Black Americans and India

There is something about what is happening to black Americans that India must think about.

The history of black Americans is quite interesting and nuanced. From being persecuted by Democrats (yes!) in Texas and the South, they became a left-wing vote bank of sorts and are now turning towards Trump/Republicans.

The racists Left (culminating with L. B Johnson) transformed themselves into pro-black party in 1960s while whitewashing their racism. The black Americans were finally pacified with Civil Rights Act 1964 ending the struggles against racism that started in 1950s. Since then black Americans were “taught” to be democrats and fed with affirmative action and socialist goodies in the different forms.

But something interesting happening since then. An intellectual bulwark was setup by economists Thomas Sowell and Walter E. Williams. This intellectual framework was supported by other activist reformers within the Black communities. From Shelby Steele to Candace Owens, black Americans are asking questions and challenging narratives about racism, economic growth, family lives, education etc. Shelby Steele’s documentary What killed Michael Brown? explains quite a few issues concerning black Americans.

These conservative blacks highlight that the disintegration of Black society in America is more a story of familial disintegration than social ostracisation. It is their thesis that Black Lives Matter, with stated goal of disintegration of nuclear family, is AGAINST the interests of black Americans.

This is relevant for India

How should we draw parallels between experience of blacks in America as a vote bank to India? Should we compare them to caste vote bank or should we compare them to muslim vote banks? Both groups, like the blacks, are sought after for their vote bank status.

Indian caste-based reservations are equivalent to American affirmative action in a sense. The lower castes do not have different family and social structures as other Indians. In that sense, I believe, different castes are more mainstreamed than blacks in the US.

One can draw parallels to average Muslims who are kept away from modern schooling for religious reasons. Ghetto mentality affects both blacks and muslims. And just like blacks, muslims do not feature in main-stream as they should.

Just as common black Americans are forging a path to prosperity, will we soon see Muslim intellectuals forging such paths for common muslims? They may show that vote-bank view of their community is a disservice to their own prosperity.

However, the breaking India forces are trying to create parallel narratives as America. They want to create police brutality narratives against muslims, trying to get to Muslim lives matter movements. They want to create discrimination narratives against lower castes again moving towards dalit lives matter. These are magnets for foreign funds and furthering breaking India activities.

I believe the centrality of family, access to quality education and further opportunities are important resistance against these issues. But we must remain watchful and continue to monitor and learn from experience of black Americans in the US.