White Supremacy’s Threat To Democracy TheThirdReconstruction.com

Educate, organize and mobilize —  I’ve not ventured into the world of international politics before, but believe that the threat to American democracy for Black people is so profound that international parallels must be drawn.  In drawing a parallel that speaks to the white supremacy’s threat to the well being of Black Americans I’ll simply remind you that white supremacy was and is the political philosophy that kept Black people subjugated and enslaved in America for nearly four-hundred (400) years.

As I have asserted before and will continue to remind you, voter suppression against Blacks in America is and always has been a tool that white supremacist used to oppress Black people and to relegate them to a permanent underclass in America.  The question that must be asked is, what is a permanent underclass of Black Americans suppose to do?  This question is important to consider in light of the view of many political theorist that assert that much of the appeal of ISIS is with younger people that see themselves as being locked into a permanent underclass, without a viable future.

ISIS is loosely defined as the Islamic State of Iraq.  Anyone watching the news knows that ISIS has been engaged in bloody and brutal atrocities rarely seen in today’s world.  I say today’s world because many of their bloody deeds were similarly perpetrated against Blacks in America before, during, and after slavery.  Of course the world has witnessed other horrific brutality but that is not my topic for today.  When people embrace the bloody brutality of ISIS today, they are described by political theorist as having become radicalized.  I think that the description is an appropriate description.

The international fight against ISIS and other international radicals is called the war on terror.  The world is studying and reporting on the findings about the causes and identities of people that are being radicalized.  Central to what they’re finding and reporting is that young disenchanted people are prime prospects for radicalization.  They’re finding that in addition to the Internet, jails and prisons are prime places for recruiting and radicalization. 

If you’re wondering what ISIS has to do with white supremacy, it’s simple.  ISIS is recruiting the young and disenchanted to their cause.  Whether their cause is good or bad really depends on who you ask.  And white supremacist are destroying American democracy and helping to create an underclass that is forever locked out of the American dream and thereby relegated to a permanent second-class status in America.

The role that jails and prisons play in the international war on terror is quite simple.  Many people that end up in prisons come from the underclass of society.  Radicals use prisons as prime locations for recruitment.  Here in America, many people in our prisons are there because they’re Black.  Many of the Blacks in prison are there because of past and present schemes used by white supremacist to subjugate and imprison Black people.

With all of this being said, I’m both an optimist and a realist.  The optimist in me thinks that if we present the claim of Black people, as I do herein, to equal opportunity and access to the American Dream, to well meaning Americans, they will support our struggle for equality in America.  Of course, white supremacist and other advocates of voter suppression are blinded by hate, greed, and power and will work for the status quo.  The realist in me tells me to hope that the optimist in me is correct but to realize that we’re talking about generational changes that don’t happen overnight, if at all.

With all of this being said, corporations and politicians have the power to effectively reject white supremacy and create an America that is characterized by political, economic, and social justice.  Do they have the will?  It is common knowledge that America is continuously monitored the world over, by countries that do not believe American deeds match our founding principles, especially when it comes to the way Black citizens are treated.

Last week we reported that http://www.thethirdreconstruction.com is a blog whose goal is to help build a network of organizations and individuals committed to political, economic, and social justice.  We referenced certain movements and entities that we will monitor and report on.  This week we’re adding http://www.colorofchange.org to our list.

We continue to assert that as a people, Blacks must know their past because many public policies and players from our past continue to pose grave threats to our wellbeing today. 

Next week I’ll address what I consider to be one of the most important community empowerment initiatives of this The Third Reconstruction Era.  On Saturday past, February 21, 2015, the Alliance of North Carolina Black Elected Officials (ANCBEO) reported on a recent study that it commissioned to gather data and information related to the issues pertinent to policymakers and their constituents in North Carolina.  Their mission is to use the information and data to develop empowering initiatives that improve the African American Community. 

Join the growing numbers of people that are committing themselves to fight for political, economic and social justice and please ask your affiliated churches and organization to join in the efforts.

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Peter Grear, Esq. writes for Greater Diversity News and www.thethirdreconstruction.com with a primary focus on political, social and economic justice.  To support our efforts, to unite our politics and economics, please “Like” and follow us at http://www.facebook.com/ThirdReconstruction. Please “Share” our articles and post your ideas and comments on Facebook or at our websites https://greaterdiversity.com and http://www.thethirdreconstruction.com. Comments can also be sent to [email protected]. Finally, please ask all of your Facebook “Friends” to like and follow our pages. •