Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > Robert Reich: It Would Be a Mistake for Progressives to Split Along
#BlackLivesMatter and Economic Justice Lines
________________________________________
Robert Reich: It Would Be a Mistake for Progressives to Split Along
#BlackLivesMatter and Economic Justice Lines
By Robert Reich [1] / RobertReich.org [2]
July 23, 2015
A new report [3] finds more U.S. children living in poverty than before the
Great Recession. According to the report, released Tuesday from the Annie E.
Casey Foundation, 22 percent of American children are living in poverty (as of
2013, the latest data available) compared with 18 percent in 2008.
Poverty rates are nearly double among African Americans and American Indians.
Problems are most severe in South and Southwest. Particularly troubling is a
large increase in the share of children living in poor communities marked by
poor schools and a lack of a safe place to play.
Which brings me to politics, power, and the progressive movement.
The main event at the Netroots Nation conference in Phoenix, Arizona last
weekend was a “Presidential Town Hall” featuring one-on-one discussions between
journalist and undocumented American Jose Antonio Vargas and presidential
candidates Governor Martin O’Malley and Senator Bernie Sanders.
It was upstaged by #BlackLivesMatter [4] activists who demanded to be heard.
It’s impossible to overcome widening economic inequality in America without
also dealing with the legacy of racial inequality.
And it is impossible to overcome racial inequality without also reversing
widening economic inequality.
They are not the same but they are intimately related.
Racial inequalities are baked into our political and economic system. Police
brutality against black men and women, mass incarceration disproportionately of
blacks and Latinos, housing discrimination that has resulted in racial
apartheid across the nation, and voter suppression in the forms of
gerrymandered districts, voter identification requirements, purges of names
from voter registration lists, and understaffed voting stations in black
neighborhoods – all reveal deep structures of discrimination that undermine
economic equality.
Black lives matter.
But it would be a terrible mistake for the progressive movement to split into a
“Black lives matter” movement and an “economic justice” movement. This would
only play into the hands of the right.
For decades Republicans have exploited the economic frustrations of the white
working and middle class to drive a wedge between races, channeling those
frustrations into bigotry and resentment.
The Republican strategy has been to divide-and-conquer. They want to prevent
the majority of Americans – poor, working class, and middle-class, blacks,
Latinos, and whites – from uniting in common cause against the moneyed
interests.
We must not let them.
Our only hope for genuine change is if poor, working class, middle class,
black, Latino, and white come together in a powerful movement to take back our
economy and democracy from the moneyed interests that now control both.
Robert B. Reich has served in three national administrations, most recently as
secretary of labor under President Bill Clinton. He also served on President
Obama's transition advisory board. His latest book is "Aftershock: The Next
Economy and America's Future." His homepage is www.robertreich.org [5].
Share on Facebook Share
Share on Twitter Tweet
Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [6]
[7]
________________________________________
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/robert-reich-it-would-be-mistake-progressives-split-along-black-lives-matter
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/robert-reich-0
[2] http://robertreich.org/
[3] http://www.aecf.org/resources/the-2015-kids-count-data-book/
[4]
https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/blacklivesmatter?source=feed_text&story_id=1037804359565493
[5] http://www.robertreich.org
[6] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on Robert Reich: It Would Be a
Mistake for Progressives to Split Along #BlackLivesMatter and Economic Justice
Lines
[7] http://www.alternet.org/
[8] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
<HTML><META HTTP-EQUIV="content-type" CONTENT="text/html;charset=utf-8"><IFRAME
width="0" height="0" id="_mN_beacons" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0"
marginheight="0" scrolling="no" style="display: none !important;"></IFRAME>
<p class="print-logo"><IMG class="print-logo" id="logo" alt="Alternet"
src="http://www.alternet.org/sites/all/themes/custom/alternet/logo.png";></DIV><p
class="print-site_name">Published on <EM class="placeholder">Alternet</EM> (<A
href="http://www.alternet.org";>http://www.alternet.org</A>)</DIV><P><p
class="print-breadcrumb"><A href="/">Home</A> > Robert Reich: It Would Be a
Mistake for Progressives to Split Along #BlackLivesMatter and Economic Justice
Lines</DIV><HR class="print-hr"><p class="print-content"><p class="node
node-story view-mode-print clearfix" id="node-1039770"
about="/civil-liberties/robert-reich-it-would-be-mistake-progressives-split-along-black-lives-matter"
typeof="sioc:Item foaf:Document"> <p class="headline"><H1 class="node-title"
