What Did the Racial Reckoning Achieve? — Cedric Johnson

On The Jacobin Show, Cedric Johnson offers an analysis of what the year of racial reckoning and Black Lives Matter protests did (and did not) achieve.

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[weirdomermaid]

Really enjoyed this guest and his analysis.

[LMLewis]

As the struggle for gay rights demonstrated, social change comes from the grassroots and filters up, notwithstanding the posturing of politicians as change leaders. The political class (politicians and their donor corporations) ALWAYS tries to undermine such movements by substituting weak responses like "training" (which has a poor track record of success) and weak 'protections' like "Don't ask, don't tell." At the same time, organizations that advocate change tend to be over-eager in claiming victory so as to bolster their image. 

Strong measures like significant reforms to political, legal and financial structures come only under persistent pressure from the grassroots. While it's tempting for busy people to farm out social justice to the political class or an activist organization, success ultimately relies on each of us making it integral to our daily activities.

[zainmudassir]

Nothing. Police budgets have increased and tougher laws against protesters passed

[eliyahubenysrael]

Racial reckoning seems like a corporate advertisement. The protests were much of what Dr Cedric Johnson discussed as pent up frustration and desire to restore the socialist principles of the civil rights movement, but disturbingly, a cross racial, largely class united movement around racial justice was easily undermined and smothered into ineffectiveness in a year. It's arguable that it wasn't even centered on the entire Black demographic, but divided it by smaller identities' special interest groups, rooted in majority white organizations and whose rhetoric wasn't coming from the wide spectrum of Black people on these issues. It stopped being homegrown and was imported, but not universally accepted on policy, just name recognition.

The point here is that a multiracial, mainly working class movement to alleviate racism was easily defeated; which doesn't look promising for a socialist movement, let alone revolution; political or otherwise.

[bobbymeade]

Nice to hear someone reference written works of Frank and it not being Listen Liberal or What's the Matter with Kansas.

[rado]

I love the critical thinking around these movements and their potential results that Jacobin has showcased but I'd really be more interested in hearing more solutions from the guests as to what they think should be done instead or in addition to what these movements like BLM and Defund are doing. Maybe it's just the particular clips I'm seeing or the clipping of the interviews themselves, but it starts to feel like a lot of "shut the hell up. What you're doing is useless." even though I know that's not what they're explicitly saying at all.

[williamtsanders]

hot take: we are gunning for socialism because our leaders are not accountable to our culture's values. we do not have a crisis of race or economics, so much as a crisis of meaning. if our values are not upheld by the powerful, be they cops or billionaires, then words are empty. cynical nihilism is rampant and strong in all facets of american politics from antifa to Trumpism, and everything in between. so really systemic change isn't meaningful when everyone has succumbed to cynicism. what i would suggest is people stop externalizing their problems, and gain an introspective practice. at some point in personal spiritual development - i dont mean religious - there comes a moment wherein one's suffering gains its proper context. cynicism melts away at this point. you must be a thriving sapling in the wind

[ANDDIRECTLLC]

Here are my questions for the Black guy;
1. Do you not know that the Black Panthers were Marxist?
2. Does Socialist equality of opportunity work where there is such a large income & wealth gap? Wouldn’t we need to close that gap with reparations 1st, because without that, wouldn’t it be harder to mobilize Black ppl because they would be more concerned about mere survival?

[Walter-ytbe]

Dr . Johnson is overly optimistic. Gentrification & militarized policing is here to stay into the foreseeable future. Charismatic mayoral candidates ain’t the answer

[tomover]

I liked this talk better than some of the snotty, glib 'anti-anti-racism' [sic] talk of some other Jacobin videos.

[stopdestroyingeverything]

Who's fixing and replacing all the stuff looted and burned down