Editorials & Other Articles

I have to ask a question about what just happened in America. What does this legacy of Black liberalism tell us about responding to Donald Trump’s return to power, and the extraordinary period of adversity that lies ahead?

At the end of the talks I give about the early African American liberal tradition, I remind people that many of these thinkers, despite the severity of their circumstances, remained committed to bringing about change through political processes grounded in the liberal principles that inspired America’s founding documents. They recognized that while the arc of the moral universe is long, it did not necessarily bend toward justice. Triumph required applying the pressure of political appeals and fostering public dialogue across stark lines of division. Ultimately, early Black liberals rejected pessimism and apathy. Studying their resolve can show us what it looks like to have hope in the face of setbacks and to relentlessly bear witness to the plight of the most vulnerable among us.