ARE DEMANDING WE TAKE ACTION."
% THIS WEEK, WE TURN TO AN
% AWARD-WINNING COLUMNIST TO
% DISCUSS JUNETEENTH, AT A TIME
% WHEN RACIAL JUSTICE IS FRONT AND
% CENTER.
% REGGIE JACKSON IS A SENIOR
% COLUMNIST FOR THE MILWAUKEE
% INDEPENDENT.
% THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING
% HERE.
% >> IT'S A PLEASURE.
% THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
% >> SO JUNETEENTH IS A
% CELEBRATION OF THE END OF
% OFFICIAL SLAVERY.
% THIS YEAR, OF COURSE, COVID-19
% STIFLES THE CELEBRATORY NATURE
% OF IT, ALONG WITH GLOBAL
% DEMONSTRATIONS AGAINST RACISM
% AND POLICE BRUTALITY.
% AS TO THE PROTESTS, YOU HAVE
% SAID, QUOTE, WE HAVE NOT
% SUDDENLY REACHED THE BREAKING
% POINT.
% EACH DAY IS A BREAKING POINT FOR
% US."
% HOW SO?
% >> WELL, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TALK
% ABOUT THE THINGS THAT ARE
% CURRENTLY OCCURRING THAT THE
% WORLD IS PAYING ATTENTION TO,
% THESE ARE THINGS THAT THOSE OF
% US IN THE COMMUNITIES OF COLOR,
% PARTICULARLY AFRICAN-AMERICANS,
% THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE'VE
% EXPERIENCED FOR MANY, MANY
% YEARS.
% THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE TALKED
% ABOUT OPENLY, COMPLAINED ABOUT,
% ASKED FOR REFORM ABOUT.
% AND SO FOR US, THIS IS NOTHING
% NEW.
% YOU KNOW, THE DEATH OF GEORGE
% FLOYD, WHICH HAS KIND OF
% GALVANIZED PEOPLE AROUND THE
% WORLD TO PROTEST, THESE ARE NOT
% NEW OCCURRENCES FOR US.
% THIS IS, YOU KNOW,
% EVERY-DAY-LIVED EXPERIENCES FOR
% PEOPLE OF COLOR, PARTICULARLY
% BLACKS.
% >> YOU'VE ALSO SAID THIS.
% QUOTE, "WE WANT CHANGE.
% WE ARE TIRED OF BEING TREATED
% LIKE OUR LIVES ARE
% INCONSEQUENTIAL."
% DESCRIBE THE CHANGE THAT YOU
% WANT.
% >> WELL, YOU KNOW, WE SIMPLY
% WANT WHAT EVERY OTHER AMERICAN
% HAS.
% WE WANT OUR LIVES TO BE VALUED
% IN THE SAME WAY AS THE MAJORITY
% COMMUNITY HAS BEEN VALUED.
% YOU KNOW, I DID A PRESENTATION A
% NUMBER OF YEARS AGO, AND IT WAS
% TITLED "DO BLACK LIVES MATTER:
% THE HISTORIC DEVALUATION OF
% BLACK LIVES IN AMERICAN
% HISTORY," AND THERE ARE
% COUNTLESS WAYS TO EXPLAIN HOW
% OUR LIVES HAVE NOT BEEN VALUED
% IN THE SAME WAY.
% THE IDEA OF RACE, THE CONCEPT OF
% RACE, WAS CREATED A COUPLE
% HUNDRED YEARS AGO AND THERE WAS
% THIS HIERARCHY THAT PUT PEOPLE
% BASED ON THEIR SKIN COLOR AT
% DIFFERENT LEVELS OF VALUE.
% BLACK PEOPLE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AT
% THE BOTTOM OF THAT HIERARCHY.
% WE'RE SIMPLY ASKING THAT YOU
% DON'T DO THAT ANY LONGER, THAT
% WE BE TREATED THE SAME AS
% EVERYONE ELSE, THAT WE BE
% TREATED FAIRLY, EQUITABLY.
% AND IT'S NOT A DIFFICULT ASK,
% I DON'T THINK.
