T. Lulani Arquette: Racism is rearing its ugly head all over again

The African American, American Indian, and Native Hawaiian racial and cultural equity movements are not exclusive, and I acknowledge there are other ethnic and gender groups in America who have struggled with their own civil rights, but I chose to focus on a period of time, the 1960’s and early 1970s, in which my personal experiences as a young person were heavily influenced by my Native Hawaiian ancestry and these other two groups. There was immense progress born out of these times over the following forty years with new legislation, government apologies, institutional reforms, and expanded human rights and protections. Cultural pride and revitalization grew, and racial barriers came down. New policies and civic engagement encouraged the creation of organizations and community groups to address the disparate social needs and monitor the effectiveness of new laws intended to improve civil rights and inequality.

It seems like we have come full circle since the 1960’s and that history is indeed repeating itself. The rampant ignorance and hatred spewing across social media and some news outlets is traumatizing and dangerous. It’s difficult to witness these racist rants and acts of violence at any time, and especially in the last few years, almost 50 years since the birth of the civil rights movement. Our nation should have learned the devastating results of racism paired with inequality, which is a breeding ground for poverty, social ills, and despondence; and which causes fear and leads to violence by hate groups and others. The recent shooting and killing of members in a black church in Charleston, South Carolina and subsequent church arsons are horrible manifestations of hatred and deep-seated racism.

People and scholars working in the field of race, inequality, and social justice are committed in various ways to share their knowledge and educate others on the deep roots of the problem, which many believe to be both institutional and implicit racism. These more “unconscious” and “invisible” forms of racism in our society are not as obvious, yet they are equally as damaging.