Thread by @tobeequal

One thing I have learned is that those of us who believe in equal rights fight one battle at a time, while those who seek to “transform America” are engaged in a long-term war. We win a battle and take a breather while they have already moved on to the next. We defeated the

2 Equity movement in CA by a whopping 14-point margin, but while we were basking in glory, those who believe in so-called diversity, equity and inclusion were electing a US president who embraced the “dei” movement as the centerpiece of his administration and selected the public

3 face of equity in CA (prop 16) as his running mate. Once elected, the new president issued an executive order that identifies race as the centerpiece of his administration. The Congress pushed through a COVID stimulus bill that includes an equity benefit for black farmers.

4 This benefit is described by some as “reparations.” As justification for this bill, it was claimed that 70% of the American people favored the measure, although the president considered it necessary after he signed it to go on a barnstorming tour to “sell” it. Never mentioned,

5 either before or after the $1.9 trillion bill became law, was the fact that buried within this COVID bill was a significant non-COVID reparations item based on race.

We must understand the political context within which we are operating if we are to be able to effectively

6 participate in this democratic process. As a candidate for president, US Senator Bernie Sanders ran on the theme that he wanted to “transform America.” Although he lost both campaigns, Senator Sanders gained enormous leverage within the Democrat Party as a result of his very

7 strong performance. What is now in process is the socioeconomic transformation that Sanders promoted. It began in WA state with I-1000, was embraced by CA Democrats in Prop 16, and is now in full bloom of an administration whose leader has declared his desire to be the most

8 progressive President in American history. The policy framework of the transformation is the belief that the American economic system was designed by and uniquely benefits whites, especially white males, to the detriment of so-called people of color. The statement in favor of

9 Prop 16 in the Official Voter Information Guide clearly delineates the premise that white males have excessive wealth and power in America and that this matter needs to be addressed through the policy vehicle of affirmative action. This philosophy is also represented in what

10 is called “critical race thinking.” In reality, crt is, in itself, a racist ideology that seeks to topple individual merit in favor of proportional representation based along lines of race and other factors of group identity. CRT is a very serious challenge to our way of

11 life. We must understand, however, that crt is not a specific program; it is an overall philosophy within which specific policies may be crafted. Prop 16 was a child of crt. By defeating Prop 16, the enormously diverse people of CA effectively rejected crt. That is a very

12 hopeful prospect of what can be done to defeat crt. The key is to remain engaged as we are now and to submerge any difference that we might have in favor of the larger objective.