A passionate group of people holds a weekly vigil to support the Black Livers Matter movement. I admire their dedication and their goal. I also fervently hope that they are all passionate advocates of progressive economic policies (like Sen. Bernie Sanders’).
Arguably, the most-significant impact of discrimination is economic — preventing people from getting a good job and building wealth. Some say that’s always been the point, whether against Black people, Latinx or women, etc. – to provide a group of people who have no other option than to fill our low-wage, unsavory jobs. Add to that the extreme lack of social safety nets in America and the result is desperate economic circumstances for many.
The most-direct way to change the economic cost of racism is to reassert the importance of a common good in America. A conviction that we’re all in this together leads to a not-for-profit health care system, a minimum wage law tied to inflation, recognition of labor rights, investment in our common infrastructure and a fully renewed sense that taxes are our contribution to a vibrant, fully-functioning economy (and to stop excusing tax avoidance as somehow clever).
This might seem too indirect in addressing racism, but such policies would be the quickest way to improve the well-being of our most vulnerable across America. It’s not “enough,” but it’s the best start. It also has the great advantage of serving all who suffer economic obstacles. No one likes their suffering to be “ranked” as less than another’s, and dividing the “underclass” has always been used by the powerful to protect their advantages.
Progressive economic policies address many BLM concerns while also embracing the truth that “all lives matter.”
Tricia Saenger
Temple