Racism’s Groundhog Day

Although the origins are unclear, the tradition of the groundhog predicting the weather dates back to 1887. If the groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, named after the city in Pennsylvania where Groundhog Day is annually celebrated on February 2nd, sees his shadow, we’ve got six more weeks of winter. If not, we’re good for an early spring. The 1993 movie of the same name features Bill Murray as a disgruntled weatherman assigned to film the celebration in the small town. Because of his negative attitude, he becomes trapped in a time loop forcing him into an endless experience of Groundhog Day.

It’s June 2, 2020 and a rerun of the comedy television show Black-ish is airing. This episode was first aired on February 22, 2016 and the plot line reflects the then current reality of police brutality. In the episode, the Johnson family, like many real-life families, gathers around their television to watch a news report of yet another unarmed black man by police officers. The community has gathered in protest of police violence and in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement.

Discussing to the news coverage, the grandfather quotes from Malcolm X and the grandmother encourages the teenage son, who wants to actively participate in the movement. Her encouragement comes with lessons learned from her own activism in the 1960’s and she tells him to be disruptive but respectful, especially toward police officers. His father and grandfather opine and go deeper into the complexity of how the teenage son should respond to the police. They warn him that respecting the police and doing what is asked still may not save his life. His mother’s anxiety heightens at the very thought of her son’s participation, and her nervousness is visible as she attempts to explain the situation in a hopeful tone to his younger siblings. Then they were referencing the police violence against Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Freddie Gray and Sandra Bland in the episode. If the episode were taped today, the script would be the same. They would only need to add to list Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.

In the fantasy comedy film, Groundhog Day, Bill Murray’s character escapes the time loop by finally changing his ways and reporting the day’s festivities with an upbeat attitude instead of being cynical, helping people throughout the day, and falling in love with a woman who befriends him. As a result of his changed behavior, he awakens the next day to February 3rd.

In the Black-ish episode, after discussing the pros and cons, the Johnsons decide to participate in the protests as a family, fortified by the belief that their children and the next generation have learned the lessons and represent hope for the future.

In both of the movie and television show, the future is brighter due to positive attitude, changed behavior and steadfast hope. The groundhog has seen its shadow on racism in America and we continue in the dark of winter. We have been here before. We are here again. Will we get to a better future together?

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Discussion Highlights

Readers connected the metaphor of repeating history with real-world racial inequities. They emphasized the need for changed behavior, collective action, and maintaining hope despite systemic challenges.

“The connections between the movie and the series are spot-on. It is unfortunate that there still hasn’t been any significant change in the system and the events like police brutality and violence against protestors seems to happen again and again. I loved your take on how we can hopefully disrupt the cycle…by working together. I think that is specially relevant today because as long as people remain divided, there won’t be a huge difference.” — Sara Espinosa

“It is too bad to read this article and know that even more names have been added to the list, not limited to that of George Floyd. It can be difficult to take an optimistic approach to the news, when it continuously reminds us of the corruption that is present in the systems which govern our lives. It is common for people to ‘turn off the news’ because it is ‘too hard to watch’. This is their way of maintaining comfort and not being faced with the decision to stand against corruption or be complacent in it. I consider this ‘tuning out’ to be in line with the saying ‘ignorance is bliss’ – it allows people to stay ‘optimistic’. However, the Johnson family shows us that it is possible to tune-in to what is going on, while simultaneously maintaining an optimism that is rooted in our hope, and collective action, toward a better, more equitable future for all.” Olivia West: “We are here again. Great perspective on the fact that the solution to the problem is CHANGED behavior and hope. We know the answer, now to execute. It is a challenge for us all as we move forward but into the same issues.” — Anonymous

“The concept of the Groundhog movie day is such a great metaphor to explain how history is doomed to repeat itself if we do not learn from it. Over the past decade alone, we have seen countless lives of black men and women end with very similar stories and unfortunate outcomes resulting in a lack of accountability and disinterest in empathizing with the victims. Until this country can acknowledge that these are not isolated incidents and that it is the result of longstanding systematic oppression, these things will inevitably continue to happen.” — Raven Bailey

“‘The future is brighter due to positive attitude, changed behavior and steadfast hope.’ During the last few weeks, and with uncertainty of what the election outcome will be in November, it can certainly be easy to feel drained, lose hope and/or be overwhelmed by fear. But these 3 things are what we will have to rely on to fight this battle. For me, I am hopeful to see the many (difficult, racial) dialogues beginning to take place across the country, across family tables and business meetings. Living in Europe, I am hopeful to see that the BLM has spread over here as well. So let’s hope the next thing we will see is changed behavior!” — Pricilla Cheung