Today in Black History

[Content Note: White supremacy.]

Here are two things I read in quick succession this morning:

1. David Smith at the Guardian: Half-Century of U.S. Civil Rights Gains Have Stalled or Reversed, Report Finds. "Civil rights gains of the past half-century have stalled or in some areas gone into reverse, according to a report marking the 50th anniversary of the landmark Kerner Commission. Child poverty has increased, schools have become resegregated, and white supremacists are becoming emboldened and more violent, the study says."

2. Michael Tesler at the Washington Post: Democrats and Republicans Are Increasingly Divided on the Value of Teaching Black History. "Americans remain fundamentally divided on the teaching of black history. That's not new. What is new is the growing polarization of Democrats and Republicans on this issue. In a February YouGov/Economist Poll... Democrats and Republicans were miles apart: 67 percent of Democrats thought our schools should be teaching more black history, compared with just 10 percent of Republicans."

Happy last day of Black History Month, cough.

I honestly don't think I can put it any more plainly than this: #BlackLivesMatter and so Black History matters. Period.

A failure to agree with that incredibly simple concept is to participate in the maintenance of white supremacy. It doesn't matter the intent. That is the impact. And it is intolerable.