Morial: We Need Reform, Not Symbolism

NEW YORK - In an op-ed, President and CEO of the National Urban League Marc H. Morial writes that while we celebrate Juneteenth, we need more reform.

In the opinion piece published on The Hill website, Morial states that while progress has been made, there is much more to do to achieve true economic equity for Black Americans.

Morial comments on high costs and inflation as additional worries on an already full plate. Economic inequities have existed for generations have added to even more generational trauma, with getting ahead becoming seemingly impossible.

In a survey that the National Urban League has conducted, Morial states that almost 3 out of 5 Blacks believe that the wealth disparity between Black and White Americans is a vicious cycle. According to the survey, almost 50% of Black households are truly terrified of being able to pay their bills and put food on the table.

It’s Millenials who have had a particular hard time of it, Morial says, because it’s that generation that are more likely to worry about losing their job or have their hours reduced, more likely to feel that racism affects their mental health, less likely to believe that their vote matters, and less likely to feel proud to be American.

Morial argues that while previous generations have suffered horrible and violent instances of racism, they have also been able to somewhat benefit from legislative programs. They benefitted from FDR’s “New Deal” and Johnson’s “Great Society.” Millenials, he says, have not seen any real legislative change that combats the institutional racism that Black Americans continue to face. Symbolism isn’t a substitute for real change, he says.

To get more information, please read the original article here.