Long ago, raised by Social Democrat parents, I used to think class was the main issue. I believed that if we only resolved inequality, reduced the inequities that make people like Bezos, Gates, and others obscenely wealthy while their employees struggle to make ends meet,

we would reduce, even eliminate, oppression because people think in zero-sum thinking and would be less hateful if they weren't just scraping by. But you know, my parents just scraped by and weren't hateful. There's a lot of hateful rich people.

Trump is racist AF. If economic security reduced racism, he would be out there marching with Shaun King. (He would still be a con artist.)

No, I realized racism is more than economic insecurity. I also realized it is far more prevalent than I ever imagined. I worked where I was

in the minority, where most of my colleagues were nonwhite and where the people I socialized with at and after work were nonwhite. I saw racism nearly everyday in stupid interactions like waiting in line with a coworker at Starbucks and being clearly behind her but asked first

of course, I object, and my friend is served first, but the fact that we would go to that Starbucks every day and have it happen so often was dispiriting. So much more so for my colleague.

Work was full of incidents of oppression, not from colleagues, but with our work outside

I realized I had it all wrong, racism is actually the cornerstone on which inequality in America is built. We cannot fight economic justice without an anti-racist framework. This is why I see Bernie and the DSA as dangerous and antithetical to progressive success.

FDR and Democrats were able to pass the New Deal, unemployment insurance, OSHA, minimum wage, wage & hour, social security, and more...all with the understanding that occupations dominated by Black people were exempt. So a New Deal for white workers and no deal for Black workers

The people of the South did not object to the War on Poverty. A Missouri Democrat introduced the Food Stamp Act. A George Democrat introduced the Job Corps stuff. An Arkansas Democrat introduced Medicare and Medicaid.

The South liked the war on poverty until the Civil Rights Act

You see, no economic justice legislation, no matter how well-designed and executed can ever be safe from sabotage and repeal in a world where racists would rather go without that share equally with Black people.

That is why we must always push for economic justice within the framework of racial justice. Our economic progress is stunted and precarious if we do not marry it to racial justice organizing. That is the central flaw of Bernie's ideology and the DSA. They don't get it.

So how do you do economic justice work within a racial justice framework?

Say, for example, you want to tackle the issue of homeowner's insurance. Did you know that routinely people with a poor credit history pay more for homeowner' insurance?

What you pay for homeowners insurance is based on all sorts of things beyond what it costs to replace, etc. They will charge you more or decline you if you have no or a poor credit history. They will charge you more of decline you based on the demographics of your neighborhood

So, if your home is in a neighborhood that is considered a Black neighborhood and featured in that fascist COPS show and do not have a bank account and/or don't own a car, your homeowner's insurance will be 900/year instead of 250.

That's them making serious bank on demographics. They are punishing people for being poor and making them more likely to stay poor. So, perhaps passing a law demanding more scrutiny and control over the role of credit history, banking in setting insurance rates might be good

So, one message might be "poor people pay more for less homeowners insurance because of their zip code." or it could be, "insurance rates should be set by insurance risk, not by credit score or the race of your neighbors."

Or something better, I am messaging on the fly.

The point is, there is not a single issue I can think of that cannot be expressed in terms of advancing economic equality WITH racial justice. Racism permeates everything from healthcare to education to insurance rates. So marry your issue to racial justice if you want to win

If you ever get persuaded class might be where to fight for power, read "When Affirmative Action was White' and realize that economic progress dies on the foundation of racism.