Many voices are silenced when a debate on race takes place, simply because they don’t want to be brandished as racist. This is what I feel has happened in both the US and the UK for a long time. I believe because of the history of both countries, the black population have many voices in which to speak on race and are able to debate the issue in a nuanced and complicated way. I don’t believe that this is because black people know more about racism and discrimination than white people today, I feel this is the case simply because it is unlikely that someone is going to challenge their views by making the case that they are racist.
This is the case with white voices in the race debate. It is because of that fear of being seen as a racist that you have very extreme voices speaking for pretty much the whole race. This is what we find with the Tea Party’s where pictures of Obama are doctored to make him look like he is an African witch doctor or signs which express that Obama is trying to enslave (white) America. Unfortunately we find this in the UK also with the British National Party. It’s a shame because both America and Britain need to have strong and complicated voices on this issue if it is ever to be resolved once and for all.
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Watching Barack Obama being sworn into office on the 20th January 2009 was one of the most important days of my life. In fact I would guess that it was an important moment for a number of young minorities in the western world for a number of reasons but for me it proved that mum, dad, uncle, family friends…basically a bunch of people from a particular generation, which young people such as myself respect immensely, were wrong. It proved that in life you can be whatever you want to be, even the President of the United States (If I was a citizen) and that is a big deal.
Obama’s election also seemed like signal that America reclaimed its magic. Many Americans may not know what I am talking about, but for people outside of the country, America once again became that symbol for hope (excuse the pun), equality, a place where your dreams can come true if you just pulled up your bootstraps and worked hard.
More specifically, it looked like America was finally ready to deal with an issue which split its citizens for much of its existence, race. Although it was highly controversial at the time, I felt the way America dealt with the Rev Wright issue and the Henry Lewis Gates issue was encouraging. Although I am aware and understand the frustrations which both Rev Wright and Henry Lewis Gates showed in both instances, I also felt it was important for the other side of the argument to be heard. It was important for white America to express why they felt what Rev Wright said was extremely troubling and it was right for the Cambridge Police to refuse the implication that Obama and America’s black media were making about the arrest of Professor Gates. These were ordinary white citizens expressing their views on race, eloquently and without fear – I feel the election of Barack Obama aided in this new found confidence.
So what has been the United Kingdom’s response to this new elevation of the debate from Obama’s America? Diane Abbott. Ms Abbott is a running for the UK’s Labour Party leadership contest to replace Gordon Brown .
I for one was pleased to see Ms Abbott put her name forward to be leader of a major political party in this country. I felt that the fact that she was, a) a woman, b) black and c) to the left of her opponents meant that she had a lot to add to the leadership debate and her experience of being a black woman in a white male orientated profession would be extremely benefitting to the Labour Party.
But as with every high profile political campaign, a high-level of scrutiny is expected and when Ms Abbott was questioned on national television about sending her son to a £10,000 a year private school after she criticized Tony Blair and Harriet Harman her response was…classic.
“West Indian mums will go to the wall for their children.”
“I knew what could happen if my son went to the wrong school and got in with the wrong crowd. They are subjected to peer pressure and when that happens it’s very hard for a mother to save her son. Once a black boy is lost to the world of gangs it’s very hard to get them back.”
There is no doubt that her response to a perfectly legitimate question was racist. As a black man, I found her response laughable, divisive and evidence of why western society is still struggling with the question of race. I applaud the veteran BBC broadcaster, Andrew Neil, for being brave enough to call bulls*** .
The fact is Ms Abbot was counting on Mr Neil’s whiteness to render him scared stiff to call her out on her obvious racial hypocrisy. As much as it’s seen as common place to point out when white racism is taking place, such as the anti-Muslim sentiment that is sweeping the euro-zone or the British National Party’s aim of claiming the UK back for the ‘indigenous population’, it should be equally common to call out ethnic minorities on statements and actions which divide our society via racial line. We should be fearless when we are discussing matters of race and we should discuss the matter with great seriousness.
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I think that the Diane Abbott and Andrew Neil interview shows progress on this matter in the UK, but the recent Shirley Sherrod debacle shows that maybe the country with the black president still has a way to go. The fact that an ordinary, non-political, 62 year old lady was vilified as a racist, with only an edited video for evidence is scandalous (what’s up Andrew Breitbart?). The fact that America’s 4th estate participated in the hatchet job of Ms Sherrod’s reputation is shameful and furthermore, the fact that all of this mess was part of an ongoing (and pathetic) war between the NAACP and the Tea Party is saddening.
I believe both parties have a lot to answer for, but this episode was not the way to go. It’s done nothing but reopen old wounds and evaporate whatever was left of the national achievement of electing highly (legislatively) competent man, who happened to be mixed race.
It shouldn’t be up to black people or the NAACP to call out (or proclaim) the Tea Party for its obvious racism, white Americans should be looking at the organisation’s use of imagery or message. There is nothing wrong with having opposing views, but resorting to blatant race baiting both belittles your views and the views of those you (may not know you) represent.
The copyrighted cartoon by Nate Beeler, The Washington Examiner, is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
