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Civil Rights After Obama
Obama was elected President this week (didja hear?). And that’s fantastic. But most people of color are not Barack Obama. And declaring that his victory means the era of significant racial inequality is over, or that racism is effectively dead for the Black community writ large is a serious mistake that must be avoided.
8 Responses to “Civil Rights After Obama”
Absolutely ditto, David. Important insight, yours. Very.
dr.e
Of course, that argument that race is now irrelevant in America is already being made. I can't find the link now, but the very day after the election, Obama's win was being touted by one conservative as another reason all affirmative action policies of any sort must go.
And on the reverse side of the coin, I have read comments from some blacks that Obama 'doesn't really count', as he is not of American Black heritage, is too light-skinned, and didn't grow in, say, the Deep South, facing that kind of daily prejudice, etc.
Just goes to show, you can't please everyone, no matter what.
And how can racism ever be dead? It is not a uniquely American problem, nor a white/black problem, as the comment above shows, as well the experiences of Hispanics, Asians, etc. Other countries deal with racial issues as well, often with sub-groups within the same ethnic family.
You cannot legislate away racism, and I doubt you can even educate it away. It is too ingrained in the human race, to be distrustful of 'others'. The best than can be hoped for is to minimize it, and stigmatize it.
paca, I think you may be referring to Ward Connerly, the primary person behind many of the affirmative action bills (MI, CA, NE, CO, for example). I read the Chronicle of Higher Education the day after the election and he made almost that exact comment. From the article:
Ward Connerly, president of the American Civil Rights Initiative, the group that has campaigned for each of the affirmative-action bans, suggested he is prepared to push similar measures in other states.
“If the success of Senator Obama is not the most visible example of the right time to pull the plug on this, I don’t know what is,” Mr. Connerly said in an interview before the final votes in Colorado and Nebraska were tallied. “If both pass, then we will really place other states on our radar.”
You may need a subscription to view the entire article electronically but here's the link:
http://chronicle.com/free/2008/11/6652n.htm
AustinR (and I'm not disagreeing with you), but I would like to add another component to your comment that many blacks do not feel that Obama “doesn't really count” because he is not from the long line of African American black heritage….
Well, I am certain that many blacks feel that way and in a sense they are correct. But if we are talking about racism (and racism is how someone treats someone else) then Obama is black. Obama has been stereotyped as being a black man and has experienced racism. The people who stereotype blacks don't stop to get to know those blacks and whether they are American blacks or other blacks….
So on that level I disagree with the those “American” blacks that Obama doesn't count.
I had a party on election night and the first comment I made was that the face of the face of our country has been changing for generations. Before the political rulers were mostly white men but as America welcomed more immigrants the power of the white male has eroded. I went on to say that I thought it was interesting that the first African-American president was from a first generation black father (and mulitgeneraltional white mother). That Obama did not rise up through the typical American black experience.
Obama and his experiences are complicated and difficult to label. Though that's what gives him a unique perspective and it is important to remember that Obama has been deeply reflective in “finding himself”. It's that personal reflection and what it has brought which I think is his strongest asset.
So while I don't agree with those who feel that Obama is not really black, I don't totally disagree with them, either. It's an interesting question which we can argue for days about. And I don't think anyone is totally right (including myself) or totally wrong.
SF – I would change your 'many blacks' to my 'some blacks'. I cannot believe that it is anything but an opinion of a very small minority within the black community. At least I hope not.
AR: I see the distinction you make and I agree with you. I didn't mean to imply “most blacks”. I meant more than a few. Sorry for the poor choice of words. Thanks for pointing this out for clarification!
There will be no end to Perpetual Victimhood, Never Addressed Enough, so long as its enablers remain diseased or venal, or both.