Pessimism of the intellect, cruel optimism of the will

This article contributes to the symposium on Meer's The Cruel Optimism of Racial Justice. I highlight Meer's contributions to ongoing debates over the fragility of racial progress and how white supremacist policy and ideology have become normalized. During a moment of rising global nationalist movements maintaining a realist perspective about racial progress is imperative. However, realism about the depth and power of racist structures does not mean abandoning hope that harm-reducing policies are possible. I conclude by highlighting Gowayed's recent scholarship on differing state responses to incorporating refugees, showing that some policies of racial states - while far from perfect - can reduce relative harms.