Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2020
Abstract
American society is facing a daunting array of political and social challenges. The ascendance of Trump reflects deep political fissures that seem to have calcified over the last four years. Blatant racist appeals have become part of ordinary politics and our core democratic foundations have been shaken by the emergence of an ethno-nationalist populist ethic that is skeptical of government and evidence based expertise. The killings by police of unarmed black people, and the convulsive protests in response, made plain the persistence of racism. The pandemic has further ravaged our society: exposing pre-existing race- and class-based inequalities, and — by destabilizing health, income, housing, and neighborhoods — threatening to exacerbate those inequalities. As we recover from the pandemic amid government budget cuts and unemployment, the political possibilities risk being constrained by a narrative of scarcity.
Disciplines
Civil Rights and Discrimination | Law | Law and Race
Recommended Citation
Olatunde C. Johnson,
An Opening: Advocating for Equity in a Polarized America,
29(2)
Poverty & Race J.
1
(2020).
Available at:
https://scholarship.law.columbia.edu/faculty_scholarship/3431