Young Black Professional Guide

By Rashad

Senator Barack Obama decided to take a risk yesterday. He could have easily denounced his former pastor’s words and the person himself to appease himself to the “on the fence” voter. He could have listened to the pundits that have labeled him a fraud because he preaches about unity, but attends the church of a man who some feel is a hatemonger and un-American, and just swept this controversial issue under the rug. Instead, he decided to “flip the script” and turn this situation into a discussion about race as a whole. And what a speech it was. It is very rare that you hear a politician discuss race at length. With the advent of the color-blind society, any reminder of the deep seated roots of racism in this country is met with anger and disdain by all those affected by its consequences. Nothing in this country is more divisive than the issue of race, and a candidate can risk political suicide due to the very discussion of it. However, I admire Sen. Obama’s courage to begin this dialogue. I also admire his bravery in standing up for a man that he has considered apart of his family. Some may look at his speech as a way to maintain his candidacy. There is some truth in that statement, but I think that Sen. Obama had a greater goal. I believe that his goal was to bring to light all of the things that come across clearly, whether implicitly or explicitly, in the kitchens, blogs, message boards, and households of America: the effects of race and racism in America and how do we get over it.

Many times, racism is only couched by its effects upon minorities. While overt signs of racism are not as prevalent today, institutionalized racism is still alive and well today. To say that racism has been eliminated is to turn a blind eye to the ills of society. Racism is not dead by any stretch of the imagination. We definitely have progressed, but to say that someone is stuck in the past just by mentioning the effects of racism on this country, is ludicrous. Sen. Obama did an excellent job speaking about the experiences of minorities, specifically African-Americans, as well as some of the resentment that poor White Americans feel. This dynamic is something that has to be explored deeper and more closely. Racism has effected everyone (and so has sexism but that’s another post for another time) and I think that Sen. Obama has made a great step to keeping this dialogue open.

However, the real question is where do we go from here? On a political front, does this speech even help Sen. Obama win voters? Based on the comments that I’ve read in various newspapers and news websites, that will remain to be seen. I am sure that this speech will become fodder for those that have been waiting to find anything negative to tag onto Sen. Obama. I think Sen. Obama gets points for facing this situation head on. I believe that some of the frustration that people may feel about Sen. Obama is that he doesn’t react like a typical candidate. Frankly, we have not seen a candidate like Barack Obama, whose very DNA make-up makes him an anomaly as a presidential candidate. There are people that do not support the words of Sen. Obama, and to each his own. I admire Sen. Obama for not taking the easy way out. If that costs him politically, I think that he can still hold his head high.

Now on a societal front, do we use this as a stepping stone to a more detailed discussion of racism in this country? Sen. Obama’s candid discussion of race shows that a dialogue can be maintained. But a discussion of race is always a dangerous one because it is so personal to everyone. Everyone has thoughts about race. Everyone has an opinion about controversial issues such as affirmative action and the de facto segregation of schools. But it is the intelligent discussion of this issue that America craves. It is easy to dismiss the efforts of a Jesse Jackson or an Al Sharpton as relics of an era that is no longer applicable to the days and times of today. But it is important for the people of this generation to continue this dialogue so that real unity can be achieved. Different ethnic groups bring their own collection of issues and experiences to the table. In this era, where overt racism is not as prevalent, it is important that these different groups come together and recognize the issues and struggles they have in common. Change is not easy. The status quo is always much easier to follow. But the status quo does not bring progress. The idea of the color-blind society does not address the real issues of racism that are still in place today. By remaining color-blind, we are not appreciating our differences, we’re ignoring them. And that my friends, is just as dangerous as racism itself.

Sen. Obama has started the discussion. Are we up to the task of keeping it going?

Rashad Morgan is a Cincinnati-native attorney practicing in Chicago.