Herbert Dyer, Jr.
1 min readAug 16, 2023

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Well...I would agree with you except for my own lived experience.

I came of age in the '60s when the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Power Movement, Women's Lib, Gay Rights were all at their height. I was a sophomore at Indiana U where black and white students came together to protest the university's draconian policies and curricula. The Hippies, Yippies and black people were -- seemingly -- on the same page. We (black people) thought that the "revolution" had finally arrived and that we had lots and lots of white friends/allies on our side.

Nixon got elected in '68 as a direct response by white people to all of the above. It was "white backlash" writ large. Most of those white Hippies cut their long hair, replaced their tie-dyed jeans with suits and skirts, and went home to their fathers' and uncles' businesses and farms, leaving us to face Nixon's "War on Drugs" alone. Today, most of 'em are Trumpsters.

Fast-forward to 2020 and Black Lives Matter. Where are all those young (and not so young) white "allies" who protested George Floyd's murder today?

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Herbert Dyer, Jr.
Herbert Dyer, Jr.

Written by Herbert Dyer, Jr.

Freelancer since the earth first began cooling. My beat, justice: racial, social, political, economic and cultural. I’m on FB, Twitter, Link, hdyerjr@gmail.com.

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