Indiana has never been exempt from the scourges of inequality and systemic racism, even though many of its political leaders through the years may have acted as if it was.

So it was comforting that Gov. Eric Holcomb last week stepped to the podium and declared that it was time for the state to attack racial injustice in ways it has never done before, by designating a cabinet-level position — a chief equity, inclusion and opportunity officer – to work with state agencies to identify and make changes to improve equality in the workplace and with government services.

Yet more to the point, the governor pledged to begin equipping state police troopers with body cameras, a specific way to bring greater accountability on law enforcement officials in wake of the sometimes violent protests this summer over the death of a Black man in Minnesota at the hands of police.

The steps outlined by the governor are appropriate and timely, perhaps even overdue. To be sure, progress on social issues in a red state such as Indiana is often far too slow. And he can’t do it all alone.

Indiana’s Republican-dominated state government isn’t known for its clear-eyed view of a variety of types of discrimination. It would certainly be an easier route for Holcomb to just slide by with doing the minimum to provide salve to the wounds brought on by this summer’s racial unrest. His staunchest critics will say he hasn’t gone far enough. Still, his pledge for action puts the state on the right path. While he could have taken more aggressive action, what he is doing will make some in his political base of support uneasy. Even in the Legislature, we expect some members will not be happy with these moves.

Holcomb was blunt in his description of racism as a "virus that’s equally voracious" as the coronavirus outbreak for the state and nation. "It’s in turn forcing us to a reckoning as a state and nation — one that’s built on ‘equality for all,’" he said.

The more cynical among us may suggest Holcomb’s words last week were motivated by election year politics, especially because his Democratic opponent, Dr. Woody Myers, is an African American.

We don’t doubt political pressures can spur change, and Myers is an articulate and effective voice for alternative policies and practices. He will undoubtedly continue to speak out and make a forceful case for his views.

But Holcomb has frequently demonstrated his willingness to veer away from more strident conservatives who would resist this type of effort to make progress on serious social issues.

The governor’s real test is to now put his words and pledges into action. For the sake of all Hoosiers, he must. We trust that he will.