Systemic racism is not just history; it is the foundation of the present. For Black Americans, it’s a constant reminder of promises broken, opportunities stolen, and lives destroyed. Kimberly Jones’s viral Monopoly analogy brings this truth into sharp focus. Imagine playing a game for 400 rounds without being allowed to own property, earn money, or build wealth—and then being told, “Go ahead and catch up now.” It’s not just absurd; it’s cruel. This isn’t a metaphor for the distant past. It’s the reality of systemic racism today, where wealth, housing, and jobs remain rigged against Black Americans. If you still deny this, it’s time to stop playing dumb.
The Rigged Game: Exposing the Lies
The lie told to Black Americans for decades is that hard work and perseverance are all you need to succeed. But what happens when the rules are stacked against you? What happens when your labor builds wealth for others but leaves you with nothing? During slavery, Black Americans generated billions of dollars in economic value. That wealth didn’t disappear—it was passed down to white families, while Black families were left with generational poverty.
After slavery ended, Jim Crow laws ensured that Black Americans remained second-class citizens. Even during the so-called “freedom” of Reconstruction, white supremacist policies kept Black Americans from owning land, getting loans, or accessing education. Instead of progress, there were false promises—“40 acres and a mule” became a bitter joke, a lie told to pacify newly freed slaves.
Reflect on this: How many of your ancestors’ dreams were deferred? How many Black families were denied the ability to pass down homes, land, or businesses? Those missed opportunities are not just tragic; they’re deliberate thefts that ripple through generations.
The Devastation of Tulsa and Rosewood
When Black Americans managed to succeed despite the odds, their successes were often violently destroyed. Take Tulsa’s Greenwood District, also known as Black Wall Street. In 1921, it was a thriving Black community with businesses, homes, and wealth. White mobs burned it to the ground over two days, killing an estimated 300 Black residents and leaving 10,000 homeless. The message was clear: Black prosperity would not be tolerated. The wealth destroyed in Tulsa could have been passed down for generations, but it was erased in hours. Today, those families’ descendants are still trying to recover from that loss.
Rosewood, Florida, faced a similar fate in 1923. Another white mob, fueled by a false accusation, annihilated a prosperous Black town. Homes were burned, businesses destroyed, and an estimated 27 to 150 Black residents were murdered. Survivors fled, leaving behind everything they had built. Imagine being a Black child in Rosewood or Tulsa, seeing your parents’ dreams burned to ash. That trauma doesn’t just vanish; it stays, shaping generations to come.
Now, ask yourself: What would your life look like if your grandparents or great-grandparents had been able to own land, build businesses, and pass down wealth? How much further ahead would you be if your family’s legacy hadn’t been stolen by violence?
Jobs, Housing, and the Modern Rigging
Systemic racism didn’t end with Tulsa or Rosewood. It evolved. Take housing: After World War II, government programs like the GI Bill helped white families buy homes and build wealth. But Black veterans were largely excluded. Redlining ensured that Black neighborhoods were denied loans, while white neighborhoods flourished. By the time housing discrimination was outlawed, the wealth gap was already entrenched. Today, the median wealth of white families is nearly eight times that of Black families.
Jobs tell a similar story. Black workers are more likely to face discrimination, earn less for the same work, and be excluded from leadership positions. Unemployment rates for Black Americans consistently outpace those of white Americans, even when qualifications are identical. How many times have you or someone you know been passed over for a job, only to see it given to someone less qualified? That’s not just bad luck—it’s the rigging of the system.
The Ripple Effects of Economic Sabotage
The destruction of wealth in places like Tulsa and Rosewood is not just about the past; it’s about the present. Imagine what the Black community could have done with that wealth. Schools could have been better funded, businesses could have expanded, and families could have bought homes. Instead, the ripple effects of that destruction are felt today in the form of poverty, underfunded schools, and limited opportunities.
Consider this: If the average Black family had access to even half the generational wealth of the average white family, what would change? How many college tuitions could be paid? How many businesses could be started? The denial of these opportunities isn’t just a historical injustice; it’s a current crisis.
Shame on Those Who Deny Reality
To the politicians who deny systemic racism while enacting policies that uphold it: shame on you. To the religious leaders who preach equality but stay silent on injustice: shame on you. To anyone who gaslights Black Americans by saying, “It’s all in the past”: shame on you. Your complicity is not passive; it’s active. You are benefiting from a rigged system while pretending it’s fair.
Stop hiding behind the myth of meritocracy. Stop telling Black Americans to work harder when you know the game is fixed. Stop pretending that systemic racism is a relic of history when it’s staring you in the face every day.
Moving Forward: Accountability and Action
The only way to address systemic racism is through accountability and action. Reparations are not just symbolic; they are a moral obligation. Policies that close the wealth gap, reform the criminal justice system, and ensure equal access to housing and education are essential. But more than that, America needs to confront its own lies. It needs to admit that systemic racism is not an accident; it’s a design.
To Black Americans reading this: You deserve to be heard. Your pain, your history, and your contributions matter. To white Americans who deny systemic racism: It’s time to listen, learn, and act. The game has been rigged long enough. It’s time to level the playing field, not because it’s convenient but because it’s just.
Kimberly Jones said it best: “They are lucky that what Black people are looking for is equality and not revenge.” The question now is whether America will finally deliver on its promise of equality—or whether it will continue to perpetuate the lies that built this rigged game in the first place.
