In “School Busing Didn’t Work. And to Say So Isn’t Racist,” long-time Democratic political advisor Ted Van Dyk pulls no punches. He writes,
We did not see how hard it would be to truly free black Americans. No more talk please of white racism by anyone or denunciations of past and present political leaders by folk who never risked anything in a tough period when it counted. Let us get on with the work. What good does it do if we have a black president, black attorney general, black judicial, execuctive, and legislative leaders at al [sic] levels, successful black leaders in business, labor and the arts if black communities, North and South, are plagued by high black-on-black murder and violent crime rates, narcotics dealing and use, horrific school dropout and incarceration rates, high unemployment, and broken or non-existent families? All Americans need to get on this now with tangible, practical initiatives. Enough grandstanding, self-righteous talk. Time to separate the talkers from the doers.
Van Dyke’s thoughtful op-ed is well worth reading, particularly for those championing similar measures in North Carolina.