% >> WHAT IS YOUR HOPE AND
% EXPECTATION ABOUT SEEING
% CONSEQUENTIAL CHANGE OR THAT
% CHANGE EVEN BY THE NEXT
% JUNETEENTH DAY OR EVEN IN OUR
% LIFETIMES?
% >> WELL, YOU KNOW, THE DIFFICULT
% THING IS THAT CHANGE OCCURS VERY
% SLOWLY.
% IN MANY CASES, IT OCCURS AT A
% PACE THAT WE DON'T EVEN NOTICE.
% AND SO IT APPEARS THAT NO CHANGE
% IS OCCURRING, NO PROGRESS IS
% BEING MADE, BUT ULTIMATELY I
% THINK THE ANSWER TO YOUR
% QUESTION IS WHEN WE REVISIT THIS
% YEAR, THIS JUNETEENTH A YEAR
% FROM NOW, WE LOOK BACK AND WE'LL
% ASK WHAT HAS REALLY CHANGED IN A
% CONSEQUENTIAL WAY.
% YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THE PROTESTS
% WILL BE OVER.
% WE KNOW THAT WE'LL GO BACK TO
% BUSINESS AS USUAL AS A NATION.
% BUT WHAT WILL PEOPLE DO?
% ONCE THEY STOP PROTESTING, WHAT
% WILL THEY DO IN THEIR
% INSTITUTIONS THEY WORK IN?
% WHAT WILL ELECTED OFFICIALS DO
% TO ERASE THE PATTERN OF SYSTEMIC
% RACISM IN OUR COUNTRY?
% THOSE ARE THE THING WE'LL BE
% PAYING ATTENTION TO.
% A LOT OF PEOPLE CAN TALK THE
% TALK, BUT WILL THEY BE WILLING
% TO WALK THE WALK?
% >> DO YOU FEEL AS THOUGH AT THIS
% MOMENT IN TIME, THAT FINALLY THE
% VOICES THAT HAVE SO LONG BEEN
% DECRYING WHITE SUPREMACY ARE
% BEING HEARD?
% >> YEAH.
% I THINK THOSE VOICES WHICH HAVE
% BEEN SILENCED FOR SO LONG ARE
% BEING HEARD IN A WAY THAT
% THEY'VE BEEN HEARD BEFORE.
% ONE OF THE INCREDIBLE THINGS
% ABOUT IT IS THERE ARE OTHER
% VOICES JOINING THE CONVERSATION
% SAYING THE SAME THINGS.
% I'VE BEEN DOING WORK.
% TRAVELING AROUND THE NATION, THE
% LAST SEVERAL YEARS IN
% PARTICULAR, I HAVE NOTICED A
% SHIFT IN THE WAY WHITE PEOPLE
% TALK ABOUT RACISM.
% THERE'S BEEN A SHIFT IN WHAT
% WHITE PEOPLE WANT TO LEARN ABOUT
% THEIR HISTORY.
% AND THEY HAVE WILLINGLY ADMITTED
% TO ME IN MANY PLACES, SMALL
% RURAL TOWNS IN WISCONSIN, THAT
% RACISM IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM.
% WE'VE BEEN AFRAID TO TALK ABOUT
% IT.
% BUT WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT
% NOW.
% WE WANT TO LEARN HOW WE GOT TO
% WHERE WE ARE SO WE CAN FIX
% THINGS.
% THESE ARE THINGS THAT
% COMMUNITIES OF COLORS HAVE BEEN
% ASKING WHITES TO JOIN US IN THAT
% FIGHT FOR MANY, MANY YEARS.
% AND WE'RE BEGINNING TO SEE THAT
% AT A LEVEL WE'VE NEVER SEEN
% BEFORE.
% >> THANK YOU.
% THANK YOU.
% WE'RE ALL GLAD TO HEAR THAT AND
% MAY WE KEEP MOVING FORWARD.
% REGGIE JACKSON, THANK YOU SO
% MUCH FOR JOINING US.
% >> YEAH.
% IT'S MY PLEASURE.
% THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME,
% FREDERICA.