Racial injustice

Racial injustice: A question of degree is not a measure of the deed

Op-Ed: First Lady Michelle Obama recently told an audience of black graduates at Tuskegee University she feared racial stereotypes might be harming her husband’s election campaign, and worried what her daughters might feel if they knew what people were saying about her.

Subsequently she was criticized by Kareem Jackson, of Hands Up United saying, “In America, the black experience my mother endures is drastically different to the black experience of Michelle Obama. We are currently living in a country that allows certain black people to hide behind the guise of privilege, class, and education.”

I argue the question of the degree of racial injustice is not a measure of intrinsic unjustness. The experiences of racial prejudice are no less injurious to a black person of status than to the average individual—young black men are the exception, for they suffer inordinately more than the rest of the population as the result of white privilege and systemic racism.   

The experiences of Ms Jackson’s mother are different from Michelle Obama or even Michelle Obama’s mother. I doubt anyone would question the situational dissimilarity.  Still, racial bias and injustice are no less worrisome independent of who the target happens to be.

Women in general have been suffering injustice for hundreds of years. The female corporate person who is passed over for promotions continually suffers similar disappointment as a woman working in retail or fast food who has no hope of ever being considered for a supervisory position. Both suffer economic, social, and institutional inequality.  

Injustice by any other name is still unconscionable. The core values of civil and human rights are not class specific or become less hurtful across economic or social barriers.  In fact, a person of means who suffers injustice could feel even more isolated in their experience, for they might not have the direct support of civil rights groups, unions, or even laws for protection and advocacy.

As the Guardian points out, “For every story of someone who overcame crushing poverty to achieve massive success there are thousands of others of those who continue to languish in low-wage jobs and in substandard conditions. In fact, while nearly two out of three white people make it into the middle class by middle age, according to economic expert Isabel Sawhill, that number drops to just three out of 10 for black people.”

Affluent African Americans and people of color have had to be “twice as good” in their personal and professional lives to achieve success. And no one denies the millions of others who struggle and confront racial and economic oppression in their daily lives. Until equality and social justice are achieved for all people of color and gender, as well as the poor and disabled across economic and social lines, persistent advocacy is an American responsibility. It’s like dropping a stone in a pond.

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Civic responsibility begins within families and graduates out into the community and local government, then to the election of state lawmakers and finally to the US Congress and the President of United States.

Mrs. Obama’s personal concerns for how her children could be affected by misconceptions and even lies about her are universally felt by women—and even men—who are unjustly portrayed based on racial stereotypes. Because not all women have access to influence the national conversation, the First Lady’s candor and honesty is appreciated by those who suffer from oppression and injustice.

Resources
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/12/michelle-obama-twice-as-good-african-americans-black-people