Unfortunately, in reality, the race war did not end at this time. Four hundred and fifty plus years of oppression, cultural devastation and injustice do not disappear with the swipe of a pen. Societies and cultures are far too complex for that.
The United States did not resolve to pursue a course of rigorous enfranchisement, truth and reconciliation and reparations for the centuries of crimes. Instead, the race war took on a different guise: in the wake of the 60s freedom movements, all youth of color were now to be treated as potential criminals to be monitored and harassed. The race war continued. Pentagon coffers were so overstuffed that they now had more military hardware than they could use. They passed it on to local police departments, who were trained accordingly. The country's approach to drug addiction was to launch a drug war. Youth of color were to be thought of as suspects in this drug war first and humans or citizens second. Prisons became a growth industry for ailing local economies and needed to be filled. Youth of color were targeted for this. The race war continued.
This is race war. This is what we Americans of European heritage have engaged in historically. It is time we end it. No more dithering. No more ridiculous crying about it. Face our history and enact the social and cultural changes that must be realized.
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