Part III: Race In America, Where We At?

BY LOUIE OVERSTREET

Back in March, I wrote Part One to identify why race was such an intractable issue. Part Two covered the digital town hall of my Facebook friend list, as its members expounded on issues of race in America’s past and present. 

Now: let’s talk about today’s racial climate and our future prospects. 

I was a young man during the civil rights struggle of the 1950s and ‘60s. Now, as I play through the back nine of life, it is unfortunate to see our nation gripped by a struggle of equal consequence. 

The climate back then made us believe that positive change was possible — with considerable struggle and resistance. That struggle was covered by straight-down-the-middle evening news reports on three networks, major newspapers that existed in every large city, and weekly publications in smaller towns. Black and white citizens were the protagonists as leaders in national organizations, the labor movement, faith, and the federal government. Antagonists were The Klan and Southern Democrats. 

In today’s climate of divisive attitudes and low expectations, the protagonists are disorganized Brown, White, and Black folks — with no meaningful presence of labor or clergy. The antagonists, unbelievably, include the leader of the free world — but also Southern Republicans, the NRA, and right-wing media. 

For there to be any hope for a measurable improvement in race relations, these things must occur — at a minimum: 

• The race-baiting, name calling, most divisive president in my lifetime must lose control of both houses of Congress in November. 
• Religious leaders must start teaching rightness over whiteness. 
• Laws must be enacted to overcome recent disastrous decisions by the Supreme Court 

Otherwise, I am sorry to conclude that you should expect race relations to continue to suffer deterioration — and with it, American democracy.