5. The Racism of America

The racism of America is not a problem of black and white but of white and white.  No black person is unaware of the oppression that they experience or how little progress has been made in beginning to heal the wounds of four centuries.  The problem is that white people only want to hold onto the power they have accumulated over time and do not want to address any issues that would even potentially decrease that power.  Honesty on race relations on a personal level are very far from every white person’s psyche. No white person, unless entirely racist, is willing to become honest with another white person and, truth to tell, it’s hard to imagine any black person wanting to listen to the confessions of a white person, no matter how sincere that person might sound.  Whites should not hope for understanding by African-Americans unless they can first get honest among themselves.