The United States has experienced two periods of Reconstruction — in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War and during the 1950s and 1960s. During these two eras, the nation attempted to confront a history of racial injustice and exploitation, correct past wrongs and shift its trajectory toward inclusion and equality. Addressing the original sin of slavery and allowing Black people full citizenship rights, however, have proven elusive.

The presidency of Donald Trump was made possible by the promise to “Make America Great Again” — a regressive mantra alluding to a return to the mythical glory days of White America. It was a repudiation of the first Black president, and punishment for people of color. Nearly exclusively White, male Cabinet members and judicial appointments under Trump have symbolized White restoration, along with policies designed to address White grievance such as the border wall, restrictions on immigration and attacks on civil rights — including voting rights. Policies aimed at curtailing immigration, including Trump’s family separation policy, shutting the door to asylum seekers and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, are efforts to stem demographic change and entrench White rule.

The 2020 presidential election is the most consequential in modern times, as the battle lines are drawn over whether America will allow space for a multiracial democracy to grow and thrive, or revert to Whites-only rule and the authoritarianism of the plantation state. A Third Reconstruction may be needed to address the persistent problem of anti-Black racism, correct the historic injustices and inequities, and seek redress. The First and Second Reconstruction eras sought to realize the promises of the Fourteenth Amendment, yet failed to achieve this. A Third Reconstruction would seek to bring true political and social equality that comes with citizenship.

In a nation where rights are conditional, provisional and never guaranteed, progress for Black people has consisted of false starts and reversals, with two steps forward — as during our two Reconstruction periods — and one step back. White right-wing populism — based on racial animus and fear, and a desire to return to an old racial order — has remained the impediment to Black aspirations.