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Rcommendations from today and from the Kerner Com

- Dick Myers -

Two recent articles provide a perspective on the situation that we find ourselves in around the country today. The first article refers to the Kerner commission report issued in 1967, 68, and gives us a list and analysis of the turmoil in the country that the commission was established to investigate. The findings and conclusions of the commission sounds very familiar, and the recommendations made so many years ago sound very much on point for today. It is sobering to see how clearly the path forward was outlined in this report, and how little of it was ever accomplished. It gives one a sense of the magnitude of the task that is presented to us today.

Link:  https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/06/22/the-history-of-the-riot-report

The second report is more oriented toward the current environment, and is an outline of the actions that the country needs to be considering at the moment. It is interesting to note that  it refers back to the Kerner  commission report, and to the political changes that have taken place in the interim. This article also is sobering to see that the kinds of things that it outlines as necessities for today Are largely found in the work of the commission from so many years ago.

Link:  https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/how-do-we-change-america

Buried in the huge amount of bad news that dominates the media, there is good news as well. Significant changes in public attitude regarding two particular issues have surfaced in the last several weeks. The first is the large number of white Americans who have excepted the extent of racism in our society and the negative impact that it has on People of color in the society. This is a dramatic shift that has occurred over a very short period of time. Another shift in attitude in the public is the acknowledgment of the abuses that are so common in police forces and our system of justice throughout the entire country. These are important changes and should lead the way to making concrete changes that improve this situation and make life better for us all. Changes are necessary to make this country into what so many people have always believed that it was, but that it never lived up to.

Come join us and tell us what you have observed in the country and what you make of it. Sharing experiences and thoughts is how we all learn and understand things better.