Op-Ed: The midterm results (so far) show that old political narratives don’t apply to the Trump White House anymore.
The 2018 midterms are quickly approaching, and with them, another chance to re-engage the political conversation about racial America. We cannot allow the politics of division to continue as they have in the past.
When the 2016 presidential election came out of nowhere, it marked a seismic moment in America’s long history.
For most of the past century, we’ve been a land built on racism, class division, and the suppression of women’s and racial voices.
Since the Civil War, we’ve been a country with a caste system built on slavery, Jim Crow, and segregation. Those who have been on the bottom, working class people are often seen as less than human. Those on top are often seen as the backbone of society.
When you think about politics, it has historically been a white man’s game. Women and people of color have just been playing it.
This weekend, people on the left are re-entering discussions about racial issues — even as Donald Trump and the right are gearing up to re-open the debate in America — for the first time since the election.
This is an historic moment. But we’re reminded that it’s also an opportunity for us — as progressives — to redefine the game.
This opportunity is not about playing the same old game. It’s about playing new politics.
For centuries, Americans have been told that if they want to be better, they have to vote for better politics. And that’s something many of us have failed to recognize. We have been taught to be ashamed of politics and to believe the worst in politics — that politics is only about us.
But if we are going to get better, we need to believe in something bigger than ourselves. We need to re-engage ourselves as Americans. And then we need to rebuild some of the relationships we have built over centuries.
As the new