Submitted by Marjory on Mon, 2010-03-22 16:35

Filed under:

• Social Change in Oregon
• Racism
• White Privilege

I started my morning with George Will--yes, that George Will--the conservative columnist for the Washington Post.

Today’s column asserted that people committed to understanding and untangling racial disparities are afflicted by what he called “Sixties Nostalgia Syndrome, a longing for the high drama and moral clarity of the civil rights era.”

Sadly, Mr. Will is no less afflicted, but in his case it’s Post-Racial Society Syndrome that’s got him down. As an antidote to the spreading belief that we live in a post-racial society, I wanted to share my favorite sources of thinking about how we experience race, racism and white privilege in the United States today.

• The online news service Race Wire consistently offers timely, in-depth analysis on current events from the recent vote on health care reform to debates over broadband internet access.
• Nikole Hannah-Jones brings it all home in her blog on Talking Race in Oregon on the Oregonian’s website. A recent column also shows how the simple act of daring to talk about race can lead some folks to respond with overt racism.
• Yes! Magazine recently dedicated an issue to stories of the people and collaborations that are helping our nation embrace its identity as a multiracial society. I found Robert Jensen’s article on What White People Fear an especially helpful tool for deciphering the resistance that can come when proactive steps for expanding racial equity are suggested, even in liberal Oregon communities.
• My latest favorite blog is The Double Standard by activist (and MRG staffer) Annah Sidigu. Check out her list of the Top 10 Excuses for Racism and see how many of them you can spot this week. You get extra points if you interrupt them!

There is one area where I agree with George Will. Assessing the role of race in society has become more complicated. When racial segregation was enforced by law, the role of race in creating inequities in society was more apparent. Today, it can be a complex process to tease out when unconscious racial biases and informal institutional practices impact things like how prison sentences are assigned. At the level of an individual event, it can be impossible to prove that race has a role. But in the aggregate, the evidence is overwhelming.

It can be challenging to clearly identify the role of race in persistent disparities our communities face. But it’s a challenge we can’t afford not to take on.

Photo: Young activists with MRG grantee Recruiter Watch Portland in 2009