Racism in the United States: Messy Conversations About Exceptionalism, Passivity, and Why America Has Yet to Overcome

Introduction

The historical narrative of African American history has made racial inequality a taboo topic as it violates the narrative of the current majority of White America. Recently I engaged in a round table diversity discussion at a local seminary. The seminary president asked for African Americans to share their personal testimonies concerning racism in America. I shared a recent experience concerning a flat tire on one of my vehicles. Due to the recent wave of incidents of police brutality, I became concerned, and even fearful while changing my tire. My fear was that the police would come to help me, and in some twist of events, their help would turn into violence. I had done nothing wrong in that given moment, nor do I possess a criminal record of any sort. Yet the story of police brutality in America is not confined to those with nefarious intent or abhorrent backgrounds. When I shared my concern with one of the gentlemen at the table with me, a young white male, acknowledged my pain. In the moment he acknowledged America’s history of abuse to African Americans but then he confessed, “I understand what you are saying and that makes me feel sad, but I can’t allow it to interfere with my life.” This young man could not allow himself to consider the suffering of others, even when, to some degree, his success was based on that suffering. This example personifies why racial inequality in America remains a taboo topic in 2021. Discussions about ongoing issues of discrimination and persecution are too uncomfortable for White America to emotionally grapple with and take action against. In other words, if a White American emotionally sits with the notions of continued systemic racism, they may feel called to action to help change the current narrative which is too inconvenient for many. Black Americans are situated at the epicenter of this taboo topic, but when they do attempt to approach the topic with their White counterpart, they are often dismissed and labeled as unwilling to let go of the past.

In this chapter, we question the philosophical implications of dialogic civility on institutional communication in the area of diversity and inclusion. In other words, how can achieving a better understanding of the philosophical history of systemic racism in America help us to create communication strategies to address this taboo topic? This chapter explores American exceptionalism as defined by Douglas (2015) which is rooted in the Anglo-Saxon myth and Anglo-Saxon exceptionalism. Therefore, American exceptionalism is synonymous with Anglo-Saxon exceptionalism indicating a broad term beginning with those of Anglo-Saxon descent but expands to imply that those of Caucasian nationality are a superior body politic. We will connect the theme of American exceptionalism to the notion of White and Black as an American creation, and the Black body as demonized to prove that American exceptionalism is rooted in the fabric of America’s founding and continues to weave through democracy today in the form of White supremacy.

When exploring the history of racism through narrative analysis, it is important to note that our goal is not to rewrite America’s story. Rather, the use of this analysis is to clarify and illuminate portions of America’s history that we have ignored and to examine how we have arrived in a historical moment fueled by a sense of passive activism in which fighting for equality is trendy, but not necessarily transformative. Our hope is that by doing so, we may present a path that will ultimately determine how to move forward. In other words, we seek to answer why, in the year 2022—despite ongoing calls for racial equality, and justice—are Americans still marching for liberation and equality as African Americans are treated as subhuman? The taboo nature of addressing the deeply rooted history of racism is particularly “messy” because it suggests the notion of a new beginning, a new chapter in history, or a new story that has yet to be told, which can prove challenging for the public as some may not want to acknowledge or embrace the change they are directly confronted with.

This chapter explores the notion that origins matter and therefore, how origins of racial inequality in America guide our understanding as to how and why systemic racism is still an omnipresent and taboo topic in the present day. Telling these stories of origin will help White America understand the “how” and the “why” of the history of systemic racism, which will not rewrite history or change past behavior, but provide powerful knowledge that can help individuals come together to bridge communicative gaps in this taboo topic. The stories help to unveil and illuminate daily microaggressions that still pull the undercurrent of racism in America.