In Berkeley and Oakland, I've been around prejudice and racism over my 62 years. And pretty intense discussions, beginning in my integrated-but-separate middle school in the middle of town.
Its so deep, sometimes hidden and always extremely complicated. For example, more black vs. black memes than most people realize. And the poison of smokes, guns available like candy, drugs and alcohol aimed at poor communities and the already broken families coming out of the slave era and what came next.
And an elected government (plus the symbolic Chief with all that shiny brass) that fear the virtually "secret police" -- and their colossal political influence through the most powerful man in town, the POA President. The police and criminal justice system that enforce and perpetuate the social divides.
But even on the left with folks who pride themselves in progressive thinking, its hard to have a conversation about defining and taxing the economic advantages of "white privilege" when you get down to "who pays."
And should such money be invested in education, social justice programs, or just cash reparations for -- just how do we define the African American class victims? Does it include "of color" in general?
OMG, we gotta focus on this but if its not horrible out-of-control Ebola epidemics breaking out in the homeland (it was Obama's fault too for not closing the borders, remember?), its ISIS & Iran Americans are dominated by - also Black Muslim Obama's fault. |
