Facing our history

Despite attempts to hijack history and teach our children a “pro-American” view of it, we must face the truth of our shared American past. While we cannot fix the sins of our grandfathers we can face our responsibilities for the future of our children. The near genocide of native Americans, the enslavement of black Americans, and the continued oppression and systemic racism was, and is real. 

The only way for assuring every American a fair chance, we must assure a fair path to wealth, and true wealth that extends generations is blocked with unfair access to opportunity. The great equalizer is education, yet due to economic inequities the poorest communities in this country experience the worst of our current education system, suffering underfunding and higher teacher turnover- as many inner-city schools are looked at as a building block for teachers looking to move on to districts that provide more money for experienced teachers. While black Americans are at the lowest poverty rate since 1959 at 17% in 2022, they are still overrepresented in American poverty, as one in five people in poverty in this country are black Americans. These numbers are only second to our Native American populations, where over 29% live in poverty. The only way to bridge the equality gap for our fellow Americans is to redistribute the resources into the schools in these areas. I propose a $3,000 voucher in addition to current funding per year for students in these two racial groups as well as a direct payment to their families of $1,000 per child for no less than a single generation (20 years). Additionally, I would like to propose guaranteed access to federal student loans, with these loans to be forgiven for individuals who go into roles supporting the community at large- health care, education, policing, and public service. This plan would guarantee more funding in our poorest schools where it is needed the most, instead of the current system of money going to the children blessed with living in the areas of the highest property taxes, which generates supporting money for schools. This plan enables the fastest improvement to schools currently failing and in our poorest communities. With the influx of new money, we will see in short time that not only will the children of Black and Native Americans in poverty escape crippling poverty, but their classmates of other races benefit from the resources in their schools. Better resources, higher teacher salaries providing less turnover and better quality, and an increased school year (as provided in the education section) will spur a new growth in the middle class, which has been shrinking since 1971, while the lower economic class has been increasing in that same period. By providing loan forgiveness for those that choose to use their education to benefit our communities we will assist the growth in future generations that see these specific groups of people of color as respected members of the community and is a step into curing racism in our youngest Americans, while also giving more visibility to those who succeed and show our young Americans the path to success. The $1,000 stipend is literally to assist those in every income level and give an additional support to provide a well-rounded childhood to the children of these families. I am unaware of any study currently out there that does not show direct payments to those in need is anything other than used wisely and to assist in the slow climb out of poverty. The payment to those in the middle and higher economic classes of this group will support a well-rounded childhood and should assist in easing tension from these specific communities to the diverse American community at large. 

Maybe, if you want to think of it in very direct terms. I have two little children that share my very white complexion, so I do understand this feeling. But if you want to look at it in that way, I will tell you that because of the systemic, unfair access to money and resources that started well before our country had started, your and my white children started with an unfair advantage at birth. The tables have been unfair for a couple hundred years in this direction, I don’t believe a 20-year program will completely cure this, but if we need to recorrect for a small bit of current history, we will see an immeasurable advantage in your children’s future when we see the drop in crime as people leave poverty, your child being more fairly judged on the content of their mind and the strength of their work will only make them stronger, and the impact of a growing middle class has always proven to “rise all boats” in the history of this country. While we continue to see the highest earners in this country retain a larger and larger share of its resources currently, this pathway out of poverty and into equality will actually prove to be “color blind” as it will benefit the children of poverty as a whole as black and Native American children are overrepresented in this group. So, while it may be “unfair” to middle- and higher-income Americans it will benefit all those currently in poverty.

And truly, just get over it. This government subsidizes farms, energy, and transportation. Why is the focus on children of color receiving more from the federal government than the children of farmers, natural gas producers, or bus drivers? If we want to truly cure racism in our future, we need to redraw the lines of how to divide our society based on things other than the amount of melanin in our skin and into things of better importance. This won’t happen in my lifetime, unfortunately, but we can set the wheels in motion for our children and grandchildren and hope they will see it in theirs.