Sidestepping Solutions

I have a gig this morning at the Chrysalis, so I’m going to make this short.

Remember Bree Newsome Bass? She’s the activist from Columbia who (quite literally) rose to national prominence when she scaled the flagpole in South Carolina and removed the Confederate flag. I’ve been following her on Twitter ever since.

In light of the multiple issues we face as a community as we contemplate school redistricting, I want to share this quote from Ms. Newsome Bass:

We already have solutions for racism, poverty, immigration, etc. It's not about a lack of solutions, it's that *not everyone wants solutions*. 

A powerful segment doesn't think it's a problem. They are actively opposed to equality & democracy for all. That's the issue. 

We have to stop acting like the issue is a lack of solutions & not an ideological battle over white supremacy vs multiracial democracy. 

This is the fundamental ideological battle that has existed since USA's founding, when they debated but opted against abolishing slavery. 

That’s it, in a nutshell. We have the solutions. We don’t necessarily want them. 

Will Howard County come to grips with this? I don’t know. The variety of responses to the Washington Post article about the hate crime at Glenelg High School have been quite telling. It makes a difference whether you believe that it was an isolated incident perpetrated by a few dumb kids or a symptom of a deeply ingrained systemic problem.

Will our community and the Board of Education debate but ultimately opt against abolishing de facto segregation in our schools? History suggest yes. I’m hoping we are braver this time around.