Tom Adams

George Floyd Two Years Later: Who is winning the racism battle?

America is in denial about its “war” on racism. Only one side is truly engaged – the white supremacists. They are organized and committed to winning at all costs. If those of us who want to end racism are serious, we have an imperative to organize, fight, and not stop until we are victorious. We need the commitment of a warrior and the heart of a nonviolent revolutionary.

CLOSING THE GAPS IN MENTAL HEALTH CARE THROUGH SOCIAL JUSTICE

Monumental stands on social justice have followed social upheaval. The end of World War II led to the adoption of two policy documents that make our current gaps and inequities in health care appalling. In 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and, more specific to health, the World Health Organization (WHO) Constitution (adopted in 1946) declared health and access to healthcare a fundamental human right. In 2013, the World Health Organization went further by broadening attention to the heath care rights of specific groups based on mental, gender and sexual health which led to a focus on determinants of health, including social (WHO, 2013).

ANTI-RACIST RHETORIC AND WHITENESS PRACTICES

The practice of racism and white supremacy in the United States, from conception, has always been structural and institutional. The majority of U.S. history has been one of policies and legislation codifying the advancement of those classified as white and legally denying opportunities for those groups that were not.

Working for Racial Justice – Learning through Conversations by Tom Adams

This week I am continuing to explore concrete recommendations from author Eric Deggans about daily actions that advance our commitment to be anti-racist. In his article Not Racist is not Enough: Putting in the Work to be Anti-Racist, the first tip is about “accepting that we’ve all been raised in a society that elevates white culture over others.” In last week’s post, I looked at how we each might conduct a racial justice self-examination to advance our awareness and motivate personal change.

Concrete actions for racial justice: self-examination

In last week’s post, I invited readers to share what they have learned about working for racial justice in the nearly two years since George Floyd was murdered. I shared some resources which I have found helpful, including an NPR podcast/article by Eric Deggans. In his article, “Not Racist is not Enough: Putting in the Work to be Anti-Racist,” Deggans is very concrete. He offers four practical tips below that I’ll explore in this and future posts:

What Have We Learned About Increasing Racial Equity?

We will soon reach the 2nd anniversary of the heinous murder of George Floyd. This murder was so ugly and wrong that even white folks noticed – at least some of us did. Somehow, we had been able to overlook countless atrocious murders of Black and Brown and Native peoples for years, even generations. In last week’s post, Tim Leadem reminded us about the atrocious deaths at the Canadian Training Schools, operated by the Catholic Church.

The Quest for Justice in the aftermath of Residential Schools for Indigenous Communities in Canada

In May 2021, the remains of 215 children were discovered on the grounds of a former residential school near Kamloops, British Columbia. The gruesome discovery shocked many Canadians and confirmed what many indigenous leaders and people had been telling Canadians for decades-namely, that residential schools, many of which were operated by Christian denominations were and remain a tragedy of misplaced policies that sought to bring indigenous communities within the mainstream of Canadian life. Instead, residential schools removed children from their homes and parents and became a mechanism for discouraging the culture and language of indigenous communities. The Truth and Reconciliation Committee of Canada labeled the whole history of residential schools a form of cultural genocide. The treatment of indigenous people in subjecting them to the trauma of residential schools that started in 1879 and lasted until the mid 1990s is a deep stain upon the Canadian psyche.

George Floyd Two Years Later: Who is winning the racism battle?

George Floyd was murdered in Minnesota on May 25, 2020, two years from tomorrow. Young and old of all races and ethnic groups took to the streets, organized and said, “No more.” Black Lives Matter. Now, this energy has dissipated.

White people were shocked this month when ten Black people were gunned down in Buffalo by a self-described white supremacist and terrorist. Black people were not. Read Adar Ayira’s post of May 10 where she describes the paucity of effort to end racism over 400 years. She describes the persistent aggression by white supremacists and whites who stand by and collude with supremacists. The result is that white domination is sustained and hateful lies about Black people and non-Black people of color are perpetuated and accepted as truth.

My wife and I were recently in France for a family wedding. Spending time in Europe reminded me of some of the obvious lessons that history teaches us. While I believe war perpetuates more wars and is not a solution, there are some lessons we can learn from the many wars over the centuries.

We spent a couple of days in Normandy and picked up a short booklet titled “D DAY and the Battle of Normandy. June 6, 1944, is pointed to as Liberation Day and the restoration of freedom and world order. The planning for D-Day success began in 1940 and took four years and was the largest commitment of people and resources in history. Five thousand naval vessels and two thousand additional support vessels were assembled days before the invasion. They were joined by 37 Divisions on British soil joined by 50 Divisions arriving direct from the United States and an air force comprising 10,000 planes.

To assemble and lead the largest invading force in history required an unprecedented surrender of egos, national identity and pride against a common enemy. There was an unshakeable commitment to win as the cost of losing seemed too high.

Clearly, the combination of will and commitment can be combined to achieve previously impossible goals. The decision to send a “man” to the moon is an example. Visit the National Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC and you will see a display with the multi-decade timeline and steps required to get to the moon. There was a commitment, a will to not fail, and significant resources committed.

More recently, the United States found the will and the money to advance several substantive initiatives. When Barack Obama was elected President in 2008, the US was in a deep recession. Billions of dollars were invested to save industries and to restart the economy. With the advent of Covid, billions of dollars were authorized to fight the pandemic. More than $40 billion has been committed to supporting the people and government of Ukraine in its fight against Russian oppression and genocide.

Unfortunately, there is little will and commitment to fight racism in America. Mass murders and daily oppression of Black and non-Black people of color will continue until Americans find the will and commitment to win the war on racism.

Where has the energy and leadership for change come from in the past? Again, a look to France and the recurring revolutions led by students, labor, and progressive thinkers resulted in repeated opposition to an oppressive monarchy and centralized power. The United States has seen the energy of young people, labor and coalitions of community and faith-based leaders come together for short periods to fight for change. Can that energy surface anew in America for a long-term campaign that actually ends racism?

Until we unleash the commitment of the American people to work to end racism and back up that commitment with substantial resources, our skirmishes for change will do little but ignite the fire in white supremacists. It is not enough to grieve the occasions of overt attacks on Blacks and people of color. It is time to step up our plans for a full-blown campaign to end racism.