“Time and again, racist ideas have not been cooked up from the boiling pot of ignorance and hate. Time and again, powerful and brilliant men and women have produced racist ideas in order to justify the racist policies of their era, in order to redirect the blame for their era's racial disparities away from those policies and onto Black people."
- Ibram X. Kendi
DAY TWELVE
Politics & Racism
In continuing to highlight the presence of racism in our societal structures, today we'll be looking into the political system, and analyzing how race can impact the political spectrum, as well as analyzing prominent topics where race and politics intersect.
READ
Read this article to get a perspective on efforts to exclude African Americans from the polls, which the author deems reminiscent of efforts of southern whites that enabled the Jim Crow era.
 
This article explains both systemic and institutional racism, and how the two are different.
LISTEN
NPR interviews DACA recipient Miriam Gonzalez, a strong advocate for the policy since 2017, about her feelings after learning the Supreme Court ruled that DACA could stay in place. Additionally, listen to Harvard professor, Roberto G. Gonzalez, discuss how DACA has made a significant impact on hundreds of thousands of undocumented young adults' lives.
 
Our recommended selection for today from UWPC's "Soundtrack 4 Justice" playlist
"Get Up, Stand Up" by Bob Marley & the Wailers (3:42).
WATCH
KING 5 examines how race shapes politics and policy. In Washington, 72% of state lawmakers are white, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The state population makeup is 67.5% white, according to census data. However, just 3% of lawmakers are Latinx, compared to 13% of the population who identify as Hispanic; 2% of lawmakers are Black, compared to 4.4% of the population. While our lawmakers are slowly getting more diverse, national polling shows the divide between Democrats and Republicans is growing deeper and wider. Central Washington University Political Science Professor Todd Schaefer explains how politicians on both sides of the aisle are making the problem worse and what voters can do to turn that trend around.
 
Nate Silver has data that answers big questions about race in politics. For instance, in the 2008 presidential race, did Obama's skin color actually keep him from getting votes in some parts of the country? Stats and myths collide in this fascinating TEDx talk that ends with a remarkable insight.
NOTICE
Notice racism in politics...
Subscribe to the Coalition on Human Needs mailing list to stay updated on policies that impact the most vulnerable in our country. The Coalition is an alliance of national organizations working together to promote public policies which address the needs of low-income and other vulnerable people.
CONNECT
Who's in your feed?
Southern Poverty Law Center - Southern Poverty Law Center | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
PUT IT TO USE
Engage - Call or email federal, state, and local leaders about supporting political issues and policies that eliminate systemic and institutional inequities.
 
Act - Volunteer with Rock the Vote to help people register to vote.
 
Reflect - When thinking about public policies, ask a few key questions:
Does the policy explicitly account for potential racially disparate outcomes? If so, how? If not, are there changes that could be made to make the policy more equitable and inclusive?
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