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The New Postracial Myth
Is it the most sophisticated racist idea ever?
Ibram X. Kendi’s latest essay in The Atlantic was titled — Our New Postracial Myth: The postracial idea is the most sophisticated racist idea ever produced.
Kendi quoted former Vice President Mike Pence, “It is time for America to discard the left-wing myth of systemic racism. America is not a racist nation.”
Kendi said: We’ve heard this before.
Then he announced: “America is not a racist nation” is the new “America is a postracial nation”. We are witnessing the birth of a new postracial project.
What was the old postracial project?
In 2008 Barack Obama became the first black president of the United States. This historic event came with a pertinent question: Did Obama’s victory mean America was a postracial society?
But what did postracial mean?
Kendi stated [after Obama’s victory] journalists were explaining what “postracial” meant. The postracial era, as embodied by Obama, is the era where Americans begin to make race-free judgements on who should lead them.
Other journalist asked: If Obama’s election meant America would end its racism against black people? Postracial skeptics answered no and pointed to racial disparities…