Closing The Value Gap
I was there when the nation made history. But I’ve come to realize that nominating and then electing our first black president was not enough. Our country’s political, economic, and educational systems, as well as our personal lives operate under a false assumption. It is the assumption that the founding fathers meant it when they said all men are created equally. They never meant people of color. Most people are not white supremacists in the sense that they would physically harm a person of color or advocate for a white homeland. BUT we live in a country where normal, average, and majority means white men. We live in a country where there is, as Eddie S. Glaude Jr. says, “a value gap” @esglaude #esglaude. The life of a white person is more valuable than a person of color. Our country was founded on that assumption. And anyone who believes that a white person is worth more, is more capable, deserves more, or makes decisions based on that founding assumption is racist.
I’ve been trying to articulate this when talking to people but haven’t been able. I ran into Eddie Glaude Jr. in DC a few months ago and recognized him from his appearances on Morning Joe. That day I started reading his book, “Democracy in Black”. Now I have the words. He gave me the words. Thanks Eddie. Unless and until we truly value all lives equally there will be discrimination and it will continue to permeate all of our systems. Glaude makes a great case for why improvements on the margins will not make the change we need in this country.
He says, “Most Americans see inequality – and the racial habits that give it life – as aberrations, ways we fail to live up to the idea of America. But we’re wrong. Inequality and racial habits are part of the American Idea. They are not just a symptom of bad, racist people who fail to live up to pristine ideals. We are, in the end, what we do. And this is the society we have all made. So much so that we can have a black man in the White House and nearly one million black men and women in the Big House.”.
Today, I see all around me instances when as a society we devalue non-white people. The foundational principle of white supremacy in our country means that we’re ok with food deserts, lack of public services, and payday loan companies dotting the street corners in black neighborhoods. We’re ok with schools that have old text books and leaky roofs. We aren’t outraged that the water in Flint is filled with lead. We don’t care that blacks are incarcerated at a higher rate than other citizens. Why? Because as a society we think black lives do indeed matter less. That’s why when there are missing black girls and women they aren’t on the news, but when the girl or woman is white – think Madeline McCain , Natalie Holloway, Jon Benet Ramsey, or Kam McLeod you can’t miss it. But do you know who Skylar Mannie, Trinity Love Jones, or Iniaya Wilson are? They are three of thousands of black children or young women who have gone missing and you never see their stories on CNN. Here is a piece about the disparity.
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/04/13/523769303/what-we-know-and-dont-know-about-missing-white-women-syndrome
So what are we to do? How do we overcome hundreds of years of racism? How do we overcome a constitution that is based on white supremacy?
The other day I thought I would print sticker that says “RACIST” and every time I see a confederate flag on a car or sign I’d plaster it with a sticker. Not sure that will work, it might just entrench people further. But since moving to the deep south of Alabama a couple of years ago, I have explained the history of the confederate memorials, called out people when they whisper “she was black”, challenged people who in polite conversation dismiss affirmative action, and claim they haven’t experienced white privilege. It’s not enough, but it’s a start. I am committed to doing more.