Succeeding Without Racism

THERE IS A LADY in Virginia who came from another country, is black, (according to our simplified somewhat arbitrary racial categories), well educated, and has become quite successful professionally and politically through hard work. She is a Republican. She asknowledges that race can be a barrier to social advancement, and that life is full of barriers, but believes that it does no good to dwell on racism as a determining factor in American society, that it is time to "move on", achieve according to one's abilities, and avoid becoming a victim. All well and good. Arguably, she is stating the obvious. After all, American society is replete with example of African-Americans who succeeded in spite of their skin color; we know it can be done. Part of her philosophy is that by dwelling on America's enslaved and racist past, we are giving ourselves an excuse not to succeed, and failing to recognize the abundant opportunites manifest in the land of freedom and opportunity. Her mistake is her presumption that one must do one or the other; that one must either dwell on the past, or overcome it by reducing its importance and influence on our lives today. The obvious question is: can we not do both? Can we not at once accept the realities of our flawed society, and our ability to transcend the limitations they impose on everyone? Lord Acton's maxim "Those who do not learn the lessons of history are condemned to repeat them" does not contradict the belief in the ability of the individual to succeed regardless of external, societal circumstances. To ignore or forget history, or any other academic discipline, only serves to perpetuate ignorance at the expense of knowledge and education. If we study history, and study America's history of slavery, segregation, and racism, we need not "dwell" on it, merely because we are aware of it. To be unaware of it is not an acceptable option for people desirous of being well educated. Nor is it acceptable to be willfully unaware of the reality that the KKK still exists, as do many white supremacist groups, and racism, depsite our preference that it had long been elimiated, persists in America. Racism is pervasive in America in the year of our lord twenty twenty two, all research clearly shows, and any cursory examination of contemporary American society and culture plainly reveals this unfortunate fact. Arrest records and court records, all of which are public knowledge, cannot be whitewashed; African-Americans within and throughout the criminal justice system are treated less leniently, more severly than their "white" fellow citizens", an indisputable fact. It does nothing to eliminate any disease by pretending that the illness, personal or societal, does not exist, or to ignore it. One can acknowledge and live in reality as a citizen of any color, gender, or sexual ortientation, fully aware of the obstacles presented by social bias, without succumbing to any urge to constantly feel victimized, or unable to achieve due to the nonsensical biases of other people. Congratulations to the lady in Virginia and her success. Congratulations fo people like Lebron James. Talent and persistence usually result in success. But in no way does this give us good reason to pretend that social evils do not exist, widely, or that they are not impactful, and that it is our responsiblity as good citizens to accept this reality, and to at least try do something about it.