OP-ED

Why It's Dangerous to Treat Racism as Legitimate Political Ideology

Doing so allows hatred to seep further into our society

Woman standing on a podium | Photo by RDNE Stock Project

James Baldwin, the Black writer, playwright, and social critic, once said, "We can disagree and still love each other, unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity, and right to exist." While diverse perspectives are valued, there are indeed limits to this principle in practice. For example, none of us should be expected to tolerate anti-Black racism. It would be irresponsible to leave the door unlocked and let hatred seep into the cracks of our society. Yet, far too many Americans treat prejudice as a legitimate political ideology, one we should respect or even hold space for. It's as if they've developed a case of historical amnesia, ignoring the atrocities of Jim Crow, where racial segregation and discrimination openly denied Black people equal rights and fair access to opportunities, a period marked by political violence. Or do some people actually want to bring us back to this era? Either way, we can't afford to become a society that lends safe harbor for racism.

In my view, the public response to the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old white supremacist at Utah Valley University last week, underscores how racist rhetoric is becoming…