Race Forward president Glenn Harris: “In order to truly dismantle structural racism we must abandon the business-as-usual mindset that envelops whole sectors.”
By Glenn Harris
June 21, 2018
As people of color who live in the United States, we are heirs to a long tradition of community organizing, from Harriet to Frederick to Dolores to Yuri to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.
In a nation whose history is rooted in systemic racism, slavery, and the genocide of Indigenous people, this tradition has been a necessity. From the inception of our country, institutions and government at the local, regional, state, and federal level have perpetuated a racial hierarchy that excludes people of color from the opportunities necessary to build safe and healthy lives for themselves and their families.
Our history of strong, clear, coordinated public organizing has, over time, made it illegal to explicitly discriminate against people of color. And the work hasn’t stopped. Through movements like #BlackLivesMatter and Drop the I-Word, organizers of color have altered the narratives around race in this country.
These momentum-building flashpoints are crucial, but in order to effectively catalyze and scale the transformation we need, sectors must come together and align on strategies to advance racial equity; strategies that are deeply informed by the communities most directly impacted.
While the laws have been changed since the eras of slavery and Jim Crow, our businesses and institutions remain imbued with policies and practices that create tremendous gaps for people of color. Systemic racism touches almost every aspect of our lives, from the media and education system to the labor force and public services.
Read more of Glenn Harris on Racial Equity Here: http://bit.ly/2tpwb0K.
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