Virtually every black parent in the country seems to be concerned about what appears to be increased racial tensions in the United States. The subject was even a source of discussion and featured on a popular weekly, black television network series. The subject was addressed because successful blacks are seeing themselves frequently targeted for harassment and racial profiling as well by law enforcement. 

The classic example was on July 16, 2009, when Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., was arrested at his Cambridge, Massachusetts home by local police officer, Sgt. James Crowley, who was responding to a 9-1-1 caller’s report of men breaking and entering the residence. The unwarranted arrest initiated a series of events that unfolded under the spotlight of the international news media. Former presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, went so far recently, as to call the president of our country, a racist.

It is a shame that “race” has reared its ugly head again in the 21st century. 

Many young blacks believe that this increase in racial tension will ultimately result in a civil war between blacks and whites in our country. Remember the Black Panthers? They positioned themselves in the 60s as an alternative to turning the other cheek to your enemy, which was the foundation of Dr. Martin Luther King’s nonviolent movement. Well, there is a renewed interest in the Black Panther party among black youth. Their philosophy is, “This is not your mama’s and daddy’s civil rights movement.” 

Many of these youths are from dysfunctional families and began to believe too early in their lives, after taking an audit of their social economic condition, that they were going nowhere fast. For them, achieving the American dream is as likely as winning the lottery. Feeling trapped and desperate with their individual circumstances, they often lose their sense of conscience and shame, essential for having sympathy and empathy for others. Young black men who subscribe to an eventual civil war between the races are not afraid of whites or the police. Disrespecting them can have deadly consequences for themselves and the offender.

The offender for them is often the police, whom they hold in contempt. True or not, they believe that they are actually targeted for harassment by law enforcement. The increased tensions between law enforcement and the black community and the killing of black men and women around the country with impunity to them, is clear evidence for them to be suspicious of the justice system.

If Americans are to have trust in our government, two reports from the Senate Intelligence Committee about Russian interference in the 2016 election have been nothing short of revelatory. Both studies — one produced by researchers at Oxford University, the other by the cybersecurity firm  — describe in granular detail how the Russian government tried to sow discord and confusion among American voters. Both reports conclude that Russia’s campaign included a massive effort to deceive and co-opt African Americans. The primary purpose was to exploit fragile racial tensions in the United States.