A Voice from the South: By a Black Woman of the South

In “Has America a Race Problem,” Cooper discusses race relations in the country, analyzing peace and conflict. Alluding to America’s issue of racial oppression, she notes that peace in the world can be achieved either through people’s suppression—since a thoroughly disenfranchised group has little recourse to disrupt the public peace—or through conflict. The theme of The Quest for Black Liberation in the Post-Reconstruction Era dominates as Cooper notes that oppression and “despotism” only inhibit social progress. Discussing America’s multiracialism, Cooper provides a positive perspective on the country’s racial conflict. She suggests that a society can achieve real progress only through a “stimulating” conflict, with the goal of balancing “radically opposing or racially different elements” (90).

However, Cooper’s argument here is not meant to justify or downplay the history of anti-Black racism and oppression. Instead, Cooper is making the philosophical point that the differences between people of different races can be complementary, just as she argues that men and woman constitute complementary races. This argument reflects some of the philosophical ideas popular at the time. Thinkers such as G. W. F. Hegel and Karl Marx made famous “dialectical” arguments according to which two opposing elements can synthesize into a greater whole. Cooper’s argument reflects this concept: She suggests that, although they are in conflict and represent opposing forces, white people and Black people are complementary to each other, and the synthesis of racial conflict—so long as Black people are put on equal footing to white people—will yield societal progress.

The requirement that Black people be put on equal footing to white people is essential here, and Cooper is unequivocal in her condemnation of anti-Black racism. This is evident in how Cooper counters white supremacy by analyzing the positive effects of multiculturalism. She emphasizes that the dominance of one culture, the attempt of one race to impose itself on everyone, leads to cultural “stagnation” and “death,” as it impedes harmonious co-existence (90). A society based on exclusion and oppression can never progress and therefore exhausts itself. Instead of labeling racial conflict as a “problem,” a dominant characterization in debates during the period, Cooper finds endless possibilities in multiculturalism. The co-existence of different races that engage in productive conflict makes the promise of perpetual progress possible. While exclusion and domination of a race lead to tyranny, multiculturalism can promise freedom because it promotes tolerance and “mutual understanding” (95). Cooper also suggests that isolationism and exclusion of foreigners is “suicidal to progress” (95), alluding to America’s anti-immigration policies at the time. Ultimately, equality and liberation can only be achieved through the balance and harmonizing of “conflicting forces” (95).

Cooper continues to counter white supremacy, emphasizing that America was always multicultural; she thereby implies that white supremacy relies upon the false narrative that America is historically white. From its birth, America was a mixture of races and cultures; thus, “[e]xclusive possession belongs to none” (97). People of all races must have a voice in American society, hinged on the values of reciprocity, conciliation, and tolerance. For Cooper, multiculturalism renders America a key place for the progress of Western civilization. She remains hopeful that the future is filled with promise and possibilities. America could become the paradigm for cultural harmony, sharing, and freedom: “the final triumph” of civilization (98).

This historical optimism also extends to white supremacy: She notes that white supremacy cannot prevail in a country where so many cultures struggle for freedom and equality. Hence, Cooper portrays American progress as a kind of historical inevitability that follows from the dialectical nature of her arguments; the dialectical perspective maintains that complementary elements by necessity yield a progressive synthesis. By extension, America must live up to its own principles of democracy and individual freedom and fight to dismantle racial prejudice. Despite her hopes, Cooper notes that the promise of social progress lies “far distant in the future” (99), as American values at the time still needed time to mature. Cooper concludes that America has a “race problem” that could be solved by the positive forces and participation of each race or class. With this multicultural thesis in place, Cooper is able to draw out its implications. As Cooper notes, it follows that exclusionary practices like deportation, as well as colonization and assimilation, must be abandoned for a promising future, as they are antithetical to the proliferation of multiculturalism. Ultimately, she emphasizes that African American must be at the center of this cultural discourse, as their contributions to social progress are vital and necessary for the country.