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Race Discourse
The Convenience of Racism: Yesterday and Today
Why We Can Never Rid Ourselves of Racism
“Would any one believe that I am master of slaves by my own purchase? I am drawn along by the general inconvenience of living without them. I will not — I cannot justify it, however culpable my conduct.” — Patrick Henry
Very often, I write one story that leads to another. I’m on a Malcolm X kick and am working on a series of articles about how things would have been different if Martin Luther King had been assassinated first on February 21, 1965, instead of Malcolm. You can subscribe to my e-mail list at the bottom of this story to not miss an episode. I recently wrote a historical piece on Patrick Henry and his hypocrisy which kept me thinking and led to this story. He knew enslaving people was wrong, but it was too convenient for him to let it go. I submit that we could quickly eliminate most racism, but it’s too damned convenient for those who benefit from it that they can’t end it. Instead, they deny it, ignore it, or blame those who suffer because of it.