I’ve been asked by several people how the current level of turmoil compares to 1968, which is the year several authorities describe as the historical low point for the republic. Also – for the record – 1965, 1967,1969 and 1970 should be considered in the comparison.

In 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated, the United States deployed troops to Vietnam as combatants, not advisors, and the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles went up in smoke, literally, as a week-long race riot destroyed both life and property. You’ve heard the term “Burn, baby, burn,” it’s Watts that was burning – all beginning with a traffic stop. Newark New Jersey would burn in 1967, one of 159 race riots that swept cities in the United States during the "Long Hot Summer of 1967". Over the four days of rioting, looting, and property destruction, 26 people died and hundreds were injured.

1969 and 1970 were years of a different form of violent confrontation, centering on anti- Vietnam War acts of civil disobedience, including student strikes and the seizure of college campus buildings by the student mobs. In New York City, about 200 construction workers were mobilized by the New York State AFL-CIO to attack some 1,000 college and high school students and others who were protesting against the Vietnam War. This hard hat riot took place a few days after four students were shot and killed by Ohio National Guardsmen at Kent State University.

So, how does our present condition compare to the unrest of the 60s? No matter how badly delivered, the anti-war objective was clear: stop the war. It’s safe to say that if the war were stopped, the activists would pack up their tents and go home, or back to school, or wherever they came from. Today, we have people in the streets protesting institutional racism and its consequences. The same institutional racism was identified by the Kerner Commission investigating the riots of 1967, over a half century ago; if these findings were acted upon then, perhaps today’s situation might be different. Bringing an end to the offending behaviors is far more complex than ordering a cease-fire to stop a war.

A very high contrast to the 60s is the composition of the sides. Back in the day, it was anti- establishment versus establishment, and anti-establishment vs. the police whose mission was to protect the establishment. Today, establishment leaders, particularly in the business world, are accepting responsibility for eradicating racist behavior in their spheres of influence, and the police are joining in the protest against racism in this country.

Are there forces at work who would take anti-social action and incite violence in order to keep Americans polarized instead of becoming united? Likely there are, as there have always been, pushing an anti-American agenda. And our history with racial issues makes race the obvious target for those who would cripple our progress as a nation.

Our heroes are those who bring us together, and the villains are those who would drive us apart.