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A new report on the “State of Black America” details the alarming rise in white supremacy across the nation. The 2023 report, authored by the National Urban League, outlines how hate crimes, extremism and racism are spreading rapidly.
“The philosophy of extremism, the domestic threat to our safety [and] the doctrine of white supremacy [are] infecting and infiltrating mainstream politics,” Urban League President Marc Morial told MSNBC’s Morning Joe.
Morial says the report should serve as a “wakeup call” to all Americans that “we have to battle” white supremacy.
“It affects Black Americans most deeply,” Morial noted, “but it affects all Americans because it is destabilizing to American democracy.”
The report lays out how white supremacy and extremism have spread so deeply in society.
According to the report, over 500 bills have been filed nationwide to suppress the ability to teach about systemic racism.
“Operating under the guise of “parents‘ rights,” extremists are labeling diversity initiatives in education, and culturally competent curriculums, as critical race
theory to suppress the teaching of Black history and center whiteness
in the classroom,” the report says.
“They are disrupting school board meetings and… have even introduced
laws to arrest and prosecute teachers for doing their jobs.”
These efforts in school districts across the country are part of a larger mantra of “hate-fueled politics” and “conspiracy theories”.
“What many on the right are calling a “culture war” is a coordinated attack on every American’s civil rights,” the report says.
While many on the far-right have weaponized conversations about white supremacy as “woke”, the State of Black America report doesn’t shy away from blunt and direct language.
“This report calls this coordinated assault on progress precisely what it is: hatred.”
National Urban League report shows white supremacy growing a stronger hold in institutions
In addition to a rise in the spread of hatred in politics, the National Urban League report outlines an increase in hate crimes and white supremacy in institutions.
The report cites recent studies from the FBI showing white supremacist groups have “active links” to some law enforcement agencies.
According to data from California State University, hate crimes in the United States rose 44% in 2021. At the same time, however, the frequency of law enforcement agencies reporting those hate crimes dropped by 22%.
“We have to understand that this country could descend into a period of darkness and anti-intellectualism,” Morial told MSNBC.
“So we’re going to fight it with every fiber.”
The State of Black America 2023 report is available on the National Urban League website.