Afro-Americans, then, turned to the more grueling and
inglorious job of trying to put their theories into practice.
Epilogue
What insights can the study of history bring to the understanding and
solution of the American racial situation? How can the knowledge of
yesterday's events help us to face tomorrow's decisions? The fact is,
whether we know it or not, that the past is always with us and clings
tightly to us like a cloak. We have the choice of either recognizing
it and dealing constructively with it or of ignoring it and remaining
in bondage to it.
The heritage of the American slave system is still part of our lives.
Racial attitudes of white superiority and black inferiority became an
integral part of the American cultural climate, and it is still part
of the air we all breathe. All Americans, black and white, inhale and
assimilate more racism than we care to admit. Denying that we are
still infected by prejudice, however, does not help us to deal
creatively with it. The drive to create a black identity which can be
worn with pride and the emergence of independent African nations
already have made a significant impact in altering American racial
stereotypes.
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