Michael Finney: Widespread calls for justice offer hope for a truly different future

His Future

His Future. I know you are thinking these life stories usually start with the Past, followed by the Present, and close out with the Future. I tried starting with the Past several times, but could not get past the anger and frustration from many accounts of racism that I (and many family and friends) have faced during my 63 years on earth. Fortunately, June 3rd was my middle son’s birthday, and a Zoom call to him helped focus my thoughts on His Future.

It occurred to me that the future, His Future, just might turn out to be everything that I dreamed of while growing up in Flint, Michigan. My dreams often reflected what we saw on television (black & white, of course). My favorite cartoon was The Jetsons. The show launched in 1962 and was set in the year 2062. It allowed little boys like me to imagine robots that performed household chores, portable telephones with video calls, flying cars for easy travel and colonies in space to escape problems on earth.

We are now 42 years away from The Jetsons’ future. Robots and cellphones are no longer a novelty, and most of us believe that flying cars and colonization of space can be achieved by 2062. The Question is… Can we imagine that institutional racism will no longer exist in 2062? Can we imagine our loved ones no longer suffering from discrimination or facing the hatred and racially motivated violence that was faced by George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless others? Can we imagine a future where my granddaughter is the 10th Black Supreme Court Justice of the United States?

My response to those questions two weeks ago would have been, “Of course it will still exist!” Black people have faced institutional racism beginning with the first slaves that were brought to the United States in 1619. How could it possibly go away 42 years into the future, given the past 401 years could not produce a solution?

We have experienced periods of Hope in the past, only to have them snatched away through racist tactics such as lynching, poll taxes, Jim Crow Laws, red-lining and the destruction of Black business districts. As leaders came forward to fight for our rights — John F. Kennedy, November 22, 1963; Malcolm X, February 21, 1965; Martin Luther King Jr., April 4, 1968; and Robert F. Kennedy, June 6, 1968 – they were assassinated, ripped away from us all to soon. In 2008, we celebrated the election of Barack Obama as our first Black president, only to see an explosion of racism and obstructionist tactics as he worked to create a better future for all citizens.

Two weeks ago we witnessed the continued destruction of Hope with the murder of George Floyd. The action (and inaction) by the four police officers could not have been more egregious. In a surprise move, the Mayor of Minneapolis immediately fired the officers and called for their prosecution.

We need more leaders who are willing to address these senseless acts! Tens of thousands of young, old, Black, brown and White citizens organized protests in cities throughout the United States to demand justice for Mr. Floyd. Fringe groups disrupted the protests with violence and looting in an attempt to snatch away Hope.

Even in the face of outrageous military intervention, ordered by our elected leadership, this same coalition of citizens refused to stand down and continue to march for justice today. This group gives me Hope for His Future. They hold the constitutional and moral power to demand POLICY reforms that is hundreds of years overdue.

For the first time in my 63 years, I am hopeful we can end the hatred and racism that has dominated this country for more than 400 years. My response to those questions today is that His Future just might turn out to be everything that I dreamed of while growing up in Flint, Michigan.

Dedicated to my personal hero Arthur Finney, Sr., October 23, 1925 - January 7, 1976.

Michael A. Finney is president and CEO of the Miami-Dade Beacon Council, the county’s economic development agency.

This story was originally published June 8, 2020 at 6:00 AM.