Things I Tell My Wife by Matt Knutson

“Sometimes I think we forget how interconnected America’s past history and current state are,” I said to my wife, pondering the deep wound caused by slavery and the cascading effects it has had on this nation. Thursday marked the beginning of Black History Month, and for many people, it’s a time when we recognize the achievement of black people. Their achievements did not come without great struggle, and too often we dismiss that from the forefront of our minds. Notably, their achievements also didn’t stop with the end of the civil rights movement — they continue to press on against odds that are often stacked against them.

I think we live in a society today that generally accepts that no race is superior. While certain stereotypes exist, I don’t think many would argue that one race is inherently smarter than another, and that all have an equal playing field to achieve excellence. However, when we look at the data, something seems off. In Minnesota, there was a 22 percent gap between black students and white students in the graduation rate. What’s causing that to occur? The argument certainly isn’t that black students are not as smart. Something else is causing this achievement gap.

Localizing the story a bit more, we can look at poverty in Freeborn County. The Census Bureau has shared that in 2016, people who identified their race as “White alone” had 10 percent living below the poverty line. For those under the “Black or African American alone” label: 73 percent. That’s a staggering statistic, and it’s something the community should be actively rallying around. Because Freeborn County is not very racially diverse, a focus on why the black population is achieving success at a much lower rate could dramatically increase the quality of life for the entire community.

Black History Month is often celebrated by sharing individual stories of black people who have broken through the barrier and found triumphant success. But just because one person has managed to find success doesn’t mean the problem is solved. In a past job at a small nonprofit, I had the opportunity to learn about the difference between equality and equity. The example given was a powerful concept: Let’s say we wanted to give new shoes to everyone who needs them in the community. A big fundraising event occurs and the community unites to support this cause, raising enough money for us to buy sneakers for all 6,000 people in need. We open up the community center for these people to come pick up their shoes, but there’s just one problem: everyone is getting size 9 men’s shoes. For a few people, that’s absolutely perfect. For others, they can’t imagine squeezing their feet into shoes that small, and for the children, there’s no way they will stay on their feet. However, equality is achieved; they all get shoes. The more equitable approach would be shoes in various sizes so everyone in need can leave with shoes that fit.

When we see certain black people achieve success, reaching the highest positions in business, government and entertainment, I think it’s important that we view them through the lens of the shoe story. Certainly they worked extremely hard for their success, but perhaps the equality approach benefited them when their peers needed the equitable strategy. Perhaps the ones finding success are the ones who happened to wear size 9 men’s shoes. When it came time for the city-wide track meet, I’m betting they’d do pretty well against their peers who live in poverty who are running in shoes that are too big or too small. They might even have the talent to win the race against those who don’t live in poverty, the ones who could go to the store and buy their own shoes. The point: Just because some people of color are succeeding doesn’t mean that systemic barriers have been eliminated.

So as we celebrate the inspirational accomplishments of black people this month, both as individuals and as an entire race, I think it’s important to know that the fight and the struggle is not yet over. Our nation is still reconciling with a difficult past where blatant inequality was the way of life. Hopefully, each year we make more progress towards things like increasing the graduation rate and decreasing the poverty level for black people, but those changes occur through purposeful action — not passive acknowledgment. As with everything we do, we’re creating history today. I think it’d be a worthy endeavor for all of us to examine what changes we can make today so we might celebrate Black History Month in 2019 with better outcomes for all.

Matt Knutson is a communications specialist in Rochester.