Racial justice is what millions across the country are fighting for. So, to quote the ancient philosophers, Unitates Publicorum, “Don’t believe the hype!” The most critical issue this election isn’t law and order, it is justice. In fact, the racial wealth gap puts Black people, families, and communities at a disadvantage, limiting their economic power and promoting cyclical effects, with nearly 70 percent of middle-class Black children likely to fall out of the middle class as adults. The persistent gap isn’t the only factor contributing to America’s racial hierarchy, but it’s one of the most glaring indicators of an unjust system. While we have great partners in this space, we need to see efforts like these on a larger scale if America going to put a dent in this wealth gap. As part of a $65 million commitment to America’s working families, we made an initial $10 million commitment to help eliminate barriers to access capital and credit among small businesses operated by Black and Latinx owners in 10 cities around the US. Small businesses promote wealth and job creation across cities and increasingly, the owners of small businesses represent the very populations of people who experience the most difficulties accessing resources. We’re also seeking to eliminate barriers to accessing income, benefits, capital, and credit for businesses owned by Black and Latinx Americans. Our recent $1.5 million commitment to the Center and its Covid Racial Data Tracker supports antiracist solutions-oriented research and data analysis, which will inform public and private policymakers. The Boston University Center for Antiracist Research, for example, is currently working toward solutions to systemic issues that have long restricted Black people from obtaining wealth. It takes wealth to make wealth, but Black Americans have not benefited from inter-generational access to capital and finance. The typical White family has a net worth of 10 times more than that of a Black family, illustrating their significant barriers to opportunity. The racial wealth gap has remained one of the clearest examples of racist policies and practices. They permeate our criminal justice system, health system, and our food system, and more than 150 years after the end of legal slavery, they still define so much of the inequity in our economic system. Racist inequities in America are baked deep into the fabric of our society, public policies, business practices and power structures. Yet, this order is what needs to be challenged in America, starting with building wealth in underserved communities of color. The perceived link between violent unrest and the fight for racial justice isn’t a coincidence, but reflective of resistance to systemic change that would challenge the country’s racial hierarchy. The fact is that more than 90 percent of Black Lives Matter protests since the death of George Floyd were nonviolent. Despite media shock jocks and race baiting politicians alluding to the opposite, the data speaks for itself. While the national call for justice has been coupled with months of protests, this shouldn’t be the basis for these concerns. With 60% of likely voters pointing to “violence and unrest” as a “major” problem, there is a clear pattern of concern. What I have seen firsthand is that arguments about “law and order” frequently directed at urban communities of color, generally have little to do with either.Īs we approach this consequential general election, 47% of likely voters agree “law and order” is an important issue-even more than the 45 percent who cite the pandemic as the most important. I grew up in a city and have spent most of my professional career in service to cities. The cry for law and order is not about violations of the law, but rather, about threats to a certain kind of “order” – the order of racial hierarchy in America. Sometimes overlooked in the national hue and cry over “law and order” is that, in fact, we all want law.
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