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Gen Xers and millennials: different routes, same destination

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Are there inherent — even intractable — differences in how Black millennials and Gen Xers understand the history of (and participate in) the struggle for racial equality? A couple of definitions are in order before we examine that question. Gen Xers were born between the mid-1960s and the early 1980s. Millennials were born between the mid-1980s and the early 2000s. Of course, no “group” is monolithic — and no individual is completely defined by membership in any group. 

Having gotten all of that straight, it often seems that Black millennials — as a group — don’t fully appreciate the sacrifices their predecessors made in fighting discrimination. Neither do they appear always to recognize the victories that those predecessors achieved. Our forebears in the not-too-distant past bequeathed to their progeny (and, frankly, to white Americans), the fruits of fighting the good fight. White Americans share in those victories. (“How, Sway?”) Well, as Thurgood Marshall said, “No one benefits from racism.”

Reliable statistics on this topic are difficult to come by, so I’ll employ what one of my former managers (who is a Ph.D. economist) refers to as “casual empiricism.” (Most Black folks refer to this as “what I learned at the barbershop.”) Specifically, I have often encountered millennials who nearly dismiss the hard-won legal, social, and economic gains that African-Americans secured in the 1950s and 1960s (i.e., the height of the Civil Rights Movement). Indeed, I have engaged in discussions in which millennials basically disregarded landmark triumphs, to include the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Perhaps most disturbing is the lack of recognition of the extent to which the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a true “game changer” (before the GOP-led Supreme Court gutted Section 5 in 2013). Tragically, some do not consider the right to vote to be a monumental end in itself. Likewise, I have encountered millennials who question the extent to which older Black folk were involved in the Movement. Given that most of the famed marches of the 1960s were relatively small, it is understandable to view the claim that “I marched with Martin Luther the King!” with some skepticism. However, such a view does not take into account the “dogged strength” (to which W.E.B. DuBois refers) that it took to endure the water- torture-like consistency of endless slights, not to mention the constant threat of physical violence that they faced. Back then there were no “safe spaces” or “trigger warnings.” 

This is not to suggest that there was a time when “all” Black folk — especially young adults — were on the same page regarding how best to secure our rights. Indeed, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (among others) argued that established civil rights leaders (e.g., King) were “too accommodating” to whites. Thus, it is not surprising that today’s young adults challenge accepted narratives and question well-worn tactics. 

Just as tactics change, so do structural norms. In years gone by, civil rights organizations tended to be hierarchical — which is comfortable to Gen Xers. Contrast that with the advent of Black Lives Matter. Unlike, say, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference or the NAACP, BLM is explicitly not hierarchical. Rather, BLM follows a “distributive” leadership model. This has caused some “old folks” to charge that BLM is “leader-less.” BLM’s spokespersons have countered that the movement is “leader-full.”  (Each model has its pros and cons.) 

Further, with the notable exceptions of Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association and the Black Panther Party, African-American civil rights struggles generally have been birthed from — and nourished by — the Black church. (Note: While the Nation of Islam is steeped in Black nationalism, it is not a “civil rights” organization.) 

Who’s right? That’s the wrong question. In the end, we are too often caught in either/or dichotomies, which limits our ability to understand each other — and to advance the struggle. 

Larry Smith is managing director of Randall L. Tobias Center for Leadership Excellence at Indiana University. Contact him at larry@leafllc.com. 

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