Juneteenth & Required Reading

We’re joining in solidarity with millions of Black Americans to celebrate Juneteenth, what should be a national holiday that commemorates the end of American slavery.* We’re also taking this time to reflect on what we must do to advance equal rights in the U.S. and end systemic racism.

What is Juneteenth?

“Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.”

It took 2.5 years for many of the South’s enslaved black people to learn they were free, and months after General Lee’s formal surrender to get word to Galveston, Texas that the war was over and Emancipation would be enforced country-wide. I’m embarrassed to say it also took me until this year to learn about any of this.

I had never heard of Juneteenth until Jack tweeted about it; I had never thought twice about how there was no national holiday celebrating the emancipation of slaves; and I hadn’t really spent much time reflecting on the problem of systemic racism in the U.S. if I’m brutally honest.

Those realizations are why I’ve been slow to cover (in long-form at least) the murder of George Floyd, the nationwide BLM protests in the U.S., and my thoughts on racial inequality.

I’ve been in read-only and listen-only mode for the past couple of weeks, while I worked to educate myself, and better understand what I could say that would be both honest and helpful. These are positions that are important to communicate precisely and correctly, in fact and in tone, and I’ve spent a good deal of time reflecting on the issue of race (from my own privileged vantage point) with some humility and sobriety these past three weeks.

If I had never heard of Juneteenth, what else don’t I know that I really need to?

Half-baked thoughts on issues like systemic racism, police brutality, and criminal justice reform don’t cut it. It seems we now have a unique moment to change hearts and minds, and enact meaningful long-term reforms that address some of our most pressing issues as a country. I’m committed to doing my small part (personally and through Messari) to advance those efforts.

In general, we need more measured "cold takes" on major issues confronting society. And I’m working on a longer post (with the help and input of the broader team) outlining some thoughts on where we are as a country today and what we can do to promote true equal rights; how we believe Messari can do its small part to advance racial equality; and how I’m personally taking steps to be part of longer-term solutions.

The first step in writing thoughtfully about any topic, though, which is often taken for granted, is voluminous reading.

I’m (arguably) an expert in crypto after years of daily study, so it’s easy for me to pound out regular posts in mere hours (sometimes less). Unfortunately, I found myself woefully ignorant, under-read, and under-resourced on the topic of systemic racism as I sat down to organize my thoughts on the Black Lives Matter movement a couple of weeks ago.

I know I’m not alone in that ignorance, which is why I’d like to share some of the resources I’ve leaned on as a starting point. For the most part, the links below came from recommendations of more informed members of the Messari team. I’d ask that you also recommend good resources you’ve learned from by replying directly to this note.

Sure, I’ve thought about many structural issues that may disproportionately affect people of color, but I’ve never explicitly looked at these issues through a racial lens or had the proficiency to talk about such an uncomfortable subject publicly. The truth is, we have to be able to talk about these issues--even at the risk of making some mistakes--if we’re ever going to conquer the issue of racial prejudice.

We’re taking today, Juneteenth, and many days ahead to read, write, and reflect on what it will take to get our country to live up to the self-evident truth that all men and women are created equal. I hope you’ll join us in that effort.

Black Lives Matter.

Progress matters.

-TBI


*For precision: The Emancipation Proclamation did not, in fact, end American slavery. (The 13th Amendment, ratified in late 1865, abolished slavery unless as punishment for a crime, which hints at ongoing systemic problems we have with forced labor in our criminal justice system.) Instead. the Proclamation freed the enslaved in Confederate states (it was at least in part a strategic, political move), while enslaved populations still existed in border states, in some Union states, and in the West. For many, Juneteenth may serve as the commemoration of at least one milestone in that multi-year process.

What I’ve been reading, listening to, and watching (so far)

HBS Case: African American Inequality in the United States
This case study should be required reading for everyone. I’ve never read such a concise and comprehensive overview of the era by era oppression that black people have faced in the U.S. From the slave trade, to segregation, Jim Crow laws, “black codes,” and policies and practices relating to criminal justice, housing, and education, this is as close to a full history of systemic racism in the U.S. as you’re going to find. The key takeaway: every milestone towards justice has been a case of two steps forward, one step back.

So You Want to Talk About Race, by Ijeoma Oluo
This is a good starting tutorial for how to think about and talk about the very uncomfortable and difficult subject of racism. It’s a NYT bestseller, and covers a ton of ground from intersectionality to affirmative action to "model minorities" and more. I took a ton of notes on this one. I don’t agree with every single point Oluo makes, but I feel like I have a better understanding and appreciation of some concepts that I’d previously ignored or dismissed (e.g. microaggressions). The intro paragraphs are especially persuasive as they seem to speak directly to skeptics and those who quietly avoid bringing up the subject of race for fear of misspeaking.

Ben Horowitz, Shaka Senghor, Terry Brown
I don’t know how you can have a conversation regarding the Black Lives Matter movement without hearing directly from those who have been through the worst parts of the criminal justice system AND those who have worked in law enforcement. This discussion on the a16z podcast is a must listen: Shaka Senghor is a convicted murderer who became an advocate for criminal justice reform (and bestselling author), and Terry Brown is a former police officer in East Palo Alto (who now runs private security firms). They share a common background growing up in Detroit, but it’s an illuminating discussion on the system, and the devolution of modern policing.

Joe Rogan & Jocko Willink
On the surface, this is two white dudes talking about race (for some of the early conversation anyway. But I include this episode with Joe Rogan and Jocko Willink, because they speak quite a bit about leadership, de-escalation, and empathy. I think Rogan is so powerful because comics might be the only public figures left who speak directly (give a man a mask, and he’ll tell you the truth), and Jocko is one of the baddest guys on the planet. He’s a decorated Navy SEAL officer who ran the SEALs tactical training and now coaches leaders, and it’s difficult to not get fired up listening to him speak.

8:46 - Dave Chappelle
We included this in the last edition of “weekend reads”, but I’m adding again. This was billed as a candid talk “with punchlines” vs. a comedy special, but like Rogan, I’d actually prefer to hear from Chappelle on what he thinks about George Floyd, the protests, the right wing response, etc. than almost anyone else, and he nails this special. A powerful 30 minute watch.

Just Mercy
There are also a number of good movies on Netflix - for free. This one on the early history of the Equal Justice Initiative tells the true story of Walter McMillian, a man wrongfully convicted of murder in Alabama, who appeals his murder conviction with the help of a young defense attorney (and EJI founder) Bryan Stevenson. The EJI provides legal representation to prisoners who may have been wrongly convicted of crimes, poor prisoners without effective representation, and others who may have been denied a fair trial. Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx are the co-stars. It’s really good.

What White People Can Do for Racial Justice
This might be the most important read from a practical standpoint for many of our readers, who (drumroll, please) are *statistically* very similar to me: libertarian-leaning white males. It’s a solid read for anyone looking for a concise list of potential solutions to systemic racial injustice.

Jon Stewart on the State of Media
Obligatory takedown of the media and their perverse role in both stoking racism, and angry counter-responses. It was especially refreshing to hear some of his regrets from the Daily Show (succumbing to the temptation of eviscerating guests like Bill O’Reilly and Jim Cramer).

Others that I’ve got in queue:

• The Fire Next Time, by James Baldwin
• The Case for Reparations, The Atlantic
• The Color of Law, by Richard Rothstein
• I Am Not Your Negro [movie]
• The Trayvon Generation by Elizabeth Alexander
• How big is the racial wealth gap? by Nick Maggiuli
• Why the racial wealth gap persists, more than 150 years after emancipation by Calvin Schermerhorn
• ‘We don’t have a health system:’ Expert on prisons, race, and COVID-19 - Exploring racial disparities in healthcare by Ana Sandoiu
• The Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at Ferris State University