The racial justice activism unfolding around the world is cause for cautious optimism and sober reflection.
Historical context is necessary now more than ever, writes Build Baton Rouge CEO Chris Tyson in a special opinion piece for Business Report.
Every period of racial progress in America has been followed by a repressive and violent backlash. Jim Crow, lynching, and redlining followed Reconstruction. Mass incarceration, the result of the war on drugs, followed the civil rights movement. The increase in acts of racist brutality and discrimination since the Obama presidency appear to be the latest iteration of the progress-backlash cycle.
As new voices proclaim that Black Lives Matter and confess that systemic racism is real, we must be clear about what solidarity in this moment requires, Tyson writes.
It was just four years ago that Alton Sterling’s killing forced Baton Rouge to confront the long, sordid history of state-sanctioned violence against Black communities. In the current moment, while Black communities continue to suffer disproportionately from police violence, they also disproportionately suffer the effects of the global pandemic. If hearts and minds are truly opening, there must be a reckoning for the countless injustices still unresolved.
This moment requires more than mere symbolism or performance, Tyson writes, and it is unclear what will come from this moment. History shows us that the possibilities for justice and greater human freedom are limitless. History also warns us that nothing will change unless we tell the truth, atone for the past, and allocate resources accordingly.
Read his full opinion piece here. Send comments to Editor@businessreport.com.
