This one feels different. It used to be that every time there was an unjustified killing of a black man by white police officers, there would be the usual protests that would last for a few days… then eventually died down. Politicians and law enforcement officials would wring their hands and say all the right things, but in the end nothing of value occurred.
Now it has been nearly a month since George Floyd was murdered by a white police officer in Minneapolis, and the protests refuse to go away. Instead, they spread first nationwide… then worldwide. They have been persistent and demanding. As opposed to past protests, many white people have joined the protests.
People are demanding change, and some police force reforms are being implemented throughout the nation. Unfortunately, the ugly head of partisanship has shown itself once again, with both major parties squabbling over specific measures to be taken with regards to the police. Hopefully they’ll come together and useful changes will result.
Police reform is good, in my opinion. It is long overdue, and should respond to the fact that police abuse of power and systemic racism have long been a problem in police forces all across the U.S.
But other things are happening as well. Statues are being taken down. Confederate flags are being removed. Certain movies and TV shows are being pulled off the air. Product brands are being changed. And so on and so forth.
Some of these things are slam dunks (obvious), as far as I’m concerned. There is no justifiable reason why the Confederate flag should be displayed in any public setting. Kudos to NASCAR for banning it from their events. Kudos to the NCAA for demanding the same from championship events in college sports.
Others are more iffy in my opinion, such as the changing of the Aunt Jemima brand from pancake syrup and related products. Why? You might ask. “It’s offensive and inflammatory.” Well… all opinions are to be respected, of course. But here is where I feel there is a danger of missing the forest for the trees. Or focusing on insignificant details when there are so much bigger and more important issues.
Let me be unequivocal about this. Racism is basically ignorance that is passed down from generation to generation. The passing of EEO laws, employment quotas, anti-discrimination laws… these may force people and business to not discriminate against blacks… but none of it serves to change people’s minds. Only proper education (home and school) will accomplish that.
Racism is not going to disappear by changing 130-year old pancake syrup brands, or doing other superfluous things.
The problem of racism will be solved (slowly and gradually) by righting the wrongs that keep black people economically marginalized on a perpetual and systemic basis. You do not put a Band-Aid on a gaping wound and expect to stop the flow of blood. By the same token, the problem of racism and racial disparities are best attacked by addressing the underlying causes of these.
For lack of space and time, I’ll mention one example: public school funding. Data shows that about 45% of public school funding in the States comes from local sources, mostly through property taxes of homeowners in the area. About half comes from state resources, namely income taxes and sales tax. The remainder comes from federal sources.
If we really want to fix the racial disparities in the country, why not start there? Why not reform the public school funding system, to where funds are more evenly distributed across the nation’s schools. These would be meaningful changes that would at least begin the long process of achieving racial economic parity.
Simply put: If I was a black person in the U.S. today, I would much rather see meaningful reform aimed at fixing system issues aggravated over the course of many years… than the superficial gestures of changing brand names and pulling movie classics off the air.
I will continue addressing racism in upcoming articles in my blog.
Good idea. In the same token, children should be taught at an early age to appreciate their natural surroundings and not litter. Some islands in the Caribbean teach their children “the island before yourself” from day one.
Absolutely! In fact, in this day and age we should reevaluate primary (and secondary) education and totally overhaul it to fit the values that are so needed yet missing in today’s society. Treating all people as equals is one of those values. Taking care of our environment is another. Unfortunately, these and other values are not taught in every home. So since school is compulsory, we should use school to fill in the gaps left by parents who fail to instill basic human values in their children.
Thank you for your comment, Harold!
Absolutely agree and would add lots of these companies are making the change for the wrong reasons, mainly to make the consumer happy.
I assume you’re talking about the brand name changes, and yes… I agree they are doing it for the wrong reasons. It all boils down to the almighty dollar. What irks me is that changing brand names will do absolutely nothing for the overall problem of racism. Thanks for your comment, Vanessa.