In today's current political and cultural climate, it's crucial that everyday Americans are engaging in important conversations about race, bias, discrimination, and privilege. For people of color, these conversations are nothing new; they are a requirement in communities where experiences of racism, bias, and bigotry are a part of everyday life. But for many white people who have never been burdened by a system built specifically to keep us down, these conversations can seem confusing, uncomfortable, and awkward, which is makes them even more necessary. If you're not sure how to talk about issues of race in America, try picking up one of the many incredible books about race instead of asking people of color to explain it to you.

If you really want to be a better ally, if you really want to be on the front-lines in the war against racism and discrimination in the United States, you have to take the initiative to educate yourself. It isn't up to people of color to inform or reform white people. As "White people, stop asking us to education about racism," a collective piece from an African American voice on Medium, so clearly explains. "Don’t ask us to provide the information for you. Instead, participate in your own education. We’ve already given you enough of our free labor. Don’t ask us for anymore." https://www.bustle.com/p/10-books-about-race-to-read-instead-of-asking-a-person-of-color-to-explain-things-to-you-8548796

President Trump made a stark appeal to black Americans during the 2016 election when he asked, “What have you got to lose?” Three years later, black Americans have rendered their verdict on his presidency with a deeply pessimistic assessment of their place in the United States under a leader seen by an overwhelming majority as racist.

The findings come from a Washington Post-Ipsos poll of African Americans nationwide, which reveals fears about whether their children will have a fair shot to succeed and a belief that white Americans don’t fully appreciate the discrimination that black people experience...

More than 8 in 10 black Americans say they believe Trump is a racist and that he has made racism a bigger problem in the country. Nine in 10 disapprove of his job performance overall.

The pessimism goes well beyond assessments of the president. A 65 percent majority of African Americans say it is a “bad time” to be a black person in America. That view is widely shared by clear majorities of black adults across income, generational and political lines. By contrast, 77 percent of black Americans say it is a “good time” to be a white person, with a wide majority saying white people don’t understand the discrimination faced by black Americans.

“As a black person, you’ve always seen all the racism, the microaggressions, but as white people they don't understand this is how things are going for me,” said Tate, who said he is the only black male teacher in his school. “They don’t live those experiences. They don’t live in those neighborhoods. They moved out. It’s so easy to be white and oblivious in this country.”

Francine Cartwright, a 44-year-old mother of three from Moorestown, N.J., said the ascent of Trump has altered the way she thinks about the white people in her life.

“If I’m in a room with white women, I know that 50 percent of them voted for Trump and they believe in his ideas,” said Cartwright, a university researcher. “I look at them and think, ‘How do you see me? What is my humanity to you?’?”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/black-americans-deeply-pessimistic-about-country-under-president-who-more-than-8-in-10-describe-as-a-racist-post-ipsos-poll-finds/2020/01/16/134b705c-37de-11ea-bb7b-265f4554af6d_story.html

Bridging the Gap: Secretary Foxx’s Legacy of Choice

By and large, Foxx’s priorities as Secretary of Transportation were predicated on his experiences with local government. As a city council member and then mayor of Charlotte for four years, Foxx was recognized for his attention to the long-term impacts of municipal policymaking. He focused on developing a regional transportation plan that spurred economic growth in Charlotte and addressed transit equity issues.

It was this focus on home rule and equity that set him apart when President Obama was evaluating candidates to succeed former Secretary Ray LaHood in 2013. Foxx’s philosophy is based on choice in transportation – which extends not just to a person’s preferences, but also into their opportunity to choose.

A key theme throughout Anthony
Foxx’s tenure as USDOT Secretary has been expanding options and opportunities in American transportation networks. Foxx strove to engage community leaders, industry, and private citizens across all disciplines to develop right-size and right-fit solutions for pressing transportation issues...

Foxx highlighted the severe repercussions of transit inequity for people of color and impoverished communities, namely access to better jobs, schools, and housing. “Sometimes transportation assets can even improve a neighborhood and bring those things closer to home,” he said, referring to the Ladders of Opportunity project – the keystone of his effort to give Americans the power of choice in transportation.

It sought to bridge the gaps created by 20th Century transportation projects that divided Americans along economic and racial lines while also repairing and replacing aging infrastructure. In 11 communities like Philadelphia and Spokane, USDOT worked with communities and government officials to generate solutions to disjointed transportation networks and alleviate urban partitions created by highways.

https://usa.streetsblog.org/2016/03/30/anthony-foxx-wants-to-repair-the-damage-done-by-urban-highways/