Is America Systemically Racist?
Is America systemically racist? Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. vehemently renounced such a notion. He would vehemently disagree with the false history presented in the New York Times “1619 Project.”
Listen to his words:
Speaking of Abraham Lincoln, Dr. King began his “I Have A Dream” speech with the following words:
“Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.”
The signing of the Emancipation Proclamation was a giant step forward for racial equality in America, but it was by no means the final step. There was much work still to do.
Talking about the founding of America, Dr. King observed,
“In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Dr. King continued by recognizing that even though 100 years had passed since the end of slavery, segregation in America still left much of Black America isolated from the hope and opportunity many white Americans enjoyed.
Speaking to his fellow blacks who were advocating for violence to progress civil rights, Dr. King stated,
“But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
“The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.”
As Americans, we cannot lose the hope found in Martin Luther King’s dream. Are we a perfect nation? No, of course not. Are we making progress towards the goal of racial equality and opportunity? Absolutely. The realization that America elected its first African-American President, Barack Obama, is fundamental evidence of the continued progression towards the reality of Dr. King’s dream for America.
America is not systemically racist. Anyone living today who lived through the 1950s and early 1960s will testify to the progress America has made and is making.
As we celebrate Independence Day in 2020, take a few minutes to read or listen to Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream Speech.” You can find both the text and a recording here: