It ain’t no big thing, to wait for the bell to ring

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SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

What is left of a Jefferson Davis monument in New Orleans.Annie Flanagan for The New York Times

By Jamelle Bouie

opinion columnist

During the racist retrenchment of the late 19th and early 20th century, white supremacist policy flourished alongside an extraordinarily racist cultural milieu. This was the age of Jim Crow laws and minstrelsy shows, rampant discrimination and widespread Confederate nostalgia. And they worked in tandem, establishing and reinforcing racial caste and stigma.

President Trump represents a kind of racist retrenchment, an attempt to stem demographic change and bolster the political power of a shrinking group of conservative whites. Trump has allies in the culture — there are people who cater to the soft white nationalism of "Make America Great Again." But the general trend is in the opposite direction. Anti-racism has never had more adherents. Millions of Americans hold racially egalitarian views. And many of them are rethinking those parts of our cultural landscape that exclude others and affirm racist values.

It's one of the ironies of the Trump era that the return of open racism to mainstream politics exists alongside an open attack on the racist symbols of the past. I find it fascinating, but not altogether surprising. Just days after Trump announced his run for the White House in June 2015, Dylann Roof murdered nine worshipers at Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, S.C. The act was laden with symbolism, from the church itself — a longtime pillar of the city's black community — to Roof's interest in Confederate and white supremacist iconography. The attack sparked a fierce debate about the Confederate flag, which quickly extended to Confederate monuments.

I think these conversations would have continued regardless of what happened next in American politics. But if Trump had faded from view, I think they would have been quieter and a little less contentious. Of course, he didn't. Both Trump and his racism have dominated the political landscape since that first news conference. And one effect it has had is to raise the political salience of these monuments and historical sites.

I live in Charlottesville, Va., and the debate over the Confederate monuments in the city started, for example, in March 2016. A commission tasked with handling the issue recommended removal in the weeks after the November election, when Trump's election was still in the air. On the other side, his ascension to the White House inspired the people who would gather in Charlottesville to "Unite the Right" and attempt to bring white nationalism into the mainstream.

And in the wake of that event, cities and localities across the country would remove their Confederate monuments and memorials, a clear acknowledgment of the ways in which those structures continue to embed racist values into the public landscape.

This cultural reaction to Trump isn't just about monuments. I think it informs everything from the new(-ish) memorial to lynching victims in Montgomery, Ala., to The New York Times Magazine's own "1619 Project." Indeed, of all the things now happening in American life, it's the one that gives me some hope for the future. Our politics might be a mess of broken, sclerotic institutions and venal, corrupt officials, but among Americans — or at least a large number of them — there's a real desire for honesty about our past and a clear craving for justice in the present.

What I Wrote

I aimed for two columns this week, but a sick toddler meant I had time for only one. But I thought it was pretty good! It's a call for expanding the entire federal judiciary, including the Supreme Court, to neutralize the constitutional hardball of Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell.

Congress, according to the Judiciary Act of 1789, decides the number of judges. It's been 150 years since it changed the size of the Supreme Court. I think it's time to revisit the issue. Should Democrats win that trifecta, they should expand and yes, pack, the Supreme Court. Add two additional seats to account for the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the Gorsuch and Kavanaugh nominations. Likewise, expand and pack the entire federal judiciary to neutralize Trump and McConnell's attempt to cement Republican ideological preferences into the constitutional order.

I also did a live chat about the column on Twitter. You can watch that here.

Now Reading

Susan Neiman in The Atlantic on how Germany has remembered and memorialized its past.

Scaachi Koul on the writer Lauren Duca in BuzzFeed.

Katrina Forrester on the future of political philosophy in the Boston Review.

Pankaj Mishra on how Western elites failed to see the dangers to democracy in their own societies.

Emily Stewart in Vox on what the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau can tell us about Elizabeth Warren.

Feedback

If you're enjoying what you're reading, please consider recommending it to friends. They can sign up here. If you want to share your thoughts on an item in this week's newsletter or on the newsletter in general, please email me at jamelle-newsletter@nytimes.com.

Photo of the Week

The Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville, Va.Jamelle Bouie

Apropos my little commentary up top is this photo of the Robert E. Lee monument in Charlottesville. It was vandalized last weekend — I took this photo the following Monday. For those who are interested, I used a digital Leica range finder camera and a 28 mm lens.

Now Eating: Crispy Chicken Thighs With Chicken-Fat Fried Rice

I have a craving for fried rice, so this recipe, from Food 52, is on the menu this weekend. Once I'm home for longer than a few days (I've been traveling the past few weeks), I'll be back to cooking Indian food and sharing those recipes with you. I have a few I think you'll like.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 pinch kosher salt, plus more as needed
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
1 tablespoon very finely grated fresh ginger
2 large garlic cloves, minced
½ large yellow onion, finely diced
1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced
½ cup frozen peas
2 cups cooked white or brown rice, short- or medium-grain, cold
1 tablespoon soy sauce, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 large eggs

Directions

Add the oil to a large, heavy skillet, preferably cast iron. Set over medium heat. Season the chicken thighs all over with salt and pepper. Add them to the skillet, skin side down. Cook without moving until the fat has rendered and the skin is super golden brown and crispy, 15 to 30 minutes. Adjust the heat as needed, reducing to medium-low if the skin begins to burn before it gets evenly brown. Turn the thighs over and continue cooking until the other side is browned and the meat closest to the bone is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. When the chicken is done, transfer it to a plate and pour the rendered fat into a heatproof glass or bowl. Leave the heat under the skillet on.

Add 1 tablespoon chicken fat to the pan, then the ginger and garlic. Stir-fry for 1 minute until very fragrant. Add another 1½ tablespoons fat, along with the onion, scallion, carrot and a big pinch of salt. Stir to combine, then cover the pan. Cook covered for 5 minutes, stirring halfway through. Uncover the pan and cook for another 3 minutes or so, until the vegetables are mostly tender. Add the peas and stir-fry to thaw and cook, about 2 minutes. Add the rice, soy sauce and a little more chicken fat (or all of it!). Season to taste with salt, pepper and more soy sauce. Turn the heat down to low while you cook the eggs in a separate pan.

Add the butter or oil to a nonstick skillet and set on the stove over medium heat. Crack the eggs into a bowl, season with a pinch each of salt and pepper, and beat with a fork until smooth. When the butter has melted and is starting to foam, pour in the eggs. They should sizzle. Cook, stirring slowly but constantly, until the eggs are just set — this should only take a minute or so. Add the eggs to the rice and gently stir to incorporate so that they're evenly distributed in big pieces.

Nestle the chicken thighs on top of the fried rice and serve hot.

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