

ln this regard black people are no different from whites. The kind of elitism that comes from being college educated hinders our relationships with each other and the struggle for Black Freedom. A lot of well off educated blacks only want the benefits of the system rather than changing the system so that black people benefit collectively. There are plenty of intelligent, hard working, and effective people doing all kinds of things for themselves and other black people. These people have never been to college. We need them and their contributions as much as anybody with a degree. While we have always had these divisions as black people, it's important to be aware and strive to bridge the gap.

My apology I misunderstood you. Thanks for the clarification.

Thanks for posting this Richard. While I disagree with how you get to opposing Reparations l think you're wise to do so.