Black History Month 2022: Fear, fatigue and indifference?

After the racial reckoning of 2020, some say we had breakthrough in society and that we are so much better off as African Americans since the Civil Rights Movement.

But I beg to differ. Change right now seems delayed, elusive or slow. And currently many of us are feeling fearful, fatigued and yes, pessimistic. Makes me think of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s words, “A dream deferred is a dream denied.”

I wish I could say this is just me talking as a Gen X African American male. But I have too much company in this sentiment particularly from the younger generations. According to the polling results from the Alliance for Youth Organizing Network, a coalition of youth-focused groups, pessimism over America’s future runs five times as strong among Americans under 40 than optimism.

These grim statistics on COVID-19’s impact and economic advancement on the Black community explain the mood:

• 67% of the Black population in USA is classified as Very High or High vulnerability to contracting COVID-19. So though Black Americans make up 13 percent of the country's population, they account for 22 percent of the deaths connected to COVID-19, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

• Over the past two decades, there have only been 17 black CEOs in total in the Fortune 500. Currently there are only four CEOs, down from a high of six in 2012. If the number of black CEOs were to be proportional to our percentage of the population, there would be 60 black CEOs.

It's not just Black Americans who see it this way. Even those in the majority group who are in positions of power would agree. In her 2022 MLK Day speech Treasury Secretary, Jen Yellen, acknowledged how “from reconstruction to Jim Crow, to the present day, the US economy has never worked fairly for Black Americans – or, really, for any American of color.”

As you can see, there is plenty to justify the pessimism and indifference. But in the midst of the dusk, can we dare hope that a new dawn is possible? As much as 2020 didn’t yield as much transformation as we hoped, George Floyd’s murder elevated our consciousness. As I feel the pull of pessimism on me and those close to me, I feel a counter surge of resistance within me that we just can’t give into this!

We must continue to push forward and rise to the occasion. We must understand the transient nature of time and how far we’ve come even though there is a long way to go. We must recall that there was a time when Black excellence was deemed an oxymoron and when inaccurate assumptions and stereotypes were mainstream. We must remember there was a time when inclusion was dismissed and allyship was castigated.

Giving me confidence that this is doable are not the tired clichés from those who claim they have more experience due to their years. Rather, it’s actually the younger generations that are restoring my hope.

Here’s why.

The next generation is vested in changing this narrative of despair. Like many parents, I have had a front row seat to this next generation’s state of mind during the lockdown and realized they feel compelled to frame their experiences differently. They are more aware of how their diverse perspectives inform their contextual understanding of social justice history, present, and future.

They are not allowing themselves to be defined by stereotypes and biases like prior generations. Instead, they are defining themselves. As is played out in training that we offer for underrepresented talent at our clients, they are seizing the reins of their own narrative by declaring:

• This is who we are.
• This is what we seek to achieve.
• This is how we are going to do it.

This next generation’s energy, courage, perspective and global mindset about the future is rejuvenating. For them, it’s a false choice of whether to be optimistic or pessimistic. Instead, they embrace both a reckless optimism as well as a careful pessimism. They imagine the possibilities of the future that break out of the older generations’ traps of polarized political party structures.

Play your role

Inspired by our children, we should all understand how we can all play a transformative role in change. I can see the rugged determination to own their future and define their narratives. They are vocal about the issues that matter, passionate about their point of views and adamant that their generation will attain greater heights. In talking with other African American parents about listening to our children, here’s what we hear them saying:

1. The Black community is much more diverse than we have acknowledged. Which means a great variety of points of view. This is good!
2. Technological advancements enlarged their apertures such that their cultural, racial, and ethnic diversity is a source of differentiation and strength. Our differences unite us – let’s recognize, appreciate, and seek it out intentionally when we gather.
3. In a time of great polarization, let’s never diminish the value of people. Understanding, enabling, and supporting each other is central to our humanity.

A very long time ago, St. Augustine of Hippo had words then for us today: “Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.”

Let us stand with these daughters of Anger and Courage and together forge a new future.