Anti-Black lies are especially hurtful when they come from people who look like us. Here are three that we never want to hear again.
Lie #1: Redlining doesn't exist: Redlining policies were designed to uphold housing discrimination. The federal government ranked neighborhoods by “risk,” with Black areas considered the "most risky." People living in historically redlined neighborhoods are the most vulnerable to health problems from pollution.
Lie #2: Black-on-Black crime: "Race Traits and Tendencies of the American Negro"(1896) was the first nationwide compilation of racial crime data. It argued that Black people had a "greater tendency to crime and pauperism than the whites." The truth is, whites commit crimes against each other at roughly the same rate, between 80% and 90%.
Lie #3: No Black Fathers: Studies show Black fathers are more—not less—involved in their children's lives than fathers in other groups. In 1965, the Moynihan Report wrongly blamed poverty in Black families on the absence of fathers in the home. The 1970s “War on Drugs” led to Black men being disproportionately arrested and sentenced to longer prison terms. By design, mass incarceration has taken Black fathers away from their families.
Systemic racism continues to be proven true daily. Knowing the truth helps us focus on building a liberated future independent of anti-Black systems.