Racism is tearing America apart. Not just black and white racism but all races now comprising America's demographics and shaping our future. That future can be promising and wonderfully eventful, or it can be full of the conflict, resentment and discrimination we are now experiencing in our society. The problem has a longstanding history, not limited to America but America is what we have to deal with now and into the future if it is to be livable and potentially satisfying to its inhabitants. The current social environment is completely unacceptable if happiness is to be a prime ingredient to our social experience.
Social and behavioral scientists have been studying racism and its consequences for nearly as long as America has existed as a country re-populated by European immigrants
First, American history books needs to be edited and in some cases, rewritten to eliminate American myth and replace with factual history. This must include the behavior of our earliest European settlers and conquerors. Primarily English and Spanish, when they first set foot on this land. Specifically, their treatment of indigenous populations and their feelings of entitlement. Much new research exists on that period and the behaviors of these early explorers and settlers must be taught with greater accuracy and truthfulness. The material is there. It just must be adopted by school boards across the nation.
Secondly, American history re-presented to our youth on our history of slavery which was as the center of our economic "success" and ability to confront our European sponsors. Yes and our history of religious justification for the treatment of indigenous as lesser......ie: Catholicism via the Spanish and Protestantism via the English settlers.
And, further recasting of our history as taught in our schools as the American Experience evolved in the treatment of non-English immigrants and those of differing religious backgrounds such as the Jews.
Our teachers have to be retrained on the accurate history and universities reoriented on teacher preparation regarding both history and race.
As our education system is re-tooled, civics and political history must be reinstated with renewed vigor in molding informed, fact-instilled teachers and students, with elements taught from K through 12 and beyond. But the new civics must be infused with programs to bring children, parents and teachers of different races and cultures together to encourage understanding and tolerance, if not real love at least among some participants.
This new civics should include mandatory testing for graduation to the next level and completion of a diploma.
Further, mandatory public service for 1 or 2 years should be required post high school graduation with generous incentives for tuition reduction or elimination.
Civics education and maybe testing should be offered for all adults, available through access to public school and university facilities and faculty as well as online and through public libraries and possibly employers. Should it be mandatory for all voters? This may be worthy of debate.
Finally, our legal system should seriously reexamine current law on discrimination, both civil and criminal, including hate crimes to assure that both good racial behavior as well as terrible racial behavior have appropriate rewards and punishments.
Our civic and private sector leaders should be re-energized to model appropriate racial tolerance and speech. Pubic events designed to encourage tolerance and cross-racial solidarity should be greatly increased by our civic and private sector leaders. Companies and organizations receiving monetary support from state and local governments and tax reductions should be required to provide employee civic and citizen solidarity education to enhance racial tolerance and harmony.
Racists should be shunned and racially demeaning language should be socially condemned in public and private gatherings of Americans.
This will be a long, multi-decades endeavor to get it right and show the desired result of a society where we all are valued and appreciated for our differing contributions to the common good.
