<p>In view of the race motivated killing in Jacksonville, Florida, it may be a good time to examine the sources, the existence and the realities of such irrational hatred. In order to do that, we need to set aside emotional rhetoric and political narratives to gain an objective understanding of the current reality – and how we got here. Are we inherently a racist people, or not? Can racism exist in a nation in which the people – as a whole &#8212; are not racist? What are the dimensions and manifestations of racism in America?</p>
<p>Social conflicts between people who are perceived to be different have been a part of human history since the earliest times – whether based on race, ethnicity, religion, lifestyles, or tribal distinctions. At the foundation of the conflicts have been power, territory, resources (wealth) and a sense of cultural threat.</p>
<p>For thousands of years, institutional slavery was prevalent in every culture throughout the world. Though present in past ages, Negro slavery was not the most common form. Conquered armies and peoples were a common source of slave labor. Virtually every great ancient empire incorporated slavery as a workforce component.</p>
<p>As world civilization became more enlightened, slavery diminished. There arose increasingly powerful anti-slavery movements – and institutional slavery began to ebb.</p>
<p>While most Americans may know that Native Americans were also enslaved by colonialists, they may not know that Native Americans engaged in inter-tribal slavery before and during European occupation. In fact, slavery by Native Americans did not end until 1866 when the United States government and five major tribes signed a treaty.</p>
<p>On of the significant distinctions between Negro slavery and other forms is that the latter did not question the very humanity of the slaves. Greek, Roman, Egyptian slaves were not considered to be a lesser form of human being – an inferior subculture, a different species.</p>
<p>That distinction explains why Negroes remained segregated and oppressed even after the abolition of slavery – rather than assimilating into the population as have all other foreign groups coming to America. That explains the laws against intermarriage, dating and co-habitation.</p>
<p>White supremacy over the Negro population was most virulent in the states of the old confederacy where the confederate element of the Democratic Party reigned supreme. That led to more than 100 years of <i>de jure</i> illegal and unconstitutional institutional racism. It was the era of Jim Crow, lynchings, cross burnings and Ku Klux Klan (and other paramilitary group) terrorism.</p>
<p>Government sponsored or condoned <i>de facto</i> institutional racism took hold in the major northern cities as the Great Migration of former slaves moved north and west. This led to the urban segregation and oppression we see the remnants of today in the longstanding Democratic Party strongholds.</p>
<p>The first half of the Twentieth Century were marked by monstrous and deadly racism in the south and in the northern major cities with large black segregated populations. The belief in Negro inferiority – or white supremacy &#8212; were a mainstay in the administration of the two most racist presidents of the Twentieth Century – Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt.</p>
<p><i>De jure</i> Jim Crow institutional racism in the South officially came to an end in the mid-1900s when the Republican sponsored and supported civil rights legislation of 1957, 1960, 1964 and 1965 was successfully passed over the opposition and filibusters of the powerful Southern Democrats</p>
<p>In a previous commentary, I argued – with ample evidence – that the contemporary American people are not racially prejudiced. Legislation and education – enlightenment – has had a major impact on the American culture. In fact, we are among the least racist nations on earth. We are an immigrant-friendly nation (legal, of course).</p>
<p>As I wrote in my previous commentary:</p>
<p><i>“We should keep in mind that billions of times every day … yes, billions … black and white Americans smile and nod to each other as we pass on the streets. We serve each other in restaurants and stores. We work side-by-side in factories and offices. We do favors for each other. We come to each other’s aid. We cheer alongside each other on both sides of every sports arena. We play on the same teams. We chat on social media. We die alongside each other in battle. We become lifelong friends. We adopt each other. We fall in love and marry each other. We laugh together at the same movies, and we weep together at shared tragedies.”</i></p>
<p>That is the American reality at the grassroots. It does not mean that the last vestige of racism and racial oppression of black America has been totally eliminated. However, it is not the product of the American people per se – who live, work, play and love together harmoniously on a day-to-day basis.</p>
