Commentary: Is implicit bias preventing Black leaders from helping their communities?

Every day, 10,000 babies are born in the United States. These babies representing all races are born innocent. They do not know racism.

I was born in rural Louisiana and was oblivious to racism. As a sharecropper, I worked 13 years without a paycheck. We were taught God created us all equal. I moved to Chicago in 1965, and my relatives began to explain racism.

As I look back on my experience, perhaps we have been looking at racism through the wrong lens of color — rather than economics. We understand white versus Black or Latino versus Black, but what about Black versus Black racism? Can Blacks be racist against other Black people?

Theodore R. Johnson, a senior fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, suggests in The Atlantic that racism is designed to subjugate a segment of the population politically, economically and socially. Until America seriously confronts economic inequality, we will constantly struggle with racism and widening health and income disparities.

A WalletHub study last year found that Illinois ranked last among all states regarding racial equality. How is this possible with a progressive governor and the many Black leaders throughout Illinois?

Racism is not just limited to white versus Black; it can involve Black against Black. There are those who argue Black people cannot be racist because they do not have institutional power. However, Black Americans have attained significant political influence and collectively an estimated$1.8 trillion in economic power, according to CNBC.

The Harvard University Implicit Association Test “measures the strength of associations between concepts and evaluations or stereotypes to reveal an individual’s hidden or subconscious biases.” The test regarding race often reveals subconscious negative feelings Black people have toward other Black people. Black elected leaders and elites in leadership positions who fail to advocate for policies that lift Black communities are either implicitly biased or ignorant.

President Andrew Johnson in an 1867 message to Congress declared Black Americans had “less capacity for government than any other race of people.” They would “relapse into barbarism … if left to their own devices.”

President Joe Biden, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and congressional leaders seem more interested in solving the problems of migrants and globalism than the issues of crime, poverty, literacy and low levels of homeownership in Black communities.

Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and Black legislators allowed the Invest in Kids scholarship program to expire. The scholarship program helped many Black students escape failing schools in Chicago.

According to a 2023 Wirepoints analysis, the State Board of Education Illinois Report Card regarding Chicago Public Schools data revealed that only 2 in every 10 Black students can read at grade level, and in many city schools, it’s 0 out of 10. Black leaders and civil rights organizations are aiding in the subjugation of Black children because they fail to demand accountability and lack moral vision.

The Wirepoints analysis noted:

On the South Side, just 15% read at grade level. In math, just 8% are at grade level.

On the West Side, it’s 13% and 7%, respectively.

On the Southwest Side, it’s 12% and 7%.

This is a disgrace and national embarrassment. Where are the civil rights organizations? Where is the outrage from progressive Chicagoans?

Mayor Brandon Johnson likes playing the race card when it benefits him. The city has spent more than $300 million on care for migrants. Johnson has prioritized migrants while neglecting the needs of citizens who elected him. Black and brown people are living in constant fear and losing their homes due to an unfair property tax system — while Johnson, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Gov. J.B. Pritzker prioritize migrants.

Black leaders should remember they are Black first. They cannot escape their race. Black implicit bias is just as bad as white racism because it suppresses and psychologically damages the people who elected these Black leaders.

Black leaders must deal with their abhorrence for Black people. If they stood together in Illinois and Washington, they could pass or block any legislation.

The following are some suggestions to consider that could bring racial harmony and equity:

Johnson and Pritzker should establish a literacy initiative with the goal of getting 100% of Black students reading at grade level.

Pritzker and the Illinois legislature should expand charter and trade schools.

Johnson should add accountability measures in the negotiated contract with the Chicago Teachers Union, beginning with literacy goals.

Pritzker and Johnson should insist that Black and Latino businesses get their equitable share of contracts from the Democratic National Convention.

Pritzker, Preckwinkle and Johnson must ensure prime contracts reflect the diversity of the population.

Black elected officials should take the Harvard Implicit Association Test on race.

There are some elected leaders who made a difference for all people. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal legislation included the formation of the Social Security Administration, Farm Security Administration and the Works Progress Administration.

Mayor Harold Washington, the first Black mayor of Chicago, signed legislation that ended patronage hiring, included citizens in the budget process and focused heavily on economic development and equity. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

I write this commentary to make those comfortable with promoting racist policies uncomfortable.

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Willie Wilson is a business owner, philanthropist and former mayoral candidate.

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