Building a Moon Shot for Racial Justice

MY DISSERTATION ADVISER, A VETERAN OF SEGregated Chicago, liked to say that social science is not rocket science—it’s a lot harder. Social systems and social progress have a lot more variables than physical ones and behave much less predictably.

- BY PHILLIP ATIBA SOLOMON

The five years following George Floyd’s lynching have demonstrated the wisdom of his words.

In 2020, after the largest protests in U.S. history, there was no shortage of outrage. No lack of political will. No confusion about what people wanted—accountability, dignity, safety. Police unions and politicians who once claimed racism was “over” suddenly spoke publicly about the need to do something in response to such a grotesque event. For a moment, our nation had moral clarity, and it felt like we might finally be on the cusp of change that was as large as our collective outrage.

But then the variables changed, and the social systems largely did not. Perhaps that is because there is still a bit about large-scale social progress that is like a moon shot. The launch is hard enough—controlling the explosion of energy, the singular mission, the sense of purpose. But the magic comes in sustaining momentum long enough to stick the landing. And, in the wake of 2020, we have not stuck the landing. There have been no lasting, federal changes in public policy. The burst of local reforms has slowed considerably, with progress haunted by the disappearance of promising programs. The rocket not only failed to land; it exploded.

How did that happen—and where do we go from here?

IF HISTORY IS ANY INDICATION, big innovations depend on three pillars: a clear vision, often framed in morally appealing terms; people who obsess over understanding the details; and funding to sustain both, through failure and success.