Today’s Black Lives Matter movement gives hope to a drowning American democracy. George Floyd’s gruesome murder by none other than a police officer woke up the nation.
But powerful vested interests will work relentlessly to kill the movement before it demands more. Small changes and small promises will lure protesters away from the street. If the movement takes the bait, it will fail to achieve its goals. As President Kennedy warned, legislation alone cannot sustain change.
Even if Joe Biden wins in November, he and his administration will likely try to dissuade protesters from the street. If they succeed, the movement will have failed in its purpose. It is imperative that the movement continues – larger and more resolute, broad-based and more forceful – in order to keep the Biden administration in check. Guidelines from leaders like Bernie Sanders can help to create a paradigm shift in the political landscape.
Good Governance is a Precondition for Abolishing Racism
Racism thrives when democracy is rendered dysfunctional. Unscrupulous politicians, both Republicans and Democrats, are preoccupied with serving special interests and elites. These elites are mostly oligarchic white groups who promote white power. In particular, the Republican party since the 1960s has insidiously taken up a ‘white supremacist’ cause.
To defeat the protectors of ‘white power’ in this diverse and pluralistic nation, this movement should aim for a complete overhaul of our political landscape. Mass movements are key to achieving this goal. BLM’s movement can use its power to salvage not only racial equality, but the crumbling pillars of democracy itself.
For instance, BLM can help to save the media from the influence of elites and vested interests. Elite sources such as Fox News are often the main source of racist rhetoric seen in the American news media. Presently, only six mega-corporations own the entire American media, much less than the fifty companies that had existed before. It is necessary to repeal laws such as the 1996 Telecommunication Act, in order to allow racially and socioeconomically diverse voices to maintain the integrity of this vital institution.
Additionally, BLM’s movement can promote changes such as campaign finance reform. Modern campaign finance rules are used by elites to hold governments hostage. A person like Donald Trump – a fierce promoter of American ‘white power’ – used this system to come to power. Additionally, it is well known that police unions spend millions of campaign dollars to influence politicians.
Special interests in the media and campaign finance worlds interact closely with one another. The same financial interests that control the media use favorable campaign finance laws in order to elect their chosen people. The representatives that come to power through this process will then serve these special interests. These injustices have sown the seeds of our modern government – an elite-dominated system that accommodates racism and leaves the country polarized.
Broadening the Base – Growing Bigger, Going Global
Finally, the BLM movement needs an ever-greater influx of supporters on the street. To keep them dedicated to the cause, the movement must incorporate broad issues that everyone cares about. These issues are all deeply interconnected. Separating them would do the movement a disservice.
As one example, countless suffering people around the world empathize with black Americans. Their own governments promote militarism and authoritarianism, dispossessing and disenfranchising their population. But too often, Western powers directly support and protect these governments. Western elites often use autocrats and police states to serve their neocolonial interests. But BLM has provided a new voice for the people of the world. This movement could champion the end of ‘police states’ as both a local and global goal. As a result, Black Lives Matter would resonate even more deeply around the world. And in return, their movement in America would be an even greater success as well. We must think about how to ‘broaden the base’ of Black Lives Matter. It is an indispensable movement in our time.
