San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
WILL CHANGE IN AMERICA STICK THIS TIME?
A Chinese curse says: May you live in interesting times. No doubt, these are interesting times for Americans.
In the last 150 days, Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison for sexually harassing and assaulting women over decades. And people mobilized across America to address racial inequality and police violence, after the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, by a White Minneapolis police officer.
Change is in the air. But is this another “been there, done that” moment in American history?
The 1960s began as a decade of hope, with the election of John Kennedy as president. That hope turned to despair when Kennedy was murdered in 1963. What followed were years of protest: over the Vietnam War, unfair treatment of Black people, women’s inequality and more.
In October 1991, Americans watched an all-white, all-male Senate Judiciary Committee questioning
Anita Hill, the Black law professor who had accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment. The committee eventually confirmed Thomas.
It was pioneering testimony that raised the collective ire of women who shared Hill’s experiences of workplace harassment and found her treatment by senators deeply disturbing.
Their determination to do something led to passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1991, which gave more legal recourse to sexual harassment victims. State laws began to change, too, and anti-harassment programs were established in workplaces across the country.
Still, the bad behavior continued.
And nearly 30 years after passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 — which prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin — Black Americans continued to suffer the consequences of economic and racial inequality.
Four Los Angeles police officers (three of them White) were acquitted in 1992 of the brutal beating of Rodney King, a Black man. Fury over the acquittal spilled into the streets, resulting in five days of rioting in Los Angeles — as well as other cities. It ignited a national conversation about economic and racial disparities and police use of force.
Still, the bad behavior continued.
Now another 30 years has passed — and this time, it does feel different. When the Harvey Weinstein story broke in October 2017, it launched an outpouring of stories that fueled the #Metoo movement. Since then, #Metoo has had tangible repercussions in nearly every public arena.
Refinery29 writers Elena Nicolaou and Courtney Smith observe that, while Weinstein’s downfall was catalytic, the women’s movement was already gaining momentum (again), beginning with the January 2017 Women’s March.
They write, “These significant events mark the radical shift in our cultural outlook regarding sexual misconduct, power dynamics, and the strength of women’s words.” The public discourse continues.
George Floyd’s death inspired what may have been the largest uprising in the history of our country: An estimated 10 percent of Americans have participated in protests and the Black Lives Matter movement has resurged.
A recent Monmouth University poll found that 76 percent of Americans consider racism and discrimination a “big problem,” up 26 points from 2015. According to The New York Times, the shift continues a longterm trend in public opinion that preceded Floyd’s death — another hint that this time, change may be more lasting.
Even companies are changing their thinking, moving away from racialized names and imagery used to build brand loyalty.
Aunt Jemima syrup and pancake mix have been breakfast staples in Americans’ homes for 131 years. Pepsico has announced that it will change both the brand name and packaging, acknowledging their racist origins.
Sports teams, too, are rebranding. The Washington Redskins announced last week that they would change their name — no doubt due to pressure from corporate sponsors like Fedex and Nike. The Cleveland Indians are considering a change to their 105year-old name, with the organization tweeting that the team is committed to advancing social justice and equality.
Nearly 60 years after Kennedy’s death — yet all of a sudden — we are embracing a simple but profound idea: that every human being should be treated with respect and dignity.
Our social consciousness has been awakened in a way that harkens back to the 1960s.
In the prophetic words of Bob Dylan, the times they are a changin’. Hopefully, this time, the changes will stick, once and for all.
Dinkin is president of the National Conflict Resolution Center, a San Diego-based group working to create solutions to challenging issues, including intolerance and incivility. To learn about NCRC’S programming, visit ncrconline.com