Ferguson and race in America

By Dr. Herny Flores. NewsTaco

Over the years some of my critics have accused me of seeing racism under every rock.  Others have argued that racism is passé declaring that racism disappeared in the 1970s.  Well, one lesson we have learned from the situation in Ferguson, Missouri is that racism is alive and well in America.  On one level this is no surprise to me and on another it allows us to take a closer, much deeper look at what this incident means for the United States.  The grand jury decision and subsequent rioting that followed the murder of Sam Brown, Jr. is a sad reminder of how things just don’t seem to change in regards to race relations in America.  At the same time, however, this terrible injustice gives the country another opportunity to revisit racism and try to see what we have to do to move beyond the current situation.

The Importance of Ferguson 

Some pundits have argued that Ferguson is to the 21st Century as the March on Selma was to the 20th because it nationalized the presence and depth of racism in American society.  Well, I think this is partially true but only partially.  The March on Selma was protesting the political exclusion of African Americans in this country and it gave birth to the Civil Rights Acts and many changes in the election and voting systems of this country.  Although the changes have not been sufficient and there are still problems with election systems, particularly in the southern states, change did occur and the political efficacy of African Americans, Latinos and Asians was enhanced.

Ferguson, on the other hand, is actually not only about political exclusion; it is also about how deeply embedded race is in the consciousness of Americans.  Officer Wilson’s grand jury testimony spoke to a perception of black males that one finds in 19th Century racial cartoon culture.  This police officer did not see Mr. Brown as another human being; rather he described Mr. Brown in animalistic terms.  Mr. Wilson’s racial consciousness is straight out of the colonial/slaver mentality that ravaged Africa several hundred years ago.

Racist Mentality 

The racist mentality of Officer Wilson exemplifies the way in which many Anglos in power view all people of color generally and this perception, in turn, causes them to interact with us racially.  Those Anglos in positions to influence public policy decisions see us as less than them.  In some cases this racial perception defines us as existing on the same existential level as animals.  This results in public officials treating us as less than equals in every area of public policy.

It seems to me that race relations in the United States have stayed mired in the 1950s.  Superficially, it appears that we have made economic, social and political progress but the reality is that we have not.  We, African Americans, Latinos, Asians and so forth, still lag behind in most social and economic areas.  The reasons are basically structural and these inequalities can only be changed through deep structural change.  The Civil Rights Acts were attempts at making some of these changes but in the end what happened was the Acts forced institutional changes that just served to incense racial hatred further.  If structural change had occurred police officers, such as Wilson, would not have made the psycho-social assumptions he did when he confronted Mr. Brown.  Instead Officer Wilson would have confronted Mr. Brown as an equal and the Ferguson incidents of violence and fear would not have occurred.

Is Change Possible? 

The quick answer to my question is that the dismal state of race relations in the United States will not change in the foreseeable future.  We have hit the “bottom of the barrel” so to speak.  Our voting rights are being taken away from us; the police continue to harass our young folks arbitrarily; the ill treatment of immigrants will continue (particularly now that we have an unavowed racist as the Texas state Lieutenant Governor); diminished funding for public education will continue and more public monies will be funneled to charter schools; and, adequate health care will continue to be denied us.

Nope, I don’t see any changes as far as race relations are concerned any time soon.  I also don’t see any changes to the racial repression in the United States occurring any time soon.  At least, until we stand up or some of those young folks we elected to represent us stand up and start demanding change.  First, however, we need to identify those institutions that are perpetuating inequality and change them.

Henry Flores, PhD, is a Distinguished University Research Professor, Institute of Public Administration and Public Service; Director, Masters in Public Administration (MPA); Professor of International Relations and Political Science at St. Mary’s University.

[Photo by Jaegar Moore/Flickr]

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