The Lingering Fear: America's Unresolved Whitelash
Pulitzer-winning journalist Wesley Lowery argues that the rise of white grievance and white supremacist violence in the United States is not solely a response to the election of Barack Obama or social justice movements like Black Lives Matter, but rather a long-running pattern of white racial violence deeply embedded in American history. Lowery warns that America is ill-prepared to confront this "whitelash" as a political and cultural force, especially as the country heads into a contentious presidential election. He emphasizes the need for media to take responsibility in curating the public square and holding elected officials accountable for their rhetoric, as well as the importance of recognizing and addressing the deep-rooted racial resentment that fuels this violence.