Wow, I have not done a MyTake about a serious topic in a while. But it seems like everyone's anxiety is up because of George Floyd's death. I just want to say, the anxiety in most African-American communities was already high long before George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Aubrey's were killed.
For most of us, the only difference is now, cellphone cameras are everywhere.
But I think it is safe to say, that the old strategy was never going to work. Sweeping racism, police brutality, etc. under the rug was never going to work. If we do not address these issue head on, they will result in the end of American society. It is just that simple. I am not a child of the 60s. I lived in the aftermath of the 60s. And my teachers said while it was time of splendid change, it was probably one of the worst decades in American history. A President was assassinated, MLK Jr. was assassinated. Bobby Kennedy Jr. was assassinated. Malcolm X. . .and on and on. There were riots all over this nation. And we were in danger of becoming an authoritarian regime. One where rights and freedoms had to be curtailed to keep the peace.
Well, we found a way pass that. We passed legislation to ensure a few basic rights and freedoms. But there was this promise that we could evolve into this nation that could be the gold standard when it came to a democratic society.
Well, we all know the story. It came apart little by little. Through the 70s, 80s, 90s, and into the 2000s. Now here we are in the year 2020 and it feels like the 1960s again.
Evil travels in a circle. It just keeps repeating the same steps over and over again.
If we are going to progress, we had better learn to stop doing the same things. Since we know sweeping things under the rug doesn't work. Stop sweeping them under the rug. Stop pretending that by not talking about race, that somehow fixes it. Stop pretending that people do not have anxiety over their healthcare or where they will end up in the later years of their lives. Stop pretending that people are not frustrated over a lack of access to opportunity. Stop pretending that it is good to be totally polarized when it comes to politics. Stop pretending that civilized discussion is somehow a leftist ideal. Stop pretending that we can survive in this nation together being ignorant of each other's experiences and silently hating each other.
So if you got something to say, now is the time. I will allow anonymous responses and I will delete statements by anyone who wants to play the troll.
The "Whiteness Project" is a multimedia documentary, described as an investigation of how Americans identify with being white. Twenty-one caucasians from Buffalo, New York, talk candidly about their race. Whitney Dow, the producer and director, joins "CBS This Morning" to discuss the film.
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