Race Matters

Lately, it seems the issue of race has been on my mind a lot. A couple of weeks ago This American Life focused on Harold Washington, the former mayor of Chicago. It was amazing to listen to all the hatred he received due to the color of his skin - a caller to Washington's weekly radio show asked if he would "remove the elevators and install vines" in the city offices. This wasn't 50 years ago, this was 1983 we're talking about. In spite of the bigotry demonstrated towards him, Mayor Washington was often quoted as saying that he would be "fair, even fairer than fair" to all people. Washington seems a great man and he was good for the people of Chicago.

For the past month I've been reading Barack Obama's autobiography, Dreams from my Father, and race is a central theme throughout the entire book. It's amazing to view the world through a different lens to see the way people are treated. If you didn't know Senator Obama is biracial with a black father and a white mother. Throughout his childhood he was raised by his maternal grandparents in Hawaii. Even though his upbringing was as racially neutral as possible, there's a poignant moment where his grandparents get into an argument over an experience Toots, Barack's grandmother, had while waiting for the bus. Apparently she was approached by a man who hassled her for money. She was scared and didn't want to return to the bus. There's nothing to the story, until Barack's grandfather brought up the fact that the man was black. Gramps was upset with Toots that she could still have those feelings with their family being a biracial one.

This got me to thinking. I know that I claim to be open to all people, no matter their race, but the truth of the matter is that I'm not involved with issues of race at all. I have acquaintances who are black, but no friends. I have no colleague at work, no one I worship with, no one I encounter on a regular basis who is black. How do I know if I am truly a person who judges others "by the content of their characters and not the color of their skins"? I guess what I'm trying to say is that I hope by reading about other's lives and learning from their stories I hope to say that I truly care for all people, regardless of what's on the outside.

Yesterday, I wrote about candidate Obama and his bid to be president. I really hope he has a chance in the election, but I wonder - is America ready to have a black president?

To illustrate the idea that race matters in America, here's a clip I stole from Annie's blog.