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Thanks, Fox viewers.
Effectively, possibly I ought to say some Fox viewers.
As Black Historical past Month involves an finish, I’ve been touring throughout America — from Seattle to St. Louis, from Chicago to Philadelphia – to advertise my new e-book, “New Prize for These Eyes – The Rise of America’s Second Civil Rights Movement.”
And I’m humbled by the massive, sure giant, turnout of Fox Information viewers who present as much as discuss race in America, to debate politics in addition to take a selfie and get an autographed e-book.
They inform me they’ve been watching me, a Black Democrat, on Fox Information for almost three a long time.
It has been eye-opening to see these largely white, Donald Trump-supporting Fox Information followers line as much as specific concern about the way forward for race relations beneath our present president.
Tracing the journey of how we acquired right here is the central theme of my new e-book. If the primary civil rights motion was outlined by three phrases—“We Shall Overcome”—then the second civil rights motion has been outlined by three totally different phrases: “Black Lives Matter.”
Right now’s second civil rights motion is a vital a part of the nationwide debate about race.
Is an individual’s race a respectable issue to be thought-about in college admissions? How about hiring?
What’s one of the best ways to show our kids about America’s troubled racial previous? How is it greatest to take care of race in films, sports activities, and media?
Conservatives, moderates and liberals wish to discuss race. They’re pissed off by being shut up as actual debate is changed by empty slogans like “Identification Politics,” and “Systemic Racism.”
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Individuals of all stripes wish to discuss as a result of there isn’t a hiding from the truth that America is already a giant melting pot of individuals of various races and headed for an much more racially various future.
However speaking truthfully about race in America within the age of Black Lives Matter is being handicapped, undermined by one other three phrases: Defund the Police.
“Defund the Police” was the rallying cry of some radical, disorganized activists. However Defund the Police by no means had broad assist among the many public. It by no means had assist amongst Democrats in elected workplace.
But critics of BLM used these three phrases to close down debate over race relations by linking every thing BLM stood for to anybody chanting Defund The Police.
Right here is the truth. In 2021, in a Democrat majority U.S. Senate, all 99 senators current—together with each Democrat—voted for Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s, R-Ala., modification to withhold federal funds from localities that defund their police.
Individuals of all stripes wish to discuss race as a result of there isn’t a hiding from the truth that America is already a giant melting pot of individuals of various races and headed for an much more racially various future.
Right here is one other actuality: Instantly after the homicide of George Floyd, beneath the knee of a Minneapolis policeman, BLM was supported by most White People. The protest with 26 million folks marching coast-to-coast, was the most important protest of any form in American historical past.
As I write within the e-book, white People “comprised the most important group of individuals in these protests, at 46 %.” That was larger than the 39 % of marchers who have been Latino and Black. And it is very important observe that the second-largest racial group within the marches was the Latino contingent.
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That image of racially various folks marching for racial peace was beautiful. Even the historic 1963 March on Washington, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, had solely 250,000 folks and that crowd was largely Black.
And as I remind readers in my e-book, the folks marching had earlier information of the BLM motion. The phrase entered the nationwide lexicon seven years earlier than George Floyd’s murder, after the acquittal of the person who shot and killed Black teen Trayvon Martin.
However years later within the outpouring of concern after Floyd’s killing, BLM nonetheless lacked a transparent management construction. It lacked a transparent set of calls for for attaining a racially-just society. Totally different chapters of BLM in several cities had totally different leaders with totally different agendas.
One of many main BLM group acquired caught up in allegations of corruption and misuse of donor funds. And there was no transparency about BLM’s dealing with of cash.
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Tens of tens of millions of {dollars} despatched to advance the reason for racial justice by folks of all colours have been unaccounted for and in some circumstances went to hefty consulting charges, to household and buddies and private luxuries. After which there was the burden created by Defund the Police.
Juan Williams (Fox Information Digital)
Critics of BLM additionally known as consideration to each occasion of economic shenanigans, violence, profanity and particularly use of the phrase “Defund the Police.” However impartial research confirmed that greater than 90 % of marches have been peaceable. And even with the specter of violence on the marches being amplified, notably on conservative web sites, polls confirmed {that a} third of Republicans supported the marches.
My guess is that a lot of these conservatives are among the many folks I’ve been assembly on the highway for my e-book tour.
These Trump voters say they got here out to listen to my perspective in an effort to higher perceive race relations. That stands in stark distinction to a variety of the hate geared toward totally different political beliefs that I see on social media, the place trolls and deranged minds conceal behind the anonymity of their keyboards. It seems that the web just isn’t the true world.’
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As former First Lady Michelle Obama typically says, “It’s tougher to hate up shut.”
Thanks, Fox viewers, for getting shut, for studying and speaking.
Juan Williams’ newest e-book is “New Prize for These Eyes: The Rise of America’s Second Civil Rights Movement” (Simon and Schuster, January 14, 2025).
