COLUMN: Progress We've Made

From Jamil Smith's "Invisible Man On Assignment," Fall '95 From Jamil Smith's "Invisible Man On Assignment," Fall '95Savannah, Georgia has had a new mayor for about a week now. The first matter concerning the mayor's office, however, has little to do with the issues of the city -- it is strictly about life and death. The reasons why the campaign manager feels compelled to take precautions paired with Adams' election to the highest office in the old Georgia town are a fascinating mix. Despite being two facets of the same event, they are opposing in their depictions of the American racial climate. On one hand, a black man was elected as mayor in a town that despite having a predominantly black citizenship, is characterized today by its all-white social clubs, its segregated localities, and racially exclusive debutante balls. On the flip side, the mayor's ethnicity is not hidden by his office and, quite possibly, makes him more susceptible to racist attacks. His prominence and influence become a double-edged sword when his color enters into the equation. Situations such as the one in Savannah demonstrate the need to reevaluate what progress means in the context of the black American experience. How much advancement have black people made collectively? How much progress have whites made with their acceptance of black people and with their tolerance of racial difference? One can certainly echo a common sentiment that this is truly the best and the worst of times for black Americans. While black people remain underrepresented in many facets of the political world, it also can be said that black Americans such as Adams have seized the new opportunity to represent their communities, districts and states in all levels of the political system. Whereas black achievement would have gone completely unnoticed years ago, the development of African-American Studies has contributed to the nurturing of intellectual discourse about black American life. The black presence in many aspects of American life has stretched beyond any simple ethnic representation or "tokenism." However, the problems facing the black American population, particularly those below the poverty level, are staggering still. There is a gross overrepresentation of incarcerated black men, particularly those of the ages 25 to 29. The eleven o'clock news seems to have a different black man going into a police vehicle every other night; unfortunately, scenes like these give ignorant stereotypes food for growth. The pitfalls certainly have not gone unnoticed by the black public. Events like the Million Man March and social programs implemented in inner cities call attention to the need for uplift. This will conceivably bring black Americans closer yet to the socio-economic apex that has eluded so many people of color in America. It will give even more blacks what many others experienced as a result of the civil rights movement and teachers like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X -- a new sense of dignity and pride in themselves, their culture, their spirituality and their professions. However, as black Americans "keep their eyes on the prize," what the "prize" -- a highly subjective term, for certain -- has in store for the (inevitably) more integrated society is yet to be seen. If present indicators have any worth, we all can look forward to a society with steadily increasing racial tension. Dr. Orlando Patterson, a Harvard sociology professor, called the developing phenomenon "the paradox of integration." In his New Republic essay of the same name, Patterson describes how the segregation of whites and blacks in the past created little opportunity for conflict. The two were certainly not on equal ground as far as society was concerned, but they came to learn the "perverse etiquette of racial relations." Now, blacks and whites are interacting in various arenas and in several types of workplaces. But as the recent Simpson verdict clearly illustrates, racial unease is worsening. A look at the racial atmosphere of our University will show that. Why is this happening? one might ask. It seems logical that since strides have been made to a certain extent, the races might finally learn to live amongst one another. What we all need to grasp is the reason black Americans are "so angry" still. A component of Patterson's paradox is what he termed "the outrage of liberation." To paraphrase Patterson, a formerly oppressed group's sense of outrage about the injustice to which they were subjected increases, not decreases, as they move closer to a level playing field with the former oppressors. It is precisely because black Americans have gotten the greater opportunities that were deserved -- in universities, in businesses, in the media, etc. -- that the chance to expose feelings that were concealed by earlier accommodations to a racist system. The fostering of intellectual discourse about the accomplishments of black Americans is instrumental in such an expressive effort because it provides an ideal outlet for these sentiments. Also, it prevents the very real possibility of other academics (or non-academics, for that matter) ignoring the remarkable accomplishments of the black American. When these emotions come out into the open, white Americans might incorrectly judge them as unprovoked. One might then ask where white Americans are left in all of this. Anyone would be correct in assuming that racial intolerance among whites is, statistically, on the decline from what it was a few decades ago. Patterson cites a poll that shows that 75 percent of whites say that they harbor no racist beliefs -- a number that is up from the 50 percent figure of the 1950s. However, in the age of "political correctness," this figure may or may not be deceiving because so often people feel obligated to conceal their true beliefs and inclinations. Many people, regardless of color, have their prejudiced feelings buried deep enough within their consciousness that even they don't realize that they have them until a situation provokes it. I am rather curious to find out what the facial expression of one of these 75 percent would say about their lack of racial prejudice as he or she looked back to find me or some other black man walking behind them on a West Philadelphia street at night. This is the essence of the dilemma that Americans face with the prospect of increasing integration looming on the horizon. The paradox that Patterson addresses in his essay exists in the conflicting perspectives of black and white: One group expressing their outrage, the other, for the most part, insisting that it is not prejudiced. Unfortunately, their words are often lost on one another. After all the integrationist strides that have been made, the same tensions remain. Do we need to resegregate? For many of the poor and disadvantaged in the black American community and of the wealthy suburban class of whites, this is already a reality. Anything in that direction would be a step backwards if racial and cultural understanding is an objective. No; if a level playing field is ever going to be established and if improvements are going to be made in the state of society as a whole, we all must assess precisely what needs to be built upon. But first, Americans must address one question: If we have truly been striving to be a United States, what progress have we all made?