How far has equality come since Brown? Fifty years after a schoolgirl's bid for equal education launched the Civil Rights struggle in the US, Hannibal B Johnson takes stock

For A Change, Dec, 2004 by Hannibal B. Johnson

The last of these recommendations is perhaps the most controversial. Many believe that the US government should provide reparations as an act of acknowledgement and contrition and a step toward restorative justice. The role the government played in perpetuating systemic racism adds to both the credibility and currency of the argument for reparations. Affirmative action, educational reform, monetary remuneration, and other targeted governmental initiatives, some argue, will help bridge the economic gulf now dividing blacks and whites.

Opponents raise several objections. They maintain that reparations would promote a sort of perpetual victimhood and reduce legitimate suffering to a crass commercial calculus. They warn of visiting the sins of the parents on the children, opening old wounds which may polarize race relations, and declaring open season for claims on the treasury by every marginalized subgroup. Should we not rather focus on devastating current issues like unemployment, crime, and AIDS, they ask?

Reparations are by no means unprecedented. For example, in 1988, the United States Congress awarded reparations to people of Japanese ancestry interned in the US during World War II.

Though contentious, the concept remains a worthy subject of dialogue and debate. At a minimum, the often painful history underlying the call for reparations will be uncovered and examined.

Beyond reparations for past grievances, other forward-looking ways to enhance race relations also merit our attention. Non-profit human relations groups like Hope in the Cities and The National Conference for Community and Justice already provide communities with resources for facilitating healing dialogue, mapping out strategies and sustaining long-term initiatives. As US demographics shift, the need for such organizations expands exponentially.

Each succeeding day, white takes up less space on the American colour wheel. Increasing numbers of people of colour contribute to the 'browning' of America. Hispanics recently surpassed blacks as America's largest minority group. Minorities will soon constitute the American majority.

America's burgeoning Hispanic population creates new challenges around cultural, language, and immigration issues. Moreover, economic competition, principally in the unskilled labor market, too often creates tensions cast in racial terms. Cross-cultural education and understanding could scarcely be more critical.

The challenge lies in deftly quilting together America's diverse pieces and reinforcing her common threads. That demands leadership.

The shared humanity and noble democratic ideals which unite Americans trump our differences. We need not fear one another. Our true enemies, both at home and abroad, are ignorance and fear itself. How we treat the least and most despised among us is our truest mirror.

Ultimately, narrowing America's racial divide and expanding her embrace of differences will not come by judicial fiat, but as a byproduct of a sustained commitment on the part of individuals and groups, public and private, secular and sectarian. It will take all of us.