Jean-Paul Sartre's support for radical opposition to all forms of oppression and Albert Camus' advocacy of restrained solidarity set the two political moralists at odds and caused a rift in their friendship. But in the recent swell of support for the Black Lives Matter movement we find a reconciliation of their positions, writes Ron Aronson - radical opposition to oppression coupled with generous solidarity. 

June 2020 was a breakthrough moment in America. The largest movement in U.S. history began as a protest against police violence towards Black Americans, called for the “defunding” of the police, and has since been attacking racial inequality virtually everywhere, down to the most subtle “microagressions.” Spontaneous, without central leadership, untheorized, and unanticipated, it was immediately joined by people of all ethnic backgrounds, while strong voices insisted that it remain under Black leadership. More a mass wave than a coherent movement, the protests spread virtually everywhere in the country, even in all-white neighborhoods and small towns.