Systemic Racism's Continued Impact

Note: this is not the usual content here. But I have been sickened and angered by the continued intentional harm to communities of color (most recently Asian American and Asian Pacific Islander communities) that I am sharing this here.

Last weekend, I shared this piece on the long term affects of US' spraying of Agent Orange in a neutral country, Laos, in the Vietnam War. No response. But I was reminded (again, thanks to my husband this time) that I need to make broader connections between what I share and how it impacts people's lives.

My point was everyday racism "happens", in part, because of a history of systemic injustice. Like the Vietnam War...a war (like other wars of course) where in order to "win" we needed to completely dehumanize people. An intentional campaign of dehumanization doesn't go away. It lingers through generations WHEN it is not reconciled with, accounted and taken responsibility for. The US has never done any of those things.

The spraying of a dangerous chemical ("one of the most toxic substances ever created") on PEOPLE, land and animals is obscene. And it's an important example of how some people's lives, people not like "us", who look different are seen as less valuable and even threatening. Is it any wonder we have white people pushing Asian elders into streets? Or mass murdering because of "temptation"? It's sickening but it's not surprising.

I wonder how things might be different if our own government was to stand up, acknowledge systemic racism and it's cancerous impact ON ALL OF US. And then actually make amends, pay restitutions for those harmed and pass laws so we do everything we can to make sure we don't need to remind each other that the person next to us is as human, as important with as much value as we? What are we waiting for?