Month: December 2021

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How systemic racism was addressed in the book

The climate described in the early chapters of Back to Dixie is strikingly similar to today’s America.  In fact, the book mirrored our reality up until early 2021 when the first draft was completed.   Consequently, the characters in Back to Dixie also experienced the rash of civil rights offenses and the meaningless deaths of so many innocent Black people—many by the hands of someone in a position of authority.  They witnessed or participated in the marches and protests, as we did.  They also waited for verdicts and sentencings, hoping that justice would prevail, but expecting the worse. 

In the book, many were as fed up with the degree by which Black lives were devalued, as they were by the hesitance of the country’s leaders to acknowledge that systemic racism existed.  So, it wasn’t a surprise that when democratic Pennsylvania Governor, Jim Weldon, announced his candidacy for president, vowing to purposefully address systemic racism, the Black community rallied behind him.  In fact, if not for their overwhelming support, Weldon would have lost the 2020 elections to the incumbent Republican president. When the Democratic majority in the House grew in the 2022 elections, Weldon had the necessary support to pass the SCALE Act, signing it into law in February 2023.  It became the single most impactful law for Black people since the Voting Rights in 1965.  

Here is a summary of the key provisions of the SCALE Act of 2023:

Employment and Income

  • Employers must adhere to strict compliance ranges for hiring, promotion, and compensation data across racial and gender lines.
  • Employers reporting ‘out-of-range’ data for two consecutive quarters were subject to substantial tax penalties.
  • A one-time interest-free loan of $50,000 was available to each Black or impoverished citizen.  Repayment may be deferred orforgiven based on income.

Educational Opportunities

  • Universities and professional schools could no longer require the use of standardized test scores for admission or placement purposes.
  • Schools must report diversity data for admission, student retention, and graduation rates and ensure additional resources be made available to higher risk students.  Schools reporting ‘out-of-range’ for extended periods no longer qualified for federal financial aid.
  • New education grants covered all expenses for qualified full-time students from underrepresented groups, including those in graduate and professional schools. 

Housing

  • Zero-interest mortgages were available to applicants from underrepresented groups.  In the case of hardship, loan payments may be paused indefinitely without penalty.
  • Housing subsidies representing up to $2,000 per month were paid to those citizens that decided to rent instead of owning a home.  Amounts depended on family size and cost of living.

Criminal Justice

  • The cases of nonviolent offenders were reviewed for transfer to newly funded and built rehabilitation and job training centers.
  • Independent peer reviews were completed for all sentencing decisions involving prison.
  • Funding for mentorship, job placement, and counseling programs for newly released inmates was earmarked.

Health Care

  • Medical students from underrepresented groups became eligible for a $50,000 annual stipend in exchange for committing to work five years in the community after graduating.
  • Doctors working in underrepresented communities also received a $50,000 annual stipend.  Registered nurses and other medical professionals in these areas received a $25,000 payment.
  • Hospitals and clinics in these communities were eligible for subsidized purchase of medical equipment and supplies.
  • Universal affordable health care

In Back to Dixie, SCALE was received well by many people, as the nation was called into action against systemic racism, and most people and businesses committed to supporting the substantial change that SCALE promised.  Of course, there were also many detractors, mostly across party lines.  Most of the opposition to the laws felt that the cost was too high, while some never believed that there was ever an issue with systemic racism in the first place.  Nevertheless, the changes had the desired impact.  In the five years after the law went into effect, gaps between whites and Blacks in employment, income, education, home ownership, and arrests were closed more substantively than during any similar period in the country’s history. 

A surprising and unexpected development was that the law had a net positive impact on the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), with the economy fueled by the increased spending of the newly gainfully employed.  More Black students were attending college and pursuing professional degrees than ever before, which directly increased the nation’s talent pool and intellectual property.  More trained minds were working on the world’s problems like climate change and clean energy.  By all objective assessments, the SCALE Act was a resounding success.

Could SCALE work just as well for real?