property="dc:title" datatype="">Robert Reich: It Would Be a Mistake for
Progressives to Split Along #BlackLivesMatter and Economic Justice
Lines</H1></DIV> <p class="byline rights"><EM>By</EM>
<EM><A href="http://www.alternet.org/authors/robert-reich-0";>Robert Reich</A>
<SPAN class="print-footnote">[1]</SPAN></EM> / <SPAN
class="field field-name-field-sources field-type-node-reference
field-label-hidden"><SPAN class="field-items"><SPAN class="field-item even"><A
href="http://robertreich.org/";>RobertReich.org</A> <SPAN
class="print-footnote">[2]</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV><p
class="story-date"><EM><SPAN class="field field-name-field-date field-type-date
field-label-hidden"><SPAN class="field-items"><SPAN class="field-item
even"><SPAN class="date-display-single" content="2015-07-23T06:45:00-07:00"
property="dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime">July 23,
2015</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN> </EM></DIV> <p
class="authors_signup"></DIV><p class="top-tools"><p class="left">
<p class="addthis_sharing_toolbox"
data-url="http://www.alternet.org/print/civil-liberties/robert-reich-it-would-be-mistake-progressives-split-along-black-lives-matter";
data-title="Robert Reich: It Would Be a Mistake for Progressives to Split
Along #BlackLivesMatter and Economic Justice Lines @alternet"><p
class="at-share-tbx-element addthis_32x32_style addthis-smartlayers
addthis-animated at4-show" id="atstbx"><A class="at-share-btn
at-svc-facebook"><SPAN title="Facebook" class="at4-icon
aticon-facebook"></SPAN></A><A class="at-share-btn at-svc-twitter"><SPAN
title="Twitter" class="at4-icon aticon-twitter"></SPAN></A><A
class="at-share-btn at-svc-google_plusone_share"><SPAN title="Google+"
class="at4-icon aticon-google_plusone_share"></SPAN></A><A class="at-share-btn
at-svc-compact"><SPAN title="More" class="at4-icon
aticon-compact"></SPAN></A><A class="at-share-btn at-svc-email"><SPAN
title="Email" class="at4-icon aticon-email"></SPAN></A></DIV></DIV> <p
class="story_tools_print"></DIV></DIV><p class="right"><p
class="talk_box"></DIV></DIV></DIV><p class="clear-divider"></DIV> <p
class="the_body body_rights clearfix"> <P>A new <A
href="http://www.aecf.org/resources/the-2015-kids-count-data-book/";>report</A>
<SPAN class="print-footnote">[3]</SPAN> finds more U.S. children living in
poverty than before the Great Recession. According to the report, released
Tuesday from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, 22 percent of American children are
living in poverty (as of 2013, the latest data available) compared with 18
percent in 2008.</P><P>Poverty rates are nearly double among African Americans
and American Indians. Problems are most severe in South and Southwest.
Particularly troubling is a large increase in the share of children living in
poor communities marked by poor schools and a lack of a safe place to
play.</P><P>Which brings me to politics, power, and the progressive movement.
</P><P>The main event at the Netroots Nation conference in Phoenix, Arizona
last weekend was a “Presidential Town Hall†featuring one-on-one
discussions between journalist and undocumented American Jose Antonio Vargas
and presidential candidates Governor Martin O’Malley and Senator Bernie
Sanders.</P><P>It was upstaged by <A
href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/blacklivesmatter?source=feed_text&story_id=1037804359565493";>‪#‎BlackLivesMatter</A>
<SPAN class="print-footnote">[4]</SPAN> activists who demanded to be
heard.</P><P>It’s impossible to overcome widening economic inequality in
America without also dealing with the legacy of racial inequality.</P><P>And it
is impossible to overcome racial inequality without also reversing widening
economic inequality.</P><P>They are not the same but they are intimately
related.</P><P>Racial inequalities are baked into our political and economic
system. Police brutality against black men and women, mass incarceration
disproportionately of blacks and Latinos, housing discrimination that has
resulted in racial apartheid across the nation, and voter suppression in the
forms of gerrymandered districts, voter identification requirements, purges of
names from voter registration lists, and understaffed voting stations in black
neighborhoods – all reveal deep structures of discrimination that undermine
economic equality.</P><P>Black lives matter.</P><P>But it would be a terrible
mistake for the progressive movement to split into a “Black lives matterâ€
movement and an “economic justice†movement. This would only play into the
hands of the right.</P><P>For decades Republicans have exploited the economic
frustrations of the white working and middle class to drive a wedge between
races, channeling those frustrations into bigotry and resentment.</P><P>The
Republican strategy has been to divide-and-conquer. They want to prevent the
majority of Americans – poor, working class, and middle-class, blacks,
Latinos, and whites – from uniting in common cause against the moneyed
interests.</P><P>We must not let them.</P><P>Our only hope for genuine change
is if poor, working class, middle class, black, Latino, and white come together
in a powerful movement to take back our economy and democracy from the moneyed
