Democracy Dies in Darkness

Opinion ‘DEI mayor’ insults prove that unapologetic racism is back

By
Columnist|
April 1, 2024 at 4:16 p.m. EDT
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D) makes remarks Thursday while standing next to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D). (André Chung/for The Washington Post)
4 min

Silly me: I wanted to believe the overt, in-your-face racism that I saw growing up in segregated South Carolina was ancient history. I was wrong.

Unapologetic racism is back, thanks to the anything-goes MAGA permission structure and the echo-chamber amplification of social media. This fact was brought home on the morning of March 26, shortly after a massive cargo ship struck and collapsed the iconic Francis Scott Key Bridge spanning the entrance to Baltimore harbor.