House on Protests and Politics: The Hill
Associate professor of American Studies Roger House writes an opinion piece for The Hill as protesters supporting the Black Lives Matter movement are sweeping the nation in the aftermath of the recent high profile murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. House says a sustainable and alternative political base is needed.
The notion of a sovereign ethnic state is well within the historic experience of American politics. Other marginalized groups have used majority-minority status to their advantage since the 19th century — foremost, the Mormons in Utah, Asian Americans in Hawaii, and Hispanics in New Mexico.
The strategy might work for black Americans as well, if there is the political vision. It is certainly no more heavy lifting than the imperative to protest to reform a recalcitrant nation. Neither white liberals nor their black pundits can provide the leadership for such a project. It may take cultural figures with a belief in alternative politics to find a way to ignite the process — if we truly believe that black lives matter.
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