In This Era of Racial Strife, What Gives Me Hope and Despair?
Reflections on Questions from Medium Day
I primarily write about race, politics, history, and education; sometimes, they’re one and the same. I had the opportunity to participate in Medium Day as part of the Our Human Family panel on Racial Equity, Allyship, And Inclusion: The Basics. We received some questions from audience members, a couple asking what provides us hope and what gives us despair in the current environment. Another asked if it feels like we’re making a difference. There wasn’t time to address these on the recorded panel at length, but I’d like to provide my response here.
That we’re in an era of racial strife seems obvious. The recent Montgomery Riverboat Brawl makes it clear we’re sitting on a powder keg where any incident could set things off. None of the participants woke up that morning looking to engage in a melee, but the mindset of some white people on a pontoon boat gave them the right to do as they pleased and attack the Black man attempting to get them to comply with the rules and allow a riverboat with 275 passengers to land in their designated spot. Once the Black man was attacked by several white people, and after they had been cursed at before the incident escalated to violence, Black people had had enough and responded forcefully.
