Mighty oaks from tiny acorns grow

For years I have pondered and struggled with what I think is the most serious problem in America today and that is racism.   I could never understand why and how so many people could be so incredibly hateful and closed-minded.    

Recently, I met a young man much smarter than I.    We have discussed this conundrum at length, and he explained to me that the first step to solving racism in America is to recognize that it exists, which we as a nation have never done.   The problem is that for much too long, even good and decent white Americans have been blissfully unaware of its extent, or have ignored or denied its very existence.   

How then, do we get this country to take the first step that is recognition?

I suppose we could try to raise consciousness and promote intercultural awareness in Americans, but the reality is that even if possible, this would take generations.   

There might just be another way.   

The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1868, granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United State, including former slaves, and guaranteed all citizens “equal protection of the law.”  For black Americans, this was a landmark decision. 

A hundred years later, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin by Federal and State governments.   Another important decision, but why did it take a hundred years?

 What do the 14th Amendment and the Civil Rights Act have in common?  They were measures passed by our government to ensure that black Americans were accorded the same rights and privileges as white Americans.    Both were models of leading by example, and while no-one can argue that they fixed the problem, they served as a goal to which each of us could aspire; even those of us who refused to see the problem.

Almost 60 years has passed and too little has changed in America.  It is time once and for all for our Government to lead by example.  It is time that our leaders, specifically Congress and the President, apologize for the sin that was slavery and the systemic racism that has existed since our country began.  

Congress should pass a joint resolution about slavery and racism to be signed by President Biden.   There will never be a better time.   It takes only a simple majority vote; just 218 in the House and 51 in the Senate.   Since the Democrats control both houses of Congress, this could be done quickly and easily; the chance may not come again for a very long time.   A similar resolution was passed by the House of Representatives in 2008; now it’s time the Senate and President embraced and completed this process. 

Just as we won’t get every Senator or Congressman to go along with this, we won’t get every American to agree, and that’s all right.   We’re looking to plant a seed, not harvest a crop.   “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”.    Mississippi just voted to remove the Confederate battle ensign from its flag.  If the most racist state in America can do that, anything is possible.

A public apology to each and every descendant of American slaves is long past due.   This needs to be done publicly, and on the world stage.      America has been too long critical of human rights across the globe, while refusing to recognize our own hypocritical and shameful past.   We should not wait one more day to acknowledge the sins of our forefathers.   No living American is responsible for slavery, but each of us bear a collective share of the disgrace that was slavery, and the systemic racism that still permeates our society.

Only by officially and publicly acknowledging our sordid and shameful legacy can we begin to solve racism in America.    

I call upon Congress to pass such a joint resolution and send it to President Biden for his signature, followed by a televised worldwide address.     In leading by example, our government can once and for all officially recognize and apologize for America’s shameful history.  

If our elected officials will lead by example, at least some Americans will follow.  

Let’s do it on June 19th, 2021.   And let’s make it a National Holiday.  We could call it …. I don’t know …. Juneteenth?