Do we need new systems or can we put new wine in old wine skins?

I had an hour long conversation with my 15 year old daughter about socio-politico-economic systems!  She made me think, "How is it that a 15 year old gets it and so many people do not?"


The gist of the conversation on the economy was our looking at the economic system, outsourcing, capitalism, communism, socialism, free-enterprise, and all that good stuff.  The socio-political discussion was about race and systems that are in place in society that protect the rich, the powerful and the dominant race.


So if the socio-politico-economic systems in the USA were first set in place to keep the White settlers in power, and to subjugate the Native Americans and later, other so-called "persons-of-color" (Black, Brown and all other colors but White), then are all the amendments to bylaws and constitutions, enough to really change the equation?  After emancipation and the gains of the civil rights movement and other progressive social movements, were the tweaks to laws really change the game?


In the humble opinion of my daughter, Sharai and I, there has not been enough fundamental change to ensure true equality and justice for all.  Is it enough to have it in the constitution or public declarations?  We think not.


Is it time to look at each piece of legislation at every level of our political and economic systems to assess them on whose interest they were written for and how they be out of step with our newer declarations of equality and justice?  What do we do with seventy five year old city plans that had designated certain sections of a city to be future "Negro slums" (sic), after a city more recently declared its intention to act with equity and justice towards all persons, regardless of color or ethnicity?  How should those racist plans be undone in an affirmative way?  We cannot just declare all things as equal, as if there was no intentional oppression and harm done.  How do we first undo the effects of the bad policies, before we declare that the playing fields are all even?


After confession comes repentance, often restitution and then - only then - comes reconciliation.  Should we be  expecting that old systems must pass away and (behold) all must become new?  We cannot put new wine into old wine skins?  Where do we start to do these assessments of systems and structures?  For example, we cannot address systemic racism by trying to change hearts and minds.  Although that is necessary, don't we have to change systems?  And what does change mean?  Certainly not just tweaking, or we will get a tweaked solution, with no real fundamental change and maintaining a more hidden unjust system.