Racism Is Not Racism Unless It's Racism!

Kansas state senator rails against talk of systemic racism at tense and confusing hearing https://t.co/hXvoWSgGXP

— Raw Story (@RawStory) October 6, 2021

And racism is only racism when identifiable individuals are involved!

“That terminology of racism is being thrown around way, entirely too much," he said. “If you have information that they are doing this, we need to know this and correct it. But if you're just basing that assertion off of data, and saying it has to be systematic racism causing this outcome, that is not accurate."

Information presented at the hearing, as reported by Kansas Reflector's Noah Taborda, showed stark racial disparities for our state's moms. According to the 2020 March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card for 2016-18, Black women had a premature birth rate that was 51% higher than for all other women, at 13.6%. The Kansas Maternal Mortality Report for that same time showed Black women suffered 14% of pregnancy-linked deaths, but they were responsible for only 7.1% Kansas births.

 

Compelling figures apparently weren't enough for Hilderbrand to see systemic or institutional racism at work.

“I don't want research studies," he said. “I want, if you're going to accuse somebody of being racist, I want a specific instance of a (managed care organization) treating someone in a racist way. That way this committee can act on that, because there's no place for that type of action. And there is no place to be calling someone racist when they're not. There are two steps. If you cannot provide specific data on this, please, in the future, do not just call somebody systematic racist."

In other words, he doesn't want data. He wants data instead.

So I guess "whites only" restrooms and water fountains and restaurants were not racist, because it was systematic (and legal), not individual?  Separate but equal schools weren't racist, either?  After all, it wasn't a specific instance of an organization treating someone (individually, I presume he means) in a racist way.  Right?

I don't think we're ever going to be through fighting this fight.