Hi Roberto, thanks for this push. I hear and agree with you to an extent, but I think my perspective is shaped by growing up a white Mississippian and seeing how, 40–50 years after the Civil Rights movement, we have changed some policies, but not nearly enough hearts and minds to be anywhere close to true equality.

So then where I disagree with you most — although I think in some instances you are/will be correct — is with the notion of shame and violence. Yes, shame can lead to violence, but it can also lead to self reflection and introspection. Shame is natural, and can be a positive force! Here is just one link on that:

As a small, personal (if not great) example, I’ll share the story of the time I stole a pack of gum from the grocery store as a child only to be busted by my parents after they paid, and forced to return the gum and apologize. I felt deep shame, or perhaps, as the article I linked calls it, remorse, a positive virtue.

Perhaps this should have been more clear in my original piece, but I still believe that many Americans who look like me need to see that their beliefs are shameful, not to belittle them, but to make them feel remorse. Will some push back negatively as you say? In all likelihood, yes, but isn’t this happening already, and don’t we still have a long way to go in the fight for true equality?