Research has shown that, virtually half a century soon after the March on Washington, racism continues to be a hot button concern even soon after the historic 2008 elections.
Despite the reality that Barack Obama had to endure some harsh criticism from the political correct regarding his views, individual values and style, he was able to circumvent those voices, and grow to be the very first African American president inside the history with the nation. Some could examine this and