George Floyd’s brutal murder by a racist cop
unleashed a torrent of rage and disgust
On a scale not seen before for such killings
It added to Police and Blacks’ mutual mistrust

When you see White faces among protesters
You feel excited and encouraged
You are ready to call it a historical moment
It may seem so, but it is not a watershed

Obama’s election was hailed as a proof
of the arrival of “post racial” America
Obama encouraged this narrative by
stating that “there is only one America”

The reality turned out to be altogether different
Vast majority of Whites never accepted –
Obama’s legitimacy as their President
His every move, Republicans subverted

It is easy for Whites to march in protests
They are not encumbering any of their privileges
The apparent solidarity gesture is more for the show
Similar to how peacocks use their plumages

This is not the first time hopes have been raised
They are likely to be dashed again, as in the past
Abolition of slavery was followed by Jim Crow
It’s certain that Blacks must have felt aghast

The real test of Whites’ commitment to the cause of
justice and equality for Blacks will come
when THEY will be asked to give up things they cherish
and when sight of Blacks in their neighborhoods won’t scar’em

Question to ask are: (THEY=White Americans as individual citizens)

Will THEY be willing to –
grant reparations for the dastardly crimes committed against Blacks,
change drug laws that disproportionately affect Blacks and
stop forcing Blacks to segregate on the other-side-of-the tracks?

Will THEY support real reform of the criminal justice system
that sends Black men disproportionately into prison?
Due to Black poverty and DA’s tough-on-crime vow,
Blacks are forced to take guilty plea in submission

Let’s look at how two substances,
both classified as dangerous and addictive
One used mainly by Whites and one mainly by Blacks
But only one is treated in a manner that is vindictive!

Isn’t it illustrative that Opioid abuse
calls for more medical intervention
Whereas use of crack by Blacks
results in long incarceration!

Will THEY support reforming policing 
that treats Living while Black as a crime?
Will THEY stop responding to the politicians who
campaign on Law & Order time after time?

Will THEY be willing to change the history text books
That are written from Whites’ perspective?
The story of slavery must include all the sordid details,
must be fully authentic and true in its retrospective

Will THEY be willing to let go of NIMBYism?
Will THEY be willing to change the zoning laws?
Will THEY allow Blacks to move into their neighborhoods?
Will THEY allow Blacks to further their cause?
Will THEY be willing to a support a more equitable public school funding formula?
(School funds come from property taxes which disadvantages poor and minority communities, since their property base for taxes is lower. The way to equalize the funding is to let State determine per pupil school funding based on State wide school taxes)
Will THEY support creation of Districts by an independent commission?
(Gerrymandering of election Districts is one way White politicians dilute Blacks’ representation in elected bodies. The way to correct this is to have an independent commission draw District boundaries, not the legislature.)
Will THEY support equal voting rights (access and ease) for Blacks?
Since Supreme Court annulled the provisions of the Voting Rights Act in 2013, Republican led states are putting up barriers after barriers in order to thwart Blacks from casting their votes)
Will THEY support changing the law regarding peremptory excusal of potential jurors?
Under the current law, DA and the defense lawyer both can peremptorily seek excusal of potential jurors (up-to a predefined limit) for no cause.  This unfairly works against Black defendants since DA can seek excusal of Black jurors.   There have been cases where every Black juror was excused at the request of the DA (the defendant was Black).

There will most likely be some changes
in the way Police interacts with Blacks
But, will these be systematic enough
to stop Police brutality in its tracks?

May be things will be different this time, but then
slavery and its “mutations” have survived 400+ years
If I are to bet on the outcome of the latest uprising,
not much will change, due largely to Whites’ fears.

Now let’s look at the Corporate/Business side of the story.

Foot Note
Slavery is called American society’s original sin. Yes, it is a sin, but to call it the original sin is historically inaccurate in my opinion. The original sin has to be genocide of native people, abrogation of their land, forced relocation of the entire population to far and remote area, et al. But that discussion is for another day.

All of a sudden, Corporations have found “religion”
They are racing each other to burnish their image
Disappointingly, their actions are rich only in symbolism, such as
retirement of offensive brand names that remind of bondage

Holding diversity training is an empty gesture,
If not accompanied by “walking the talk” and concrete actions
Making promises to do better will not make much difference,
Unless people are held accountable for their infractions

One Example:
Black Lives don’t matter to Silicon Valley
Black Start-ups are ill funded, if funded at all
Company environment is hostile to Blacks
They get frustrated as their careers stall

Even when companies promise to correct the wrong
Their focus is only to be seen as doing the right thing
Agree to a process, such as interviewing Blacks for senior positions
But when it comes to actually hiring, they cringe

Kaepernick took the knee to protest racial injustice, in response
NFL put their collective knee on him and drained out his soul
NFL made him a pariah for exercising his civil rights
Minting money, not racial justice, is their only goal
(NFL adopted a rule in 2003- called Rooney rule to interview ethnic minorities for Senior positions including head-coaches.  Still out of 32 Head-coaches only 3 are Blacks while 70% of the players are Blacks)

Window dressing and lip service will not work any longer
People are expecting concerted action today, not tomorrow
Every level, including C-level, must reflect the diversity of America
Companies need to move fast, not go slow

If Companies are serious, THEY need to
– Diversify the C-level suite
– Diversify the Board
– Pay even entry level workers true “living wage” with full benefits
– End redlining and under-banking by banks
– End food desert by grocery stores

Will anything of substance change – don’t hold your breath
If change does come, It will definitely take more than 8 minutes 46 seconds
The problem has been in the making for a long time
Companies, despite numerous opportunities, chose not to make amends.

Martin Luther King gave his famous speech 50+ years ago
He dreamed of a society that gives Blacks their dues
Sadly, his dreams remain unfulfilled even to this day
“Free at last!”- not yet,  for which there is no excuse

Amen!

Inspired by the multi-racial protests against the brutal murder of George Floyd