PS: Absolutely. And in that vein, I don't know if white Americans have ever been so attuned to the structural framework of racism as they are right now, at least in our lifetime. What are you dreaming of in terms of healing and reconciliation, the way forward? I know that's a big question, but what inspires hope in you?
"My hope is that we find a way to engage with our history more honestly, and engage with our history in a way that doesn't turn a blind eye to the many moments that don't confirm our exceptionalism."
CB: That is a big question. So, I'll try to work through that question in real time. You know, I felt sort of the glimmer of hope this past summer, for America, I think for the first time — certainly since Trump was elected — in looking at the coalition of people that took to the streets.
You talk about performative activism, and the Instagram posting and stuff, I got some of that: people that were purely seeking an assuaging of their guilt. But I also saw people that were really reflecting on our nation's history, and our history of bigotry, frankly, and our history of violence. And that was encouraging to me: to see the diversity of identities that were attempting to confront our history on its terms.
My hope is exactly that: a continuation of that. I mean, in the immediate future, my hope is that we vote this guy out.
But in the slightly more distant future — because I don't think it can all be attributed to him — my hope is that we find a way to engage with our history more honestly, and engage with our history in a way that doesn't turn a blind eye to the many moments that don't confirm our exceptionalism.
