“Soft racism of lowered expectations”

Black History Month was created, in large part, to fight back against stereotypes. The theory advanced by educators like Dr. Carter G. Woodson goes as follows: if people learn more about the rich history of the African diaspora, then black men and women won’t be defined by simplistic or negative depictions of who they are.

Today, some of the stereotypes that harshly impact black communities are rooted in liberal politics. Television, radio, and newspapers offensively caricature black people as anti-police, dependent on big government programs, consumed by historical grievances, accepting of immoral pop culture, incompatible with traditional nuclear family values, and unpatriotic. It’s not a coincidence that these mischaracterizations line up with Democratic Party messaging. US President Joe Biden openly equates the black identity with voting for him.

Imagine a president announcing that since no Muslim has ever been appointed to the Supreme Court, he pledges to nominate the first Muslim justice. That would undoubtedly be unconstitutional since Article VI of the Constitution specifies that “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” The spirit of that prohibition — coupled with the 14th and 19th amendments—would certainly seem to apply to race and gender as well. It is wrong, and perhaps unconstitutional, for a president to impose a racial or gender test for nomination to the Supreme Court. If a president were to announce that he intended to nominate only a white male, constitutional scholars would rightfully object. So, what is the difference?

The police technician must complete eight lengths of 25 meters in 5 minutes or less. But with the respite he has just given himself, his chances are quickly dissolving.

(…) But a blue barrier stands in front of him. To graduate in law enforcement skills, Kensley must pass an eliminatory swimming test which is required by the Department of Education and Higher Education.

However, this ordeal puts black students at a disadvantage, who grow up in a culture where learning to swim is not widespread, supports a complaint that was filed by another black student in police techniques this spring to the Human Rights Commission.

Note Google Translate – Source LeSoleil

A UCLA professor who was briefly suspended after declining a request that Black students get easier final exams after George Floyd’s death sued the school Wednesday, accusing it of defamation and loss of financial opportunities.

Gordon Klein, a lecturer at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management who has taught there for decades, filed the lawsuit in state court against the school’s dean, Antonio Bernardo, the University of California Board of Regents, and a host of unnamed “co-conspirators.”

Oregon Governor Kate Brown quietly signed a bill last month that removed the requirement for graduating high school children in the state to be proficient in reading, writing, and math, in an effort to aid “students of color.”

Brown signed Senate Bill 744 on July 14, but did not issue a press release or hold a ceremony to mark the occasion, instead opting to pass the bill into law as quietly as possible, according to the Oregonian. The bill also wasn’t entered into a legislative database until two weeks after its signing – an abnormality, as bills are typically entered on the same day.

On Friday’s broadcast of HBO’s “Real Time,” host Bill Maher argued that white Democrats “are so afraid of being called insufficiently anti-racist” that they’re afraid to talk common sense, and “it’s an indulgence to be impractical. It’s the ultimate example of white privilege.”

Five years ago while on assignment, I was riding with a police officer in Philadelphia’s Kensington section when we saw a large all-terrain vehicle (ATV) drive onto the sidewalk. A crowd watched as the rider performed a series of wheelies and tricks. The carnival atmosphere of the scene attracted an additional ATV rider intent on outperforming the first performer. The officer stepped out of the squad car and quietly told the drivers not to block the sidewalk. As the officer left the scene, I saw both ATVs merge with traffic, presumably to restart their wheelies and tricks.

The scene prompted more questions than answers: ATVs are illegal for street use, so why did the officer chide them only for driving onto the sidewalk? The officer told me that the Philadelphia Police Department had instructed its officers to go easy on ATV and dirt-bike riders because it was “a culturally sensitive issue.” The underlying message: officers should not take direct action because that might be deemed “racist.”

Crazed ATV rider attacks SUV driver, throws concrete blocks at the window and pulls out a GUN after car bumped his mob of illegal bikers in Philadelphia- pic.twitter.com/IMfkL90IiC

— Blanche Victoria (@tammytabby) March 13, 2021