Roots Reigniting a Conversation on Race

 

Last week, a remake of   Roots   premiered and reignited a national conversation on race in America. When the original show aired in 1977, America got a glimpse of the horror of slave ships, the conditions of slavery, and the cost to our national conscience for the first time. Now the remake is premiering at another   pivotal moment   when conversation of race has reemerged at the forefront of a country that is increasingly becoming majority-minority.
When it comes to civil rights advocacy, the American Muslim community often looks to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s as a model. However, American Muslims, like many others, often seem to believe that the Civil Rights Movement has succeeded in its goals; with an African American president, a black attorney general, and many more influential black leaders; it is easy to understand why such a belief prevails.  
The Civil Rights Movement has neither ended nor succeeded fully. The   statistics   are clear: forty-two percent of black children are educated in high poverty schools, only 14 percent of Black Americans trust their local police, and the unemployment rate for college-educated African Americans is almost double the unemployment rate for similarly-educated whites. Such statistics illustrate the unfinished and ongoing efforts to establish justice and fight the clear institutional racism that exists in the United States.
Some talking-heads in the media promote the notion that the we live in a post-racial America because we have a black president- thus, race, to them, is no longer a factor in situations like affirmative action, policing matters, and racial profiling.

When unarmed Michael Brown was shot by a Ferguson police officer, newscasters criticized the mentioning of race as a factor; many were attempting to convince the public that race played no part in the event. They also attempted to do the same with Trayvon Martin, Freddie Grey, and Eric Garner, with Rep. Peter King (R-NY) even   saying , “If he had not had asthma and a heart condition and was so obese, almost definitely he would not have died,” referencing Garner’s body weight.
Even within our own Muslim communities, we seem to ignore the obvious self-segregation and ethno-racial tensions that exist. It is no secret that American Muslims tend to silo themselves based on ethnic-racial divides. For example, the African American Muslim community   faces problems alone   without the support of their fellow immigrant American Muslims. Ethno-racial and religious minority groups must unite over common issues in order to be able to accomplish collective goals as well as community-specific aspirations. It is imperative that Americans from all backgrounds recognize that racism is alive and rampant, and it must be combatted both internally and externally.
In the current political atmosphere, bigotry is widespread and racial issues are increasingly discussed on social media, in the news and our everyday conversations. In the midst of this buzz, we must take steps forward toward unity. Minority communities should unite over common issues, goals, and visions of a pluralistic and inclusive America. Doing so can ensure our common causes have more force and collective support behind them.  
[Muslim Public Affairs Council: Contact: Rawda Fawaz, (202) 547-7701, rawda@mpac.org]