Mike Pence’s rejection of the idea that the US is “systemically racist” at Wednesday’s vice-presidential debate was not unusual; history seemed to be repeating itself. I was born in the Caribbean, live in the US, and am affiliated with a South African university, a perspective that makes clear to me the global reach and tumultuous events of Black Lives Matter. This recalls and builds on previous black political movements, especially the US civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
This focused on dismantling the Jim Crow “black codes” and formal segregation that constituted an American apartheid. In many ways, it was successful: it dismantled all the legal norms that denied rights to African Americans. It had multiple currents, some more radical than others, and a plurality of organising methods, ranging from sit-ins to voter registration campaigns and mass marches. It culminated in the civil rights act of 1964 and the voting rights act of 1965. A century after the abolition of US slavery, formal procedural rights were finally granted to African Americans.
Yet, as Mr Pence’s comments made clear, not all the movement’s demands were realised. Thus this year, while there are no legal bans on African-American voting in the presidential election, there is deep concern about voter suppression. These concerns flow directly from a 2013 Supreme Court decision which invalidated parts of the 1965 voting act.