"America's Third Reconstruction began with the soaring promise of Barack Obama's 2008 presidential election and the victory of a campaign that millions took to be a definitive symbol of historic racial progress," writes LBJ's Peniel Joseph.
"The 2016 election of Donald J. Trump revealed the depth and breadth of racial resentment and fear among those who correctly interpreted the phrase "Make America Great Again" as a call for a restoration of white supremacy: the "Redeemer South" of Reconstruction, devoted to the removal of gains made by African Americans, updated for a digital age.
"This year has ushered in the most dynamic social movement for racial justice in American history as Black Lives Matter 2.0 awakened the entire nation to a reality of White supremacy — made more legible to millions of White Americans who, in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, shelter-in-place orders and mass unemployment showed new layers of empathy in taking the streets to protest against the killing of George Floyd."