Black liberalism sees racism as a fixable gap between creed and practice

Evidence

The underlying assumption here is that the American Idea is not inherently bad or in need of revision. It isn’t racist. Rather, we are the racists and are in need of redemption. We simply need to align our practices with our stated principles and values. This view enables us to hold simultaneously that the principles of freedom and liberty are already a part of American life, while we experience, over and over again, habits and practices that suggest otherwise. — Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Democracy in Black, 419

Categorization

• XREF: The ‘gap between creed and practice’ framing is the exact target Glaude argues against with the value gap concept.
• DEFINE: Captures the ‘racism as gap to be closed’ assumption that black liberalism rests on — key to the trap argument.