(The photo above, from CNN, shows anti-racist protesters filling the streets of Boston.)The forces of the "alt-right" (KKK, white supremacists, neo-nazis, etc.) scheduled a "free speech" rally in Boston on Saturday. They were vastly outnumbered as over 20,000 protesters filled the streets of that city to oppose the racism and hate those groups support, while less than two dozens showed up to support hate.
This is a good thing. The hate groups must be opposed visibly -- and made to understand that they are still just a tiny minority in this country. They need to be driven back underground as decent Americans oppose everything they stand for.
But that is not enough. Attending one (or more) peaceful demonstrations, while good and necessary, will not eliminate the racism that still troubles this country. We must now confront and eliminate the racism built in to our society's institutions. The civil rights laws passed in the 1960's were necessary, but they were only a start -- not the total solution.
It was good that a law was passed making it illegal to deny voting rights based on race. But we must be vigilant in making sure those rights are protected. Too many on the right are still finding ways to suppress the minority vote (through laws such as Voter ID, and political tricks like gerrymandering).
It was good that segregation was eliminated in public facilities -- including transportation. But we now need to insure that the transportation (and other public services) extend into and serve minority (and poor) communities as much as the white (and middle class) communities.
It was good that the Supreme Court unanimously declared separate to be inherently unequal in education, but simply allowing minorities to attend schools with whites is not enough. We must insure they get the same fair treatment and opportunities that white students get.
It is also not enough to eliminate discrimination in employment hiring. There must also be equal opportunity for advancement.
Our justice system also needs much work. Our police need to respond as fast to calls in the minority community as those in white communities -- and they need to treat minorities and whites in the same way. They need to understand that minority lives matter as much as other lives. And minority people need to be treated as fairly in the courts as whites.
I could go on, but I think you probably get my point. There is still much more to be done, especially in our institutions (where the racism is built into them). This will be harder than just passing a law, because attitudes (which have been taught us as we grew up) must be changed -- but it must be done.
Equality is a wonderful idea. Now we need to make it a reality.
