Now that we have Juneteenth as a Federal Holiday in the United States, I present the following question: Do black Americans suffer from a so-called Victim Mentality, or does American history show that black Americans are capable navigators of what I call a “Victim Reality”. Which is the most true and relevant representation of black America today?
I say “Happy Juneteenth” to you all, but I talk about how, in the recognition of Juneteenth as an official Federal Holiday, America seems to have just stepped over or walked past other important issues that America needs to take care of in the interest of true equality for black Americans.
I saw a video from The Glenn Show where Glenn Loury and John McWhorter were discussing the “Infantilization of Blackness” and their opinions that black Americans suffer from a victim mentality. My pushback to that is made clear in this episode. I point out a few facts:
1. Black American success in Tulsa, Oklahoma from 1865-1921 (and many other locations/areas of the United States at that time) shows the resilience of the former slaves and free black Americans, and their refusal to be burdened with a victim mentality.
2. Black American resilience during the Jim Crow years is yet another example of a broad refusal of the social policies of the time, and is hardly an example of a universal victim mentality for those black Americans.
3. Current impressive advances in the level of education among black Americans also points toward a free-thinking and positive mindset. (Sources are cited in the podcast episode)
A victim mentality INCAPACITATES and SUBJUGATES. I see EMPOWERMENT and INNOVATION in the greater Black Community in the USA. Of course we have institutional/systemic racism and policies such as redlining that are suppressing advancement, freedom and liberty for a large portion of black Americans, and I discuss this and its influence in this episode.
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