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New Youtube Video

Len Hyde on the inspiration for Back to Dixie
Len Hyde on the inspiration for Back to Dixie

In this video, I share my inspiration for writing this book almost thirty years after originally coming up with the idea. I also share what I hope folks will leave with after reading.

Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTtEcqdhVWE&t=133s

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Can we talk RACE

Race, politics, and religion.  As a young corporate worker in the 90’s, I learned early on to steer clear from those subjects at work—very little could be gained, while risks were high.  Because many people have strong opinions on these topics, it was easy for casual discussions to escalate into full blown arguments.  Many avoided conversations involving anyone of the protected classes altogether.  It took a great deal of commitment and determination to view everyone as ageless, raceless, genderless, agnostics with no political leanings, but people became good at it.  

That was the case in the workplace of the 90’s and most of the 2000’s—right up until when Barack Obama decided to run for president.  As his candidacy gained momentum and the possibility that the country could elect its first Black president became a more likely scenario, it became extremely difficult to avoid the topic of race anywhere in America.  Everyone had an opinion and many felt compelled to share it.

Most Black people were supporters of Obama, and many proudly admitted that the foundation of their support was the fact that he was Black—and how historic his victory would be for the country.  And though many white people supported Obama, his most vocal detractors used terms like socialist, communist, or foreigner when attacking him.  Although, in private, some would admit to just not being entirely comfortable with the idea of a Black person calling the White House home.  It was unavoidable that these discussions began to trickle into the workplace.

Less than a decade later, the climate has changed. Today, companies are expected to invest resources on diversity programs and employee forums to encourage dialogue around racism and equity issues, among other best practices.  You might ask how did the thinking shift so dramatically and so quickly?  My answer—politics and the power of social media.  During this time, more Americans identified social media as their main source of news and information, and politicians and their support networks began to utilize it as a tool.

Fake and rented accounts, unsubstantiated ‘news’ reports, and Big Tech algorithms all contributed to a viral spread of misinformation.  There have been many studies that show how negative articles and postings are much more widely forwarded and reposted than positive pieces.  This results in volumes of negative articles and postings, most unfounded or inaccurate, flooding America’s feeds and inboxes.  There are often so many instances of unsubstantiated reports being published by independent sources that they seem to corroborate with each other. 

Previously marginalized extremists suddenly had a platform and a reach that never existed before.  Their messages were fueled by social media misinformation intended to politically mobilize people with historically low voting rates.  Though politicians have historically used America’s views on race to their benefit, the evolution of politics on social media brought it to a whole other level.  The wheels were turned by the political machines, but things went further than most intended.

The steady stream of scenes and images of hate filling the television screen, newspapers, and social media feeds demonstrated just how racially charged the country had become.  The solution, in my opinion, is for us to openly discuss our differences, so we can better understand each other.  Because only then can we achieve the degree of empathy that this nation needs to get through these unprecedented times and come away better than ever.

When I first came up with the idea of Back to Dixie, I planned to publish it under the pen name, Nigel Light.  I don’t recall exactly how I came up with that name, but with me just embarking in the corporate world, in the culture that existed at the time, I didn’t feel that I could write freely under my real name.  I felt at the time that I would have subconsciously self-censored my writing to make it HR-safe in the event it was discovered by workfolk.  Writing the book through that filter would have been very limiting.  Instead, I decided that I would write under a pen name so I could maintain my artistic freedom. 

I can’t say for sure why it took me so long to finally write the book.  Work responsibilities and family commitments certainly played a role, but deep down there was also concern that readers would find the events creating the Back to Dixie world unrealistic and not feasible.  Unfortunately, with everything we have witnessed in recent years, that is no longer a concern. 

Someone recently read the book’s synopsis and reached out to tell me that he was tired of stories that emphasize our differences, and wants instead to read more stories where no one sees race, gender, sexual orientation, disability—where everyone is treated equally.  I explained to him that I shared that dream, but it will only be a dream until we all can see, discuss, and respect our differences.  I believe Back to Dixie is my contribution to that discussion.

Sincerely,

Nigel Light

Len Hyde