Anyone who knows me is well aware of the fact that I have been an avid Obama supporter for quite some time, but the most troubling element of this campaign is the absence of a serious dialogue about Race in Modern America. Every time something happens that I think will provoke a stimulating conversation for once, it gets glossed over by both the mainstream media and more progressive media outlets.
The first such incident of course is when Michelle Obama said, “for the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country.” To me, that makes sense: Here is a 44-year-old Black woman who grew up on the South Side of Chicago, who has no doubt been keenly aware of the disparities that have existed between whites and people of color for quite some time. It comes as no shock to me that she would make those comments; I’m well aware that seeing Barack win over America one state at a time is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I’m only 22 years old. But instead of taking the controversy that ensued after her now-infamous speech as an opportunity to bring to light exactly why those statements resonate throughout communities of color, they were just swept under the rug and treated at face value by both the media and the candidates themselves. If I were in Clinton’s camp, I would certainly urge her to use that media storm to her advantage in order to connect with women of color, a constituency that she consistently ignores.
Another issue with the Obama campaign that should be invoking more interesting conversation and debate is the ideology of his mentor and pastor, Jeremiah Wright. Fox News has been harping on this for a while, and I guess they’ve finally gotten their druthers because outlets like MSNBC and ABC News are starting to make a bigger dealout of it. Basically, Sean Hannity seems to have a personal vendetta against Wright and his followers at Trinity United Church of Christ simply because their Church covenant has a section urging parishioners to support Black businesses. Are you kidding, Hannity? Do you really not understand why a predominantly Black middle-class church on the South Side of Chicago would support such a thing? However, instead of making the logical arguments about how Black business is key to supporting a viable, affordable and non-gentrified community, the MSM seems to just focus on whether or not Obama should retain Wright as a confidante. And instead of challenging the MSM’s ignorant surface analysis of Wright’s comments, Obama seems to be distancing himself from the man who Baptized his children and performed his wedding.
I understand: There certainly is a double standard between Obama and Hillary. While Clinton can proudly boast her status as a Female Candidate, it’s dangerous for Obama to flaunt himself as the Black Candidate. It’s more threatening to Whites in America to hear Obama talk about the Black experience than it is to hear about Hillary being a woman, even though both should be celebrated and brought to the light. So I get it– it’s not necessarily Obama’s fault that he can’t delve deeply into issues of race when they arrive, it’s the American public’s fault. Still, though, I can’t help but wish we lived in a country where we weren’t so constrained by simple minds and simple conversation.
greetings from Chicago. Found your blog through one of my Google Alerts. Very enlightened, smart commentary. I am a 50 year old black woman and what troubles me is that the burden of having “a serious discussion about race” always falls on the shoulders of black people. A serious discussion–or real action–won’t happen until whites realize and accept that race relations involve them too. Black people talk about racial issues all the time–and we can’t move the conversation forward alone.