Attorney General Eric Holder was a featured speaker at an event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act. During his speech at the event, held Tuesday at Howard University, Holder spoke at length about the causes and effects of racism in today’s America. He pointed out that society is not colorblind and stated that it shouldn’t be at this time, as there are still wide gaps that divide the races. Instead, the nation needs to be “color brave.” He also pressed Congress to readdress the Voting Rights Act. Last year’s Supreme Court ruling regarding the law essentially gutted it, allowing states to start enacting laws to restrict voting times and require voter IDs.
In his speech, Holder highlighted the various areas where people of color, or of the LGBT community, still face discrimination.
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“In far too many neighborhoods, far too many people of color and far too many LGBT individuals are denied credit and housing.”
Mr. Holder also pointed out the disparities in our nation’s education system, especially when it comes to people of color.
“In our education system, students of color are far more likely than white children to attend poorly funded schools. In the criminal justice system, African-American men are routinely subjected to sentences averaging 20% longer than those served by white men convicted of similar crimes. And when it comes to our most treasured democratic institutions, many vulnerable populations – including young people, the elderly and communities of color – are now facing a range of new restrictions, leveled under the dubious guise of voter fraud prevention, that create significant barriers to the ballot box.”
Per Holder, we should not shy away from having difficult conversations about race, discrimination and bigotry in this country. While it may be uncomfortable for many, it is necessary to bring these issues to the forefront, not just shoo them away and pretend they don’t exist. The only way we can truly eradicate discrimination in this nation is to first fully acknowledge its existence. Only after making everyone aware of the issues at hand can we truly make progress on finding solutions.
“As it stands, our society is not yet colorblind, nor should it be, given the disparities that still afflict and divide us…We must be willing to acknowledge the problems we face, to talk frankly about inequality, and to examine its causes and its impacts and, most importantly, to act to eradicate it.”
The attorney general showed conservatives that he would not back down from talking about racism in today’s society. Despite the endless bellyaching from white Republicans, Holder is pressing forward and discussing uncomfortable topics because he feels it is necessary and vital to today’s society. On Sunday, he discussed the “racial animus” that is present in Washington. Immediately, conservatives in the media went apoplectic, making it appear as if Holder was ‘playing the race card,’ which is really just a saying white right-wingers use to try to shut down any conversation related to race.
This isn’t the first time that Holder has had to deal with Republicans in Washington and conservative media figures telling him to be quiet about race. In April, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) infamously lambasted Holder during a Congressional hearing. Days later, Holder appeared at a National Action Network event and discussed the racism in Washington. In a hilariously sad display, all-white panels on news shows discussed his remarks and attempted to talk about race in America. Of course, they concluded that Holder was overstating the effects of racism and needed to stop talking about it.
Thankfully, Eric Holder has not listened to their advice.
Justin Baragona is the Managing Editor at Politicus Sports as well as Senior Editor at PoliticusUSA. He was a political writer for 411Mania.com before joining PoliticusUSA. Politically, Justin considers himself a liberal but also a realist and pragmatist. Currently, Justin lives in St. Louis, MO and is married. Besides writing, he also runs his own business after spending a number of years in the corporate world. You can follow Justin on Twitter either with his personal handle (@justinbaragona) or the Sports site’s (@PoliticusSports).