interests that now control both.</P><p class="bio-new body_rights"><p
class="author-bio"><P>Robert B. Reich has served in three national
administrations, most recently as secretary of labor under President Bill
Clinton. He also served on President Obama's transition advisory board. His
latest book is "Aftershock: The Next Economy and America's Future." His
homepage is <A href="http://www.robertreich.org";>www.robertreich.org</A> <SPAN
class="print-footnote">[5]</SPAN>.</P><P><INPUT id="mac_address" type="hidden"
value=""></P></DIV></DIV></DIV> <p
class="bottom-tools"><p class="left facebook"><A
onclick="window.open('https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/robert-reich-it-would-be-mistake-progressives-split-along-black-lives-matter','','width=658,height=354,scrollbars=no');return
false;"
href="/print/civil-liberties/robert-reich-it-would-be-mistake-progressives-split-along-black-lives-matter#"><SPAN
class="facebook-icon"> </SPAN> <SPAN
class="longname">Share on Facebook</SPAN> <SPAN
class="shortname">Share</SPAN> </A> </DIV><p class="right
twitter"><A
onclick="window.open('https://twitter.com/share?url=http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/robert-reich-it-would-be-mistake-progressives-split-along-black-lives-matter&text=Robert%20Reich%3A%20It%20Would%20Be%20a%20Mistake%20for%20Progressives%20to%20Split%20Along%20%23BlackLivesMatter%20and%20Economic%20Justice%20Lines
@alternet','','width=550, height=350, scrollbars=no');return false;"
href="/print/civil-liberties/robert-reich-it-would-be-mistake-progressives-split-along-black-lives-matter#"><SPAN
class="twitter-icon"> </SPAN> <SPAN class="longname">Share
on Twitter</SPAN> <SPAN class="shortname">Tweet</SPAN>
</A> </DIV><p class="clear"></DIV><p class="typos"><A
href="mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on Robert Reich: It Would Be
a Mistake for Progressives to Split Along #BlackLivesMatter and Economic
Justice Lines">Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'.</A>
<SPAN class="print-footnote">[6]</SPAN> </DIV><p class="clear"></DIV><p
class="commentlink"><SPAN class="commentlink-icon"> </SPAN>
<A href=""></A> <SPAN class="print-footnote">[7]</SPAN> </DIV></DIV>
<IFRAME width="100%" height="250" id="_mN_main_208722926_0_n"
frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></IFRAME>
</DIV> <LINK href="https://files.alternet.org/css/slimbox2.css";
rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="screen"> </DIV><p id="_atssh"
style="top: -9999px; width: 1px; height: 1px; visibility: hidden; position:
absolute; z-index: 100000;"><IFRAME title="AddThis utility frame"
id="_atssh413"
src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/sh.181acfb1.html#iit=1437774523478&tmr=load%3D1437774523098%26core%3D1437774523110%26main%3D1437774523440%26ifr%3D1437774523481&cb=0&cdn=0&kw=&ab=-&dh=www.alternet.org&dr=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alternet.org%2Fcivil-liberties%2Frobert-reich-it-would-be-mistake-progressives-split-along-black-lives-matter%3Fakid%3D13325.107012.HkVZ0C%26rd%3D1%26src%3Dnewsletter1039814%26t%3D6&du=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alternet.org%2Fprint%2Fcivil-liberties%2Frobert-reich-it-would-be-mistake-progressives-split-along-black-lives-matter&href=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alternet.org%2Fprint%2Fcivil-liberties%2Frobert-reich-it-would-be-mistake-progressives-split-along-black-lives-matter&dt=Robert%20Reich%3A%20It%20Would%20Be%20a%20Mistake%20for%20Progressives%20to%20Split%20Along%20%23BlackLivesMatter%20and%20Economic%20Justice%20Lines%20%40alternet&dbg=0&cap=tc%3D0%26ab%3D0&inst=1&jsl=1&prod=undefined&lng=en-US&ogt=&pc=men&pub=ra-4f789fb568b97eca&ssl=0&sid=55b2b2bbaa029c3a&srpl=1&srcs=1&srd=1&srf=0.01&srx=1&ver=300&xck=0&xtr=0&og=&aa=0&csi=undefined&toLoJson=uvs%3D55b2b107304b0d2a003%26chr%3Dutf-8%26md%3D0%26vcl%3D2&rev=v2.3.1-wp&ct=1&xld=1&xd=1";
style="border: 0px currentColor; left: 0px; top: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px;
position: absolute; z-index: 100000;"></IFRAME></DIV><p
class="print-footer"></DIV><HR class="print-hr"><p
class="print-source_url"><STRONG>Source URL:</STRONG> <A
href="http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/robert-reich-it-would-be-mistake-progressives-split-along-black-lives-matter";>http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/robert-reich-it-would-be-mistake-progressives-split-along-black-lives-matter</A></DIV><p
class="print-links"><P><STRONG>Links:</STRONG><BR>[1]
http://www.alternet.org/authors/robert-reich-0<BR> [2]
http://robertreich.org/<BR> [3]
http://www.aecf.org/resources/the-2015-kids-count-data-book/<BR> [4]
https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/blacklivesmatter?source=feed_text&amp;story_id=1037804359565493<BR>
[5] http://www.robertreich.org<BR> [6]
mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on Robert Reich: It Would Be a
Mistake for Progressives to Split Along #BlackLivesMatter and Economic Justice
Lines<BR> [7] http://www.alternet.org/<BR> [8]
http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B<BR></P></DIV>_
![http://www.alternet.org/sites/all/themes/custom/alternet/logo.png"](http://www.alternet.org/sites/all/themes/custom/alternet/logo.png"){kind=link}