Abayateye: Choosing between unity and prejudice

The predominant image of civil rights movements today is one of chaos and destruction, one of deep-seated animosity between the different races. But by intent, these movements are to inspire hope in us that together, we can build a better society and justice for everyone. At least that’s what I think about the effect of the 1950s and 60s civil rights movements.
Our society today, after 52 years under the Civil Rights Act, is not anywhere near just, but is definitely better than what I heard about the 1960s. I heard that evil was real and had a human form, and indignation was justified. Yet, it’s beautiful to think that in spite of that, white and blacks could somehow come together to agree on addressing their common problems.
I don’t know what to say about the Black Lives Matter, White Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter movements of my generation. The truth is, each of these groups probably has a noble cause to fight. After all, what could be possibly wrong with people organizing against society’s systemic dehumanization and virulent discrimination against people of their kind? Or what is wrong with people speaking out against reverse discrimination, well, they call it “white genocide?” My confusion comes from the approach that these groups use in bringing up their concerns.
For the Black Lives Matter movement, the problem is the white man and his institutions. For the White Lives Matter movement, the problem is not just a forcing of 24/7 racial-mixing of blacks and whites on their societies, but also the mass infiltration of third-world immigrants who are taking over their jobs and opportunities and government using their tax dollars to subsidize the lives of poor non-working class people. Well, let’s not forget the Blue Lives Matter movement that protests the shooting deaths of on-duty police officers in this period of tensed police-public relations. The truth is that these are hard times to turn on the TV or the radio or read the newspaper. And I don’t accuse you for being disillusioned.

All this leads me to wonder what went wrong with the foundation of unity that the civil rights movements laid. Societies are not any more unified than they were before the 1960’s struggles. We seem to celebrate racial prejudice more than we adore the things that unite us. There’s no virtue in being born black or white, or being born into one country or the other or into this or that neighborhood, for none of us had a choice over any of that.
When we think of our problems as racial, we become emotional and irrational, and that doesn’t help us to come together as black or white, poor or rich, immigrant or native to confront and find solutions to the economic and social justice problems that confront our societies.
I had the privilege of listening to Ambassador Andrew Young on Friday. Young was an important figure in the 1960s Civil Rights movement, a U.S. Ambassador to the UN and mayor of Atlanta. It couldn’t get better for a young person needing experienced advice on what to think and do in these times. I wanted Young to give a verdict on which of these groups has a better agenda, and I think that was the desire of most of the attendants at the lecture, but he disappointed us.
And I love that disappointment. Instead of whipping up emotions and arming us to go find our foes and speak destruction to them, Young encouraged us to look within ourselves to identify our humanity, to find the things that unite us and to understand that the problems of our societies today are more economic than racial. By the nature of the question and answer section, I don’t think everybody liked that position, but I loved it.
It became clear that the search for justice starts with individuals making a commitment to improve their economic positions. The point is that poverty, crime, quality of health, nature of neighborhood roads and public infrastructure—all these problems do not respect which racial groups we belong to or our immigration status. It is important for the youth to be committed to our education and to making sound, morally apt life choices that will help us become more productive even in a society where injustice dwells. That is the part that we often ignore.
Young reminded the audience that the price of freedom and economic empowerment is one that we pay together. We do it “not only as black citizens but as black and white citizens.” So rather than fighting ourselves and destroying our social relationships, we should come together in finding common solutions to our problems.
We can do this by showing up to vote in the elections this November because even in a democracy, we volunteer ourselves into slavery when we fail to exercise this right. Being a part of a civil rights movement also doesn’t necessarily mean joining the protests on the street although I have nothing against protests. It also includes explaining to the people in your neighborhood, household or social group the importance of the issues presented on the ballot papers.
By the way, let’s be patient with our police too. We should be part of those trying to find ways to make our servicemen protect our freedoms and rights better. After all, we don’t hate the doctors although there are more physician-related deaths than there are police killings of civilians. I’m not saying that these killings are justified.
Let’s just be grateful for the privilege of living in America, for I can’t think of better country to live in this world than here in America. We have our problems, but, working together, we can make our societies more just and favorable for everyone. God bless America and the search for a more just society. Unity over prejudice!
Philemon Abayateye is a Ph.D student in the Department of Geography and Planning and the IC’s Opinion Editor.