The great Civil Right Activist, Politician and Diplomat, Andrew Young, was on the radio this morning. Remember Andrew marched with Martin Luther King. He was there when history was made.
Andrew kept using the phrase "the racist majority." Kind of brought me back to earth. Sometimes I get over-excited, extra-positive for progress in America. And this subject of "race," as in any group into which humans can be divided according to their sharedphysical or genetic characteristics is a tangled web, a killer conundrum, the original sin of America.
So, yes, there is activism, and protest, and progressive politics. But we must remember that African Americans are only around 13% of the population of the U.S. They are out-numbered. Any issue that comes up regarding African American rights, and Black Lives Matter, has to take into account that America's white "racist majority" has the final call.
White America owns pretty much everything. White America is in control. If there is to be a Progressive Politics, it must be based on a Rainbow Coalition of like-minded, progressive beings. Black Lives Matters, for instance, needs to appeal to and to peel off some of that White "racist majority," in order for their movement to succeed; a portion of White America needs to exit the racist majority, and join and identify with a different, rainbow-like group.
Some of us have no problem doing this, but we are probably a minority of the racist majority. So progress is tentative, partial, and can easily be snatched away. If too many Whites feel threatened, or slighted, or left behind, all our lovely progress can be crushed. Sobering. Important to remind ourselves of the reality of the situation.