Sanders' Racial Justice Plan

[Content Note: Racism.]

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has published his comprehensive racial justice plan: "We must pursue policies that transform this country into a nation that affirms the value of its people of color. That starts with addressing the four central types of violence waged against black and brown Americans: physical, political, legal, and economic."

It doesn't lay out specific policy proposals, at least not in most cases, but details what Sanders thinks needs to happen, e.g. "We must demilitarize our police forces so they don't look and act like invading armies."

I don't think this plan is perfect, but it's a decent start at beginning to acknowledge and name many of the issues that continue to underwrite racial injustice in the US.

Also: I strongly believe that the existence of this document is evidence that advocacy for racial justice is both necessary and effective.

Contrary to arguments that radical advocacy is unnecessary, because Sanders (or whichever candidate) is already terrific on racial issues and here is THE PROOF, I don't believe that any of the Democratic candidates would have centered race in their campaigns, or even brought it to the observable margins, without the intense pressure brought by activists who expect more.

This is what Sanders should be doing. Our gratitude should be directed at the activists who created the expectation that anything less was intolerable.

Relatedly: Marissa Jenae Johnson, who disrupted the Sanders event, was on This Week in Blackness with Imani Gandy and Elon James White yesterday, and, if you are able to listen to it, I highly recommend it.

[H/T to Aphra_Behn.]