His subpar analysis

I guess last Monday was the day for Bradley R. Gitz’s monthly rant about race/racism. It’s a good gig, I suppose, being paid to share opinions without the pesky requirements of research or understanding. This one is special in that we get to experience his version of the intersection of race and sexism—a two-fer! What he failed to understand:

1. Recent voting restrictions in Arkansas: After the 2020 census, redistricting divided Pulaski County into three districts, virtually silencing the people of color (POC) voting voice in central Arkansas. As of 2018, Arkansas requires IDs to cast a vote. This disproportionally impacts POC (also the elderly and student voters) because a disproportionate number of POC do not have photo IDs.

2. Is Donald Trump “incorrigibly racist”?: In 1973, he was sued for violating the Fair Housing Act by refusing to rent to Black tenants. In 1989, he took out a full-page ad to call for the death penalty for five teens accused of raping a jogger in Central Park (they were later exonerated). In 1991, he admitted as true that he said he didn’t want “Black guys counting [his] money.” In 2011, he played a big role in pushing the false rumors that Obama wasn’t born in the U.S.

3. Where does racism exist?: If “racism” is defined as a systemic oppression of racial groups, statistics show that throughout our institutions, POC are disproportionately impacted in health care, wealth, education, representation, business management, and on and on.

Other of Gitz’s points were simply nonsense: Democrats think democracy didn’t exist before Joe Biden; Kamala Harris’ sole qualification (my emphasis) for office is skin color, as if being a former senator counts for nothing; Biden’s age implies that Harris is Trump’s de facto opponent while ignoring Trump’s virtually identical age.

Democrat-Gazette, must you continue to print subpar analysis?

DEBBIE HALBERT

North Little Rock