We're asked to believe that no permanent damage was done to the oppressor and the oppressed. To believe that is the victory of hope over experience. Now we are told that when black people didn't magically leap from the back of the bus to the ownership of the bus company it was because they were morally or mentally deficient, or because the system had been too good to them. To believe that is the victory of self-delusion over common sense. Honesty requires that we acknowledge the problem we faced then and face today.
Bond believes the problem is white supremacy, past and present.
In his address, he used specific examples, and comparisons between the past and present, to refute the perception of the majority of whites that racism is no longer an impediment for people of color. If you're the recipient of unearned privilege, there is ample opportunity to do something about it. Today's times require no less, and in fact insist on more. We must fight discrimination wherever it raises its ugly head. Leonard Sykes, urban affairs editor of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, served as moderator.