Earlier this week, Barack Obama delivered an monumental speech about race in America. I had heard about the speech the day before it was given, so I eagerly anticipated hearing the Senator's thoughts about this important topic. Tuesday morning, I scanned CNN's website and found the transcript of the speech. Even though it was seven pages long, I couldn't put it down. Barack Obama touched upon the spoken and unspoken divide that exists within our country and he made each of us look ourselves squarely in the mirror to examine our own feelings about race.Much of controversy prompting the speech centered on the former pastor from the senator's church. On YouTube, you can find Rev. Wright delivering a passionate, and divisive sermon about the state of country. His comments were mean, angry, and should not be tolerated. Obama addressed the issue head-on and denounced the hateful comments spoken by his friend. Still, he didn't simply throw his friend under the bus as a Hate Monger or a bigot, rather he asked each of to examine our prejudices when it comes to race and to discuss the stereotypes that affect our country so deeply.
Here's a great segment of the speech that truly echoes thoughts I've heard expressed or felt by others:
The fact that so many people are surprised to hear that anger in some of Reverend Wright's sermons simply reminds us of the old truism that the most segregated hour in American life occurs on Sunday morning. That anger is not always productive; indeed, all too often it distracts attention from solving real problems; it keeps us from squarely facing our own complicity in our condition, and prevents the African-American community from forging the alliances it needs to bring about real change. But the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races.
In fact, a similar anger exists within segments of the white community. Most working- and middle-class white Americans don't feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience - as far as they're concerned, no one's handed them anything, they've built it from scratch. They've worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when they hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed; when they're told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time.
Like the anger within the black community, these resentments aren't always expressed in polite company. But they have helped shape the political landscape for at least a generation. Anger over welfare and affirmative action helped forge the Reagan Coalition. Politicians routinely exploited fears of crime for their own electoral ends. Talk show hosts and conservative commentators built entire careers unmasking bogus claims of racism while dismissing legitimate discussions of racial injustice and inequality as mere political correctness or reverse racism.
Just as black anger often proved counterproductive, so have these white resentments distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle class squeeze - a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many. And yet, to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns - this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding.
Whether it is the outward anger of African Americans at past injustices or the quiet slights felt by many Caucasians, everyone has their own opinions of race in our country. I know the speech has caused me to reflect upon my ideas and the way in which I perceive race in my life. Barack Obama may not win any votes because of this speech, but he opened a discussion long over due in our country. We need to put to rest old prejudices and bring our country together in a new union, a more perfect union.
To watch or read the speech click here.
