The "Talk" and the 2020 US Presidency

After the final Presidential debate on the topic: “Race in America”, both Presidential candidates responded to the question by moderator Kristen Welker, about the Black Lives Matter Movement, and the way “Black and Brown Americans” experience race in this country also known as ”The Talk.”

“Do you understand why these parents fear for their children?”

President Trump reminded us of the 1994 legislation and reference to “super predators” within the Black community by governmental supporters. He was candid, admitting that his first encounter of the movement was hearing marchers chanting “pigs in a blanket, fry them like bacon” in reference to the police. He elaborated on the fact that he repeatedly met with several HBCU (Historical Black Colleges and University) Presidents affording them long term funding, and instituted “Opportunity Zones,” $75 billion dollars in legislation proposed by South Carolina Rep Tim Scott, targeting home ownership and development within underserved communities.

Instantly, I flashback to the mid-90s and the proliferation of crack cocaine in my childhood neighborhood and how it changed everyone’s lives in its circumference from its inception. That night I tweeted that I wished we could have had at least two more rounds of the discussion of race, the reality of “the talk”, and why there was a need for the “Black Lives Matter” initiative.

“The Talk “ question was essential. I remembered the discussion of the Crime Bill of 1994 (sponsored by Senator Biden with unanimous Senatorial support) and recalled in countless documentaries within the last 10 years of the severity of its legislative power. The idea was to protect communities across America from illegal drugs and the associated violence stemming from such activities. If you were residing or in close proximity to an urban city, during the late 80s and 90s-you’ve probably witnessed its perilous impact on all lives -period. Essentially, lawmakers voted to make tough, mandatory minimums for possession of crack cocaine and encouraged states to adopt laws toward long, harsh sentences and (even the death penalty) and incentivized them with funding in the process. Ultimately Black, Latinx and Native Americans are comprising the majority of those incarcerated in America in comparison to the White population. With incarceration increasing 500 percent in the last 40 years. Children of the incarcerated are estimated at 10 million with over 50 percent of children with a parent incarcerated at 9 years old or younger. The National Institute of Corrections (2013) reports that sending parents to prisons contributes to single parent households, damages family ties, and exacerbates family poverty. Parental incarceration poses significant threats to a child’s social-emotional, educational and financial well-being.

Election #2020, Biden’s criminal justice reform points: incentivizing reducing states’ incarceration rates through alternative programs, eliminating mandatory minimums at the federal level, reducing racial disparities and fair sentencing with a host of other propositions such as task force(s) to investigate police and prosecutorial misconduct. Biden proposes the immediate passage of the “Safe Justice Act” by Congressman Bobby Scott. Further plans include a billion dollar investment in juvenile justice reform efforts and an overhaul of the juvenile justice system to stop incarcerating kids to support underlying mental health and social emotional health needs.

Black mothers and fathers should feel confident that their children are safe walking the streets of America. And, when a police officer pins on that shield and walks out the door, the officer’s family should know they’ll come home at the end of the day.

-Source: https://joebiden.com/justice/

I was gifted with a copy of the memoir When They Call You a Terrorist, Black Lives Matter (P. Cullors & a. bandele) by a dear colleague in our education equity work and it resonated with me on many levels. Patrisse Khan Cullors details her experiences and that of her brother with law enforcement as youth and adults in Los Angeles. She had such a candid depiction of our communities being underserved and in need of mental health and crisis counselors. The recent events relating to the death of Walter Wallace Jr., on October 26th in Philadelphia, highlights the necessity for behavioral health crisis intervention teams in every city across America. He was shot 14 times in front of family members who called authorities for help.

With Co-Founder Alicia Garza, the Black Lives Matter “movement” stemmed from a response to the loss of young Black lives with a Twitter viral hashtag that forever changed our landscape. Since Khan Cullors was a counselor by profession, every mobilization included a focus on the emotional and mental health of all involved. She’s labored for 20 years into the work of criminal justice reform, and the inequities of Black and Latinx socioeconomic health-it's global.

Her memoir should be required reading. I just discovered that she’s made a young adult adaptation with photos and journal entries to “inspires a new generation of activists to organize, mobilize, and fight for their future” -https://patrissecullors.com/

President Elect Biden’s Criminal Justice platform is quite substantial. https://joebiden.com/justice/ This subject matter needs immediate bi-partisan reform with a sense of urgency.

At the conclusion of their points on Race in America, President Trump mentioned to President Biden that he had eight years, and was “all talk, no action.”

President-Elect Biden responded that he had a Republican Congress.

President Trump tactfully offered, “You have to talk them into it.”

Indeed, more of us need to engage in both compassionate, courageous ,and compelling “talks” in seeking understanding and justice reform as we approach this new season of American politics.