“It is a story less of success than of survival through an unremitting struggle that leaves no room for giving up. We are all a part of that history, and it is still unfolding.” – Derrick Bell
The world has been getting smaller. Globalization is the new “in” topic; economic neoliberalism is sovereign in the world marketplace, and iPods continue to shrink at impressive speed—the newest model containing a dozen more apps and features in an even smaller body. Civilization seems to reach nonpareil heights with each new day, and most of us, like addicts, continue to fiend for progress, increasingly fixated on the rewards of forward-thinking innovation and expansion.
Meanwhile, feverish whispers of imminent danger have gone unheard. Only in the wake of a new breed of super-mutant tropical storms and the current subprime mortgage crisis have purveyors of the dominant culture been slapped into admitting that quests for infinite growth are not sustainable. That the Earth will crumble under the weight of our gluttonous consumption. That we made mistakes along the way and must retrace our steps, if we have any hope of reversing this downward spiral.
Our blind worship of “progress” has led us astray in more ways than one. In a hurried rush to forget the scars that mar our American faces, we have walked away from history’s mirror and set our sights on the future. The racial conundrum, however, is not erstwhile. Blacks are six times more likely to be victims of homicide than whites, and are five times more likely than whites and three times more likely than Hispanics to be incarcerated. The unemployment rate for Blacks is twice that of whites, and a full quarter of Blacks in America fall under the poverty line (3x the rate for whites, over 2x the rate for Asians).* The average Allied Barton security guard at the University of Pennsylvania earns just above a subsistence wage—hardly enough to finance a meal plan and monthly rent in a 9x11 single dorm in Hill College House, let alone feed a family of four.
Yet a general wave of apathy shrouds the collective psyche of today’s youth. Some have simply given up, while others—fooled by his institutional disguise and covert tactics—have mistaken Jim Crow for dead. We are now numb to the revolutionary impulse that once pumped life into the movements for abolitionism, labor, civil rights, and Black power. In a self-interested race for the fruits of opportunity, we have allowed them to stagnate, despite egregious signs of continued inequity and injustice. In decades past, university students leveraged their stance behind a visible podium to further these crucial battles—we must revive this trend, retrace the steps of our predecessors, and continue where they left off.
We cannot save the world. Nor can we eradicate racism, homophobia, or poverty. But we must act nonetheless. We must acknowledge our ties to a history that still unfolds, rather than brush it off as an outdated vestige of the past. To choose inaction is to choose complicity, and that is an injustice we can scarcely afford to commit.
*All statistics taken from 2005-2007 data: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau.
-- Chloe
