Many white people have a hard time understanding that because a system works for them, that doesn't mean it works for everyone. And when they do understand it, too many are willing to accept or make excuses for inequities as long as they aren't personally affected. This is why it took the price of gas and groceries to prompt that blue wave for midterm elections. Democrats gaining control of the House and Senate is, for sure, a reason to exhale a little, but forgive me if I remain only cautiously optimistic.
Just a few days after the midterm elections, I attended an author event featuring Colin Kaepernick in conversation with Ambassador Attallah Shabazz. Kaepernick was in Louisville, Kentucky, being honored with the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian of the Year award.
Listening to Kaepernick speak and then spending the weekend reading his new book "The Perilous Fight," one word kept coming back to me: focus. In a culture as individualistic and money-motivated as ours is, it is so easy to get distracted. Too often social justice movements become sound bites, slogans and merchandise only to lose momentum before we ever see accountability or justice.
So even though I am glad that the country experienced a "blue wave," The New York Times reported that 51% of white voters still voted Republican, according to an exit poll. So many white people still don't get it or still don't care, even though we are now in the position of having to claw back civil rights gains that have been lost in recent years.
After the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, public outrage fueled demands for racial justice. Voters elected Joe Biden, and corporations rushed to announce diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. But then the pendulum swung again. Four years later, Donald Trump returned to the White House. Many of those same companies and institutions began dismantling their commitments. The political winds shifted, and so did they.
I wonder if the midterm election results will prompt another round of pledges and initiatives. It's all so very disingenuous. We cannot mistake a change in corporate messaging for a change in corporate values — which is why we have to stay focused on what these companies and institutions actually do and whether they ever take a real stand. It can't be about what they maneuver to profit from.
Kaepernick's book feels right on time for this conversation. His experience is a master class in navigating insincere public relations campaigns built around what's trending. Kaepernick did not lose focus. He held on to his convictions and asked the hard questions of himself and others.
At the author event, Kaepernick said that one of the challenges he faced was navigating and understanding "who is actually trying to do the work, who is actually trying to push us forward, and who is trying to actually get us to assimilate and fall back into the status quo, and try to soften the message and redirect it."
Like Kaepernick, we also must discern who is doing purposeful work and who is only capitalizing on a political moment to line their pockets and bolster earnings for stockholders.
Kaepernick writes in his book, "I've also seen how good companies and organizations are at shifting the focus away from the main issue."
We have to stay focused on what we're trying to accomplish. There is much work to be done, from immigration reform, housing and healthcare to police reform and education. The focus may be different for each of us. All of it is needed. For Kaepernick, the focus is on the inequities of law enforcement. He writes, "Keeping the focus squarely on ending police brutality has been the hardest to maintain, because people and companies are a lot more comfortable doing some of this other stuff than they are with the idea of reforming law enforcement."
That's the crux of it no matter what change you're championing. It's easier to sell a T-shirt or push out a hashtag than it is to challenge corporate policy or advocate for better legislation. What's performative is not purposeful, and though it might feel good to see the right messaging out in the community, we have to stay focused and ask ourselves if something is really moving the needle towards change.
When gas prices come down and the price of eggs follows, will we let that allay our outrage? Will we keep on accepting systems that uphold white supremacy because those systems might work for some of us? Or will we be willing to disrupt the status quo, take a knee and do the work required to really build a country that cares for everyone?
Do you know anyone who's doing cool things to make the world a better place? I want to know. Send me an email at Bonnie@WriterBonnie.com. Also, stay in the loop by signing up for her weekly newsletter at WriterBonnie.com. To find out more about Bonnie Jean Feldkamp and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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