>>The fastest way to grasp the inherent flaws of a politics rooted in racial and ethnic categorization is to have it weaponized by one’s political enemies.<<
Part of me sympathizes with Thomas Chatterton Williams in his dislike of identity politics. I too would rather see a focus in US progressive politics on tangible gains for all, such as Medicare For All.
Yet TCW does not pay sufficient attention in this column to two drivers of identity politics.
The first is history. Racialized politics existed in North America long before the United States came into existence; read, for example, about the 1675/6 Bacon's Rebellion in Virginia and its aftermath. As a result of this long history of racialized politics, the structures of wealth and power in the USA are racialized too, and the adoption of the "universalist" non-racial policies will not be able to remedy these structural injustices. Recognition of this truth partially explains the "grip" race and identity have on his students and many other Americans beyond the classroom.
The second factor TCW does not address lies in the present. Aside from encounters with explicit racism, the experience of everyday life in the USA of navigating school, work, relationships, consumption, dealings with officialdom, transport , and health care, can be perplexing, frustrating, and frightening, especially for members of minorities who do not enjoy TCW's education and socioeconomic status. For many, in a society filled with traps, scams, exploitation, disinformation, misinformation, and general confusion, answering the questions "Who can I trust? Who gets what's happening to me?" is a must. Race and ethnic identity will almost certainly figure in the answers. One should hardly be surprised if this pattern from everyday life is repeated in politics. For many members of minorities in the USA, racial identity is not a choice of politics but a condition of survival.
I don't know what sort of politics can best address the historical factor of baked in racial inequity, nor do I expect the nonracial policy measures I favour to work a swift miracle of interracial trust. I am not that Brit who thinks that Americans are simply too stupid or benighted to deal with their social and political problems.
Yet I am fairly sure that simply lecturing the young about the virtues of liberal universalism and the vices of identity politics is unlikely to make much headway, however much I might sympathize with the underlying sentiment.
I don't have a solution to the problems of progressive politics in the USA up my sleeve. All I can do is hope for the success of the Sanders/AOC/Mamdani current and protest against the outrages perpetrated by current administration.
Stones of David
The Fodder of Eco-Fascism
He called it "ignorant" for her to use the history of Black Americans "to propagate" her "ideals". 
