Detail Oriented

Why has America still made so little progress on racial equality?

You’ve probably heard the sayings, “the devil is in the details” and “God is in the details.” According to Grammarist, the first means “mistakes are usually made in the small details… pay attention to avoid failure.” The other means, “attention paid to small things has big rewards.”

When it comes to racial equality in America, or the lack thereof, we — and by “we”, I mean white liberals, like myself — are failing to give the details their due. And I believe that is why, despite our earnest desire to create real change — the reality is we’re not.

This is tough territory to venture into, but I’m going to do it anyway. Because not doing it, staying silent out of fear of judgment, will only perpetuate the problem we’re trying to solve, the wrong we’re trying to right. And that is the sickening, enraging, unacceptable way black people are treated in this country.

On the news other day, I saw a clip from a panel discussion on race relations. One of the participants said his white friends keep asking him, “What can I do?” His answer was to stop asking black people that question and look in the mirror.

I took that to mean more than just reflecting on my own insufficiencies, but following that up with action — a sincere and sustained effort to understand and alleviate other people’s suffering. But before that, I need to understand why these these insufficiencies exist and, more…