Racism is an undeniable evil that has poisoned many societies throughout history, including our own. From slavery and Jim Crow, to the genocide of Native Americans, to the internment camps for Japanese Americans during World War II, America has struggled with fulfilling its founding principles time and time again. The self-evident truth that “all men are created equal” and the universal right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” have not been perfectly applied in America and have been outright attacked many times throughout our short history.
Despite this, America is more free, accepting, and equal to people of all races today than ever before. We have elected a black president, a black and Asian American vice-president, many men and women of color (from both parties) into Congress, Governorships, and other high positions. We have seen women and ethnic minorities in the Supreme Court and in courts across the land, as successful entrepreneurs, as leaders, and as academics. Cities like Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, and Miami are new beacons of hope for ethnic minorities in this country.
That being said, the sin of racism still poisons our society. Racially motivated hate crimes are not just a relic of the past, but a present struggle for many Americans of all ethnicities. Racial slurs and hurtful words too often invade our daily lives. Social media punchlines too often separate friends into separate, racially segregated camps. Additionally, many Americans of all colors still live in abject poverty. Disproportionately, these are black and Latino Americans as well as immigrants and refugees, mostly in inner cities. Even cities like Atlanta, which has high rates of ethnic minority business ownership and wealth, still suffer from poverty within black and Latino communities.
These issues are universally known and recognized, so I will not speak to these any further. However, I will focus on what is being done to solve these problems. Sadly, it seems that many people are so much more focused on virtue signaling on their Instagram stories than going out and making a difference in a person’s life. Additionally, the same people who claim to advocate for people of color attack people of color who identify as conservative, like Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), Amb. Nikki Haley, and Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA), calling them “tokens.” However, the token effort is not simply an attempt by Republicans to showcase conservatives of color - it is a problem that transcends partisan lines and is evident every day.
Since last summer, there has been a campaign to rename buildings and remove monuments of historical figures. This is not limited to avid racists and slaveowners - even abolitionists like Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, and Left-wing leaders like Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), have had buildings once named in their honor changed and monuments to them removed. The removal of names and monuments, even when justified, do not do anything for underserved communities. Do you really think a single mom in the ghetto of Memphis cares about the name of a residence hall on a New England college campus? Do you think a child stuck in a failing school in Detroit cares about the name of a military fort in North Carolina? Do you think an immigrant teacher who cannot find a job because she doesn’t know how to speak English cares about a monument in a park?
The obvious answer is “no.” When someone is worried about where his next meal will come from, he will not have time to be concerned about a military base being renamed or by a monument being removed. These actions do nothing for underserved communities, and they only help the “the system” feel more comfortable with itself. This is what one would call “a token effort.”
Renaming a building, discontinuing brands of syrup and rice, removing monuments and gravestones, posting on social media, and sending out statements do nothing for underserved communities. In fact, it is a slap in the face of those who need help the most because instead of getting the help they need, they get empty claims of support. If a person truly supports those who are less fortunate, that person supports them through constructive action, not simply words. Becoming an “ally” for persons of color does not start with your Instagram bio, it starts with your hands. Having trainings for the observance of old Native American lands is good and all, but unless you are serving underserved Native American communities or actively working for change, you are doing nothing for those who are struggling.
So, you who writes, “Black Lives Matter” on your Instagram bio, are you in Atlanta, or Memphis, or Baltimore, or your own community serving black lives and others who are forgotten by society? You who writes, “Support immigrants,” do you support immigrants and refugees in deed rather than just in word? You who writes, “Stop Asian hate,” where are you when colleges and universities actively discriminate against Asian Americans in admissions and scholarships? You CEO who caves at each political wind, where is your company when the people in the same city as your headquarters struggle to make ends meet? You college administrators who write beautiful emails condemning injustices and the evil of white supremacy, where are you when millions of Americans of all colors struggle to be represented and to find opportunity?
Even the College of the Holy Cross has fallen short in its “fight for social justice.” On their “Social Justice Awareness” page on their website, there are links to bail funds, readings and videos, and political and protest organizations such as Black Lives Matter. What does not appear are non-profit organizations that seek to assist underserved communities directly. In fact, linked on the Holy Cross website is an Innocence Project article that proposes eight ways to “get involved” and “advocate for justice.” These eight things include: donating to a bail fund, donating to “Black-led organizing projects,” joining a protest, checking in with friends and family, demanding accountability of leaders and law enforcement, speaking up, reading, and watching.
What is missing from this list is active engagement and volunteerism. All of the links that Holy Cross provides are either to donate to George Floyd’s family, who has already raised $14 million and gained $27 million from the City of Minneapolis, to donate to bail out those arrested during protests and riots, and to protest organizations. There are no links to service or volunteer organizations. Not one. When George Floyd died under the knee of Derek Chauvin, protests broke loose, and a fund was set up to help his family - and, perhaps, rightfully so. However, how much more is merited when over 600 black Americans are murdered per year in Chicago, 300 black Americans are murdered per year in Baltimore, 250 black Americans are murdered per year in St. Louis, and so many more are murdered in various cities across this country? Where is the outcry? Where is the national news media? Where are the politicians? Where are the social media hashtags? Where is Holy Cross? Nowhere. Nowhere to be seen. No one says their names.
The fact of the matter is that if organizations were serious about helping black people in need and other underserved communities, they would be more focused on action and not protest, on serving the underserved rather than posting a hashtag or sending an email. These trivial actions benefit the poster or “protester” much more than those in need. It’s so easy to make it look like you’re virtuous if you post “#blacklivesmatter”, send an email about “racial inequity,” or if you create a “social justice webpage.” But, these actions do nothing for those in need, and only make privileged people feel better about themselves.
So, social media activist, next time you post that you “stand in solidarity with” so-and-so, consider actually going and serving those with whom you claim to stand in solidarity. Holy Cross, next time you send an email about disparity and inequity, work to help solve the problem rather than just giving students propaganda to read and a link to the Counseling Office. It’s time to stop talking the talk and start walking the walk. Instead of being at each other’s throats about politics and disparity, we should have our hands on the plow in serving others. Working to end disparities takes more than talking about it; it’s high time to act on it. Reach out to your local non-profit, your local ESL organization, your local YMCA, your local Habitat for Humanity, your local career development center, etc. Let’s stop giving a token effort.
Here are some non-profit organizations local to Holy Cross where you can get involved and make a difference in someone else’s life:
Salvation Army: (508) 756-7191; 640 Main St, Worcester, MA 01608
Habitat for Humanity: (508) 439-7655; 11 Distributor Rd, Worcester, MA 01605
American Legion: (508) 799-9800; 326 Plantation St, Worcester, MA 01604
YMCA Central Massachusetts: (508) 791-3181; 1 Salem Square, Worcester, MA 01608
Framingham Adult ESL Plus: (508) 626-4282; 31 Flagg Dr, Framingham, MA 01702