Category: White Supremacy and Structural Racism

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Why Claudine Gay Unjustly Came Under Fire I: Her Testimony Before Congress

  By Jew Hatred, White Supremacy and Structural Racism

In the drastically over-simplified world of public media, it’s easy for narratives to take off that bear little relationship to the truth. And it’s very hard for even those of us who are attentive to politics to delve beneath the headlines or whole stories in even our “leading” newspapers to find the truth. I’m sorry I didn’t pay enough attention to the story about the presidents of Harvard and Penn testimony. I’ve now looked more deeply into what former Harvard President Gay said in her written and oral testimony. And there is absolutely nothing objectionable let alone anti-Semitic about it. It was a good statement. In answering Rep. Stefanik’s leading hypothetical question she tried to do what a good teacher and intellectual should do, and point out that words and actions have meaning in context and that any set of words have to be evaluated in their context. That’s the… Continue reading

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Fight Back Against the (Racist) Madness

  By White Supremacy and Structural Racism

It’s very clear now that the criticisms of Claudine Gay is part of a coordinated attack on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs on college campuses and beyond. The focus on DEI is this year’s right-wing racist bullshit, the follow-up to last year’s right-wing racists bullshit criticizing Critical Race Theory. These attacks are the “polite” way for right-winger to gin up racism among white folks who are still not comfortable with the idea of standing in equality with Black people and who can be easily motivated to think that attacking white supremacy means abandoning ideals of universal equality and instead, embracing Black supremacy. This is nonsense. I’m going to write in more detail about this at some point. But for now let me just say that yesterday I started reading a book that purports to provide an intellectual critique of DEI and CRT. It is clear how bogus the books… Continue reading

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Not Having to Think About Race And Racism Is White Privilege

  By Politics, Public Policy, White Supremacy and Structural Racism

So the “wonderful” thing about being a white person in the United States is that you don’t have to think about it, or racism, if you don’t want to. You can form your political opinions without giving a second thought. You can write policy analysis as if race has no impact on education, or on access to health care or housing or jobs, or anything else we value—and until relatively recently,  almost no one will criticize you and say you are missing something. You can work in business without thinking about how your employment policies or where you are located affect Black people differently than white people. You can practice medicine without thinking about how the experience of being Black in America might affect the health of your patients. I know this from personal experience. I did this kind of work without thinking about race and racism. Even now, I… Continue reading

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STATEMENT: On the Murder of Tyre Nichols

  By White Supremacy and Structural Racism

The murder of Tyre Nichols by five Memphis police officers took place in another state far from Pennsylvania. But it reveals a basic truth about structural racism in policing that sadly characterizes every state in the entire country, including Pennsylvania. Black people are not the only ones who are unjustly attacked and murdered by police officers. But the evidence is clear that they are disproportionately the victims of unjustified police violence. That violence is a product of a deeply flawed approach to public safety, one that asks police forces to maintain order in communities that are afflicted by social ills and economic distress that are beyond their capacity to address. A product of police forces is that, in response to the impossible task placed on them, they can adopt procedures and policies that too often create a toxic relationship between them and the communities they have pledged to serve—one that… Continue reading

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The Fourth of July and Frederick Douglas

  By Philosophy, Racial Justice, White Supremacy and Structural Racism

I’ve re-read and posted Frederick Douglas’ essay, What To The Slave is the Fourth of July, every year for the last seven or eight years reasons I explain below. It’s one of the most important pieces of political writing by any American. It’s never been more important as a reminder of the original sin of our country, racism. But this year, I’m sad to say that it’s also never been more questionable because the end of Douglas’s piece is a paean to the ideals of the Enlightenment and their power to overcome the darkness of racism and bigotry. That power is fading before us. We need to do everything we can to restore it, before it is too late. I’m going to leave the rest of what I usually write about the text here, even though I’m far less confident than I’ve ever been that we can live up to… Continue reading

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Statement in Response to the Arbery Case Verdicts

  By Criminal Justice, PA Budget and Policy Center, Statements, White Supremacy and Structural Racism

Statement by Marc Stier on behalf of the Keystone Research Center and the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center. “The verdicts in the Ahmaud Arbery case show that the criminal justice system in America can respond appropriately to the most extreme examples of racial injustice. Our task as Americans is to ensure that it does so in all cases.” Continue reading

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On Juneteenth: White Supremacy Survives in Pennsylvania

  By Pennsylvania, White Supremacy and Structural Racism

Juneteenth, the newest federal holiday, is a day to remember. It’s a day to remember the end of slavery in the United States. It’s a day to remember the stain of the enslavement of Black people in the United States. And it should also be a day to remember that we haven’t overcome the white supremacy that was an integral part of slavery; that was maintained by segregation, the terror of lynchings, and the all too frequent destruction of middle-class Black communities; and that is found in too many of our public policies. Pennsylvania officially recognized Juneteenth in 2019, proclaiming it a state holiday, but those anti-Black policies continue in Harrisburg today. Here are three examples: First: The Federal CARES Act gave states funds to provide emergency rental assistance. Our recent report shows that counties with a higher percentage of Black people were severely shortchanged in the distribution of those… Continue reading

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Statement on the Death of William Wallace, Jr.

  By PA Budget and Policy Center, Statements, White Supremacy and Structural Racism

Originally published by KRC-PBPC here. The murder of Walter Wallace, Jr. is being called tragic. And it is. But when certain tragedies keep happening, they are not just tragic, let alone accidents or mistakes. They are policy. And when public policy leads over and over again to the death of Black people in circumstances where white people are more likely to be spared, the policy is deeply immoral and shameful. And ending it must be our first priority. For the sake of everyone, and especially Black and brown people, we need to rethink and re-imagine how we provide public safety in our Commonwealth. Continue reading

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No “Buts”—Really Seeing White Supremacy in America

  By Racial Justice, US, White Supremacy and Structural Racism

Prefatory note: I start more writing projects than I can finish and usually have 20 or 30 half-finished pieces that I’m waiting to complete at the right moment. This seemed the right time to finish and post this one on racial justice. There is nothing new here at all. But it seems important for white people to be talking about these issues at this moment. My colleagues in the State Directors Racial Equity workgroup of the State Priorities Project State Directors helped me immensely with the hard thinking and personal reflection that led to this piece. Of them, I particularly want to thank James Jimenez of New Mexico, a great colleague and friend who contributed in many ways to this piece. I’ve been part of a group of directors of organizations that parallel mine who came together to better understand how racial equity should fit into our work. And those… Continue reading

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Racism in America and the Current Moment

  By White Supremacy and Structural Racism

Originally published by the PA Budget and Policy Center. By Marc Stier and Kadida Kenner The attention of the public and political leaders in our state and country has understandably been focused in the last few days on the civil disturbances in our cities and how to quell them. We write, however, to urge that we all return our attention as soon as possible to the profound issues facing our country, the issues elevated by the murder of George Floyd that have led tens of thousands of people—Black, brown ,and white—to engage in peaceful protests all over Pennsylvania, the United States, & Europe. Click here to read this full screen or print. Continue reading