The question being asked by Oprah Winfrey and being answered by a panel comprised solely of Americans of African descent (Black). From the point of view of this writer, programs like this are making things worse. If there was a show on the Fox News Channel with a panel comprised solely of white Americans and they were deciding what to do about the problems of the Black community - they would be enraged - and rightfully so! So why does Oprah & Co. think it is okay to do the reverse? Talk about racism!
Oprah asks "Where do we go from here?" and "What should our demands be?" The demands should be, and not just from her panel or "people of color" - but from ALL people from all walks of life - "race" after all, is a relatively novel concept in the history of mankind. Of all species, the physical differences beyond the color of mankind are insignificant. In a PBS presentation, it is asserted that the species of modern human beings "has not been around long enough or been isolated enough to evolve into subspecies or races" (Cheng, 2003). The presentation goes on to say that "we are among the most similar of all species" (Cheng, 2003). We need to stop focusing on the differences and put the emphasis on how much alike we are and learn to love each other as brothers and sisters, regardless of skin color and social upbringing.
This is not to minimize the injustices that have taken place, especially in the United States, which were based primarily on the color of someone's skin. Certainly there have been quite a few abuses and some have hung on to the mindset of by-gone generations. The point here is not to cast blame on people of varying colors - that is precisely OPPOSED to what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. preached! His "dream" for his children was that they "will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character" (King, 1963). The point is that mindset is truly of a "by-gone generation" and we all need to stop perpetuating it.
We have to ask Ms. Winfrey if she believes Dr. King died in vain? Is she not judging others by their skin color and not by their character? Every single American should be appalled by what happened to Mr. Floyd. The police officer who knelt on Floyd's neck has been arrested and charged for his ignorant, if not negligent behavior - and let us pray that justice prevails and due process passes down what is deserved. Ms. Winfrey, what more do you want? Every moral citizen of the United States wants to see injustices removed from society and the fact is - many have been!
Yes, there is still a way to go - but life for those who are culturally "African American" has changed dramatically in the last 50-60 years! We do not see segregated drinking fountains, or restaurants or places which cater to whites only or colored only. In 2020 you, Ms. Winfrey, can go just about anywhere you want - and that was not true in 1960.
What is the programming being put forth by the OWN network in recent days really doing besides causing more division and strife between white and black Americans? Again, as a society, we cannot tolerate what happened to Mr. Floyd. How about Justine Damond? A white woman shot down by a black cop, also in Minneapolis. Who has heard of her? Why haven't you heard of her? I'm sure both sides could come up with numerous examples - but the issue is not the police departments, per se, as it is a few "bad cops" who need to be removed from the force, and where appropriate, charged with crimes.
Who can justify the robbing, burning, looting, etc. of private businesses in the name of Mr. Floyd? How can this be justified? Why is the harming of other innocent souls, their businesses, or their livelihood ever be seen as appropriate?
According to Larry Elder, in the following video, about 4% of the police in America are problematic, which leaves us with 96% of cops who are "good cops." Why is there all this outrage on entire police departments? The focus should be on the removal of the 4% - not the mentality of dismantling entire police forces. If management is the problem for allowing the 4% to remain employed - then management needs to go too - but let us support the 96% of police officers who literally put their lives on the line day after day protecting us - all of us!
So, where do we go from here? I would ask Ms. Winfrey to stop being part of the problem in perpetuating the myth that "systemic racism" is rampant as if nothing has changed in the last 60 years!
The fact of the matter is the Black community in the United States, if viewed as a nation, would be the eighteenth wealthiest nation on the planet (Peterson, 2017). Peterson also points out the problem of relative poverty, stating "relative poverty matters" but is quick to point out that absolute wealth matters too. The problem with the post-modern thought or philosophy is a nearly total lack of gratitude (Peterson, 2017), not being able to appreciate how lucky we are to live in today's society - and not be living in a society of 400 years ago, or even 60 years ago!
In closing I ask, are there changes we still need to make? To which I will answer myself, YES! A society that does not continue to evolve and adapt to change is a dead society. Let us focus on the 4% and fix THAT - while at the same time supporting the 96% and express our gratitude for those who truly do put their lives on the line for each and every one of us on a daily basis.
References
Cheng, J. (2003). RACE - The power of an illusion. Public Broadcasting System,
California Newsreel. https://www.pbs.org/race/001_WhatIsRace/001_00-home.htm
Elder, L. & Rubin, D. (2017). The moment Larry Elder changed Dave Rubin's mind
forever (Systemic racism) [video clip]. The Rubin Report.
King, M.L., Jr. (1963). I have a dream. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and
Education Institute, Stanford.
Peterson, J. (2017). Why you have to fight postmodernism. [video clip]. Manning Center
Conference. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPojltjv4M0