<p>But there are two significant remnants of racism remaining. The Jacksonville shooting represents one of them – individuals who are obsessed or deranged by racial hatred. They represent a miniscule portion of the population but those who act on their impulses become the story of the day. For the most part, they are lone wolves – much like other mass shooters who have different motivations or no discernible motivation at all.</p>
<p>White supremacists do congregate in clubs and organizations – or on social media platforms &#8212; to spew their hateful opinions. But even very few of them are motivated to carry out violent actions. On the other hand, it is fair to argue that their rhetoric fuels the lone wolf who does take deadly action.</p>
<p>If there is any good news regarding the white supremacist movement, it is the fact that it is far smaller and far less involved in group violence than its predecessors. The hundreds – or even thousands &#8212; of members of white supremacist groups today pales in comparison to the tens and hundreds of thousands of members of the old Ku Klux Klan, the Red Shirts, the knights of the White Camelia, and the White Citizens Councils.</p>
<p>It is important to note that white supremacists today do not have the endorsement or support of the governing establishment as was the case in the past – in both the south and the major cities. Today, white supremacists are the pariah of society. They have virtually no influence on government leaders and public policy.</p>
<p>But … the racist clubs and individuals are a malignant force. Their periodic violent actions need to be addressed in terms of law enforcement and prevention. In addressing the white supremacists, we need to use education to prevent young people from taking up racist ideology. When they do, we need to identify them and take action, where appropriate. We need to deal more effectively with those who have manifest mental health issues. When there is a violent event, we need to put the full force of the law behind holding them accountable. We need to enforce the current laws that are designed to keep guns out of the hands of potential killers.</p>
<p>That is how we put racial hatred in remission &#8212; but there is still more to do. It is an evolutionary process.</p>
<p>The other remnant of racism in America is the <i>de facto</i> institutional racism we still find in our major cities. In terms of oppression and lives lost, urban institutional racism is far more dangerous, damaging and deadly to the black community and society in general than the violent actions of a lone wolf – as terrible as each instance may be.</p>
<p>Urban <i>de facto</i> institutional racism is the reason that millions of black folks are trapped in impoverished and violent segregated communities – with depression level unemployment, poor quality education, substandard housing, crumbling infrastructure, unequal justice, racist policing, unequal justice, high crime and THOUSANDS of murdered black people every year – too often innocent children.</p>
<p>Ironically, the tragic oppression of ghetto-ized blacks is shifting from outright racial animosity to the maintenance of a system that provides maximum power, prestige and profits for those in the city halls and their cronies. That is why the racially oppressive systems and the conditions remain even when the segregated communities are represented by a black ward official, a black alderman, a black mayor, a black state representative, a black state senator, a black congressman, in some cases a black United States Senator and for eight years a black President.</p>
<p>The systems and conditions of black oppression remain unchanged generation-after-generation even as trillions of dollars flow from Washington and state governments to address the plight of the folks in the ‘hood. There is no change because much of that money flows to the political and civic establishment and its allies, supporters, cronies and families.</p>
<p>It is fair and necessary to point out that the generational segregation and oppression of black Americans is almost exclusively in those large cities – with large black populations – that have been ruled over by long-established one-party Democrat political machines – and the <i>de facto</i> racist policies they impose.</p>
<p>These urban political machines are the equivalent of the old Jim Crow-era racist Democrat power bloc in Congress. National Democrats refuse to address the racism within their own ranks. They not only pretend that the <i>de facto</i> institutional racism does not exist but claim that the very folks in the city halls who are oppressing their black citizens are actually benefactors.</p>
<p>Institutional racism will endure until we do one of two things. Change the policies or change the leaders.</p>
<p>Racism in America – <i>de jure</i> and <i>de facto</i> &#8212; has been declining over the years. Even the remnants we see today do not have the power and influence of years gone by. But like cancer, we need to eradicate it completely to prevent recurrence.</p>
<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

Racism in America: Fact and Fiction
