Race Inquiry Digest (August 21) – Important Current Stories On Race In America

Featured – ‘The civil war lies on us like a sleeping dragon’: America’s deadly divide – and why it has returned.  The years leading up to 1861 saw polarised politics, paranoia and conspiracy theories. Sound familiar? One of the US’s foremost historians reflects on America’s Disunion – then and now. Read more 

A Message to White Supremacists. You cannot win. You may think you’re resilient but you know nothing of the resilience of people whose ancestors survived slavery, Jim Crow, and centuries of American terrorism far worse than the sort you brought to Charlottesville last weekend. Read more 

The History of White Supremacy in America. The Charlottesville marchers have roots that go deep in the nation’s history and its present. Read more 

Dick Gregory, Comedian and Civil Rights Activist, Dead at 84. “Generations will delve into his sacrifice, comedic genius, focus and aptitude,” comedian’s son writes. Read more 

A Conversation With Native Americans on Race. What does it mean to be a Native American today? Native Americans challenge their invisibility in society. Read more and listen. 

It’s Not Just Trump, Federal Law Enforcement Is Not Very Focused On Far-Right Extremism. Fewer resources are devoted to combating rising violence from white supremacists and far-right domestic terrorism. Read more 

The Kennedy Center Honors: Apolitical no more. For 40 years, the Kennedy Center Honors — one of Washington’s premier social events, and the most lucrative fundraiser on the arts institution’s calendar — has managed to sidestep partisan politics.  President Trump pulled the plug Saturday on his role in the festivities. Read more 

Voter suppression is the civil rights issue of this era. Mr. Trump’s voter fraud commission is at the vanguard of this crusade, and the fix is in. Its vice chairman, Kris Kobach, is the nation’s most determined, litigious and resourceful champion of voter suppression. Read more 

What White Nationalism Gets Right About American History. The most effective tactics for white nationalists are to associate American history with themselves and to suggest that the collective efforts to turn away from our white supremacist past are the same as abandoning American culture. Read more 

Ugly History Shouldn’t Be Beautiful. What Germany can teach the U.S. about remembering an ugly past without glorifying it. Read more 

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