KENNETH

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.

Well more often than not middle class blacks come one generation out of poverty. And the Black Middle Class is less well off and stable than its white counterpart. None of this is mainly a failure on the part of black people. It is the result of systemic racism in employment and more specifically housing discrimination. Whites got a break after The Great Depression with government backed mortgages in addition to good paying union jobs and GI Bill benefits for college. Blacks got nothing so whites have a head start on building wealth. They have passed on wealth and far too many of us can't.

Perhaps it goes back to the question I raised in the beginning. While some Black Conservative Republicans truly see themselves helping black people others are about the benefits of individualism. For me it's never been about anti whiteness. I want to work with everybody for mutual benefit. But I strongly believe in black freedom and equality. To the extent systemic white racism hinders that freedom the struggle continues. We suffer the most when we don't resist.

By that same line of reasoning perhaps Conservative Black Republicans believe that blaming whites and American society for inequality and supposed injustice is self defeating and foolish so as individuals they have moved to the Right. Black people in their view should see the truth or suffer the negative consequences.

Pioneer1 as usual you stir the pot giving me a lot to think about and make better arguments. Thanks. I disagree with you here, but you're alluding to a larger issue that is very important. Perhaps I will tackle the matter in another post about blacks, white Liberals, and the Democratic Party. I will say this: 1. Black people sympathize with a kind of operational reformist politics mainly in the Democratic Party that addresses and concerns about racial inequality and injustice. But very few of them are ideological Liberals who support abortion rights, gender equality, LGBTQ Rights, or environmentalism. 2. The kind of reform politics that advanced Civil Rights and supported working class economic prosperity has been eclipsed by a Centrist Moderate politics that tries to serve big money Corporate interests while appealing to whites especially men who don't sympathize with racial equality or anything governmental that helps blacks.

Troy I appreciate your response and for being thoughtful and balanced as usual. I agree the debate can get overly simplified and we don't consider the diversity or complexity of blacks views on racism and personal responsibility for inequality. But at the same time it's hard to make that argument for balance because black and white Conservatives alike only consider black pathology as the reason for inequality in the first place. There is a kind of Conservatism within Black America but it may not be the small or anti government kind advocated by the GOP. In fact this kind of social and cultural Black Conservatism often criticizes black moral, social, and cultural life. At the same time it is often paired with a strong critique of systemic racism and injustice in white American society. Some of the best proponents of this perspective have been Black Nationalists like Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X , and Louis Farrakhan.

Black Conservatives are more visible and vocal than ever. They are writers, thinkers, media personalities, and politicians. Whether you agree or disagree they cannot be dismissed. What are they doing to help black people? Could this be the wrong question? Maybe it's about individualism not black people. But how can black people be free individuals while being defined and denied things as a particular group. That is the problem with systemic racism. Yet Conservatives including blacks on the Right don't believe systemic racism is responsible for problems faced by blacks. They blame government policies that foster dependency and encourage racial strife. Moreover they argue that blacks are hindered by their own immoral and pathological behavior. Some black people find all of this outrageous while a few completely agree. But I suspect there are far more black people who blame both racism and us ourselves for problems we face.

There are good and bad reasons for saying you don't need a man in this case see I'm not overly concerned with the slogan. The truth is that we need one another not only for reproduction, but connection that enriches both of us. God made it that way. What we don't need in our personal or social relationships are control, manipulation, exploitation, abuse, or injustice. Too often these things come with patriarchy and gender inequality so change is necessary. Not every change or egalitarian idea is right or useful that's. because we're prone to error and excess. But we can move forward together in better direction. I think that's one way of thinking about the photo. What are the sources of conflict in our relationships or lack there of ? Think about it. Too many Black men are disdain education and work. They only care about sex and the appearance of power and accomplishment. They focus on conquering one woman after another, and can't be faithful in a committed relationship. And they don't show up as fathers for their kids. They don't even think about marriage and family. Too many Black women wrongly blame and punish all men especially their lovers and husband's for the wrongs that an abensentee father, lousy boyfriend, or sex partner did to them in the past. They are so worried about being strong and holding onto to what they have that it's impossible for them be vulnerable and accept a man's love and support. They have babies outside of marriage and are unhappy in themselves. They wrongly look for a man to fix this brokenness and are mad because no man can. These are the kinds of attitudes and modes of living that we must work on as individuals while continuing to fight for our freedom and equality. We've got to be better to each other so we can move forward as partners rather than one over another.

She looks great in the Vogue Cover. I don't think it has to be emasculating or diminishing ASAP Rocky. It's about her rise or perhaps re-emergence not only as a star but a business woman and mother. He's there supporting her and holding her hand as a symbol of the bond. But that's just me. We want to talk about black people being liberated and strong over white racist dominatdomination yet black people male and many females still see patriarchal control as positive and necessary. Black Freedom then merely becomes freedom for black men to control black women and communities. I just think it's a good cover.

It's not common sense. They are racists. Moreover it's the system that has been put in place over time. Its wrong. Furthermore it goes beyond teaching history in school.

Slang and Ebonics if that's really a thing are fine in certain situations, but not everywhere all the time among ourselves or dealing with whites. We are more than capable of speaking standard English. Why get into some kind of symbolic struggle over making Ebonics standard? It's a distraction from bigger more important issues.

I hope you're right.

There may be something to having a smaller more well off black population rather than lots of blacks many of them living in concentrated poverty. But if you have less racism, poverty, and more opportunity then you can have thriving black communities like Prince George's County Maryland.

You make a good point about the kinds of things some black people care about. I have wondered why black people don't launch a mass movement to fight against racism and economic exploitation. Then I thought about the ways in which black people and society are different from the 1960s. It's more difficult to get large numbers of blacks together to fight for concrete change Some black people benefit more from the status quo today than even the most well off blacks in previous generations. Lastly, black people are more separated by class and neighborhood than ever. So it's easy to understand how and why reactionary extremists like Abbott in Texas and De Santis in Florida are not effectively challenged.

I think it's both. In some places there is little or no activism and elected officials are not responsive to the masses. In some cases you have activism but no real mass organizing. Meanwhile elected officials are making an effort but they fail short for various reasons. I would say my local community fits into the former scenario. The next largest city in my native state with a much larger black population fits into the latter.

I don't think it's about resignations or the curriculum. Diversity Equity Inclusion efforts impact recruitment, funding, and contracting. These things have a concrete impact on us. Nobody gets fired up to do anything if there is no agitation. That depends on leadership. I fear that is what we lack in many black communities.

We as black people along with white supporters are caught up in symbolism or merely reacting to the most blatant racism like the killing of Tyre Nichols. By symbolism I mean protests over Confederate monuments or outrage over microaggressions like something said or posted on social media. We are focused on the 1619 Project and related controversies. Then there are the police killings whether it's George Floyd and Breonna Taylor or now Tyre Nichols. Of course we should be outraged and demanding justice We have to think and act more broadly than symbolic jestures or reacting to blatant racism. We must challenge public policies or the lack thereof. It is important to confront powerful corporations too. These political and economic institutions are what systemic racism is all about. They should be the targets of street protests, boycotts, civil disobedience, negative publicity, and lobbying by blacks and white supporters.

You both are right on target to point these things out. We need a politics, mass struggle, and consciousness that doesn't tolerate this kind of situation.

There is always an economic dimension to racism and Slavery was its manifestation from the 16th to late 19th century = Brazil abolished Slavery in 1888. But think of the ways in which black labor is overrepresented in low paying unskilled least desirable and dangerous work to benefit a white corporate elite. While I'm not a Socialist I strongly believe class matters. It is as important as race.