Justice at War: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights During Times of Crisis

10. Selling Short: The Rise and Fall of African American Fortunes

10 Selling Short The Rise and Fall of African American Fortunes WHEN I EASED into the breakfast line in the hotel cafeteria early the next morning, at least half the guests were wearing some type of exercise outfit. It came as no surprise, then, when I spied my two young friends, a little ahead of me in line, wearing running gear and conversing animatedly as they picked out their breakfast food. I selected mine—my usual oatmeal with raisins and low-fat milk—and followed them to an empty table. “We’ve decided to give you a break,” Rodrigo said, picking up his plates, heaped high with scrambled eggs, coffee, and toast, and setting the tray on a nearby empty table. “Yes,” said Laz. “While we were out running, we thought of a new example of forgetting for your collection. Actually, Rodrigo thought of it, but I love making liberals uncomfortable, so I chimed in too. Want to hear it?” “Sure,” I said, depositing my own breakfast on the tabletop and easing myself into a cafeteria chair. “What time is your flight? Mine’s at eleven.” “Eleven-thirty,” Rodrigo said. “But I don’t mind going early. Want to share a cab?” I nodded, and Rodrigo began. “The idea came to us after reflecting on something you had said the other day about liberals being ready to abandon their ideology when a new fad—or funding source—comes along. One year they’re all working on world hunger. Then it’s racism. Then the Peace Corps.”1 “Conservatives, if I may say so myself, are much more focused,” Laz said. “We devise a simple program and stick to it. We develop our own funding sources if they’re not in place already. We work on one thing until it’s accomplished, then move on to something new.” 154 “And so, Rodrigo, you think that progressives are too scattered and swayed by monetary considerations? I thought conservatives were the ones motivated by economics.” “I know it sounds paradoxical, Professor. Have you heard of Jimmy Wilson?” I racked my brain, but all I could think of was a jazz musician. But I doubted he was who Rodrigo had in mind, so I shook my head, feeling reassured that Laz was looking blank too. “He was a black handyman a l948 Alabama court sentenced to die for the crime of stealing two dollars.2 Mary Dudziak writes about him in her new book, Cold War Civil Rights.”3 “Iknowherlawreviewarticle,4 andhavebeenmeaningtolookatthat book,” I said. “As I understand it, it develops Derrick Bell’s insight about Brown v. Board of Education and interest-convergence5 even further.” “Exactly,” Rodrigo replied. “Laz lent me his copy, which I finished last week. It’s worth reading.” “And it begins with the Jimmy Wilson story?” I prompted. “No, but she mentions it as an example of her thesis. When the world press trumpeted the story, an embarrassed Secretary of State John Foster Dulles intervened and succeeded in overturning the man’s sentence. Dudziak’s book argues that the Wilson case was not an isolated event but one of many in which concern for international relations drove domestic policy during this period.”6 When Rodrigo stopped for a swig of coffee, I added: “As anyone who has followed African American fortunes knows, progress has traced a zigzag path, with periods of great gains followed by ones of retrenchment .7 During Reconstruction, blacks made huge strides. But the advances of the l870s were met by violence, terror, lynching, and the Black Codes, which swallowed up black gains.8 Plessy v. Ferguson9 was a further setback, but fifty years later fortune smiled a second time with Brown v. Board of Education10 and the civil-rights era.” “Which, in turn, came to a screeching halt with the Burger Court, two Republican presidencies, and a climate that today seems tired of minorities and worships color blindness instead,” said Laz.11 “That’s what Laz and I were talking about during our morning run—this rise and fall of racial fortunes. And what accounts for it,” Rodrigo said. “And some further ideas on forgetting,” Laz chipped in. “Eat your food, and we’ll tell you about them.” SELLING SHORT 155 I looked down at my oatmeal, stirred it, and took a big spoonful. “I’m all ears,” I said. “I’ll start,” said Laz. “We all know that two schools of thought...