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.