Support public policies that bring equality to all
Friday, June 19, marks the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth, the belated (by more than two years) commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States.
It would be another 100 years before the right to vote of those slaves and their descendants would be protected by law. Belatedly it seems, our nation does progress toward racial equality, yet we still have a long way to go before we attain equality and justice for all.
The senseless killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer has sparked demonstrations calling for racial justice that stretch from right here to across the nation and globe. However, the real roots of these protests lie in a long history of systemic racism and discrimination that are an undeniable part of our society.
Supporting racial justice is not a partisan issue. More
Americans than ever want a racially just society. In 2015, barely half of all Americans thought racial discrimination was a big problem. Today, more than three quarters of us recognize the challenge we face.
Regrettably, leadership in Washington is dividing our communities at precisely the time when we should be coming together to achieve our common goal of a more equal and just society. As a black man and the son of immigrants, I have personally experienced racism and racebased police harassment. It was one of the reasons I chose to become a public defender.
On the other hand, I have had countless personal and professional interactions with police officers, the vast majority of whom were public servants trying to do good. The job of being a police officer is difficult, especially in a society as heavily armed as ours. It’s even harder when police are asked to do things they aren’t well-trained or equipped to do, such as deescalate mental health crises, respond to those suffering from the disease of addiction, and provide security in schools.
We cannot and should not rely on the police to solve all of society’s problems, nor can we make them scapegoats for our societal failures. We must relieve police of the overwhelming responsibilities we have placed on their shoulders and appropriately re-distribute those duties and the financial resources that go with them. We have to define the role of our police departments more narrowly, and then hold our officers to the highest standards, which includes simplifying the process to prosecute police officers for gross misconduct when it occurs.
These common-sense reforms are a huge step in the right direction, but they will not “fix” systemic racism. In order to “fix” systemic racism, we have to fix the system itself.
Racism has become a systemic problem because of the countless ways in which discrimination and inequality have been subtly written into policies that cover a wide-range of issues that are seemingly unrelated to race. Fully and fairly funding our schools, creating jobs that pay a living wage, dismantling the school-toprison pipeline, and providing access to affordable, high-quality healthcare are all fundamental to addressing systemic racism.
Economically disadvantaged communities are overwhelmingly communities of color, but making investments that will enable them to lift themselves up will also benefit all communities throughout Pennsylvania. We are all in this together and we must support public policies that recognize that fact.
Achieving a more just and equal society means making many changes. Making those changes will require elected leaders with the political courage to stand up for our shared values. The path ahead is difficult, but I believe we can achieve our common goal if we walk that path together.