Of all the isms in American society, racism is by far the most ignored, misunderstood, and misused. Accusations of racism seem to fly across the landscape of global mass media with little regard for the original meaning of the word. For example, cries of, "reverse racism", are abound in the contemporary conversation. Let me be quite clear about one thing: there is no such thing as reverse racism. What the word implies is that, typically it is the white power structure that doles out racism in the world. Whenever calls of racism went out into the public psyche, it was assumed that the usual suspects were hard at work, reinforcing the racial hierarchy that has been in place in the US since its inception.
The idea that this racism could be turned around, and used against whites, by people of color is absolutely absurd. Why? Because people of color hold no positions of institutional power. When did Native Americans hold the majority of seats in US public office? Never. When did Africans in America lead the direction of the US military? Never. When have Latinos controlled the outlets that comprise what we deem as, "mass media"? Never.
The conversation around race has changed drastically since the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements of the 1960's and '70's. Prior to the 1980's, no one in their right mind would have even suggested that white's could fall prey to racism. It was well established that white America was the offender, and that people of color, were the victims. What changed? Black America's perception of itself after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1965 changed drastically for many people of color. Suddenly, many people of color became convinced that their days of racial discrimination and terrorism at the hands of their fellow "citizens" was behind them (ask James Byrd among others). So many people of color across America wanted nothing more than to live with, and go to school with, and work with, white people.
By the 1980's, "integration" (read assimilation), was well on its way to becoming a reality for many Americans. The days of racial discrimination were "behind us". Once POC bought into this idea, it was only a matter of time before guilt ridden, white Americans would jump on the band wagon and claim that racism was a thing of the past. And now that we were all on equal footing with each other after just two decades (vs. 400 hundred years of chattel slavery, land theft, and genocide) of legislation, it was time for us all to move forward as a nation and put racism behind us. White America was all too happy to tout any POC they could find who would attest to the benevolent nature of, "the new white man".
So...fast forward to today, and we see the legacy of a co-opted message. We see the power of a increasingly conglomerated media empire who thrives on shaping the messages of the day to fit their own agenda. America has yet to have a serious conversation about race and racism because the people who control the media, find it in their best interest NOT to have that conversation. The Sankofa project is dedicated to reversing the trend of silence. We are not asking you to agree with us. We are asking you to engage with us. We dont pretend to know the outcome of a national dialogue. Luckily for us, we are more concerned with the journey, than we are about the destination.
God bless,
Delma Jackson III
co-founder, The Sankofa Project
The idea that this racism could be turned around, and used against whites, by people of color is absolutely absurd. Why? Because people of color hold no positions of institutional power. When did Native Americans hold the majority of seats in US public office? Never. When did Africans in America lead the direction of the US military? Never. When have Latinos controlled the outlets that comprise what we deem as, "mass media"? Never.
The conversation around race has changed drastically since the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements of the 1960's and '70's. Prior to the 1980's, no one in their right mind would have even suggested that white's could fall prey to racism. It was well established that white America was the offender, and that people of color, were the victims. What changed? Black America's perception of itself after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1965 changed drastically for many people of color. Suddenly, many people of color became convinced that their days of racial discrimination and terrorism at the hands of their fellow "citizens" was behind them (ask James Byrd among others). So many people of color across America wanted nothing more than to live with, and go to school with, and work with, white people.
By the 1980's, "integration" (read assimilation), was well on its way to becoming a reality for many Americans. The days of racial discrimination were "behind us". Once POC bought into this idea, it was only a matter of time before guilt ridden, white Americans would jump on the band wagon and claim that racism was a thing of the past. And now that we were all on equal footing with each other after just two decades (vs. 400 hundred years of chattel slavery, land theft, and genocide) of legislation, it was time for us all to move forward as a nation and put racism behind us. White America was all too happy to tout any POC they could find who would attest to the benevolent nature of, "the new white man".
So...fast forward to today, and we see the legacy of a co-opted message. We see the power of a increasingly conglomerated media empire who thrives on shaping the messages of the day to fit their own agenda. America has yet to have a serious conversation about race and racism because the people who control the media, find it in their best interest NOT to have that conversation. The Sankofa project is dedicated to reversing the trend of silence. We are not asking you to agree with us. We are asking you to engage with us. We dont pretend to know the outcome of a national dialogue. Luckily for us, we are more concerned with the journey, than we are about the destination.
God bless,
Delma Jackson III
co-founder, The Sankofa Project
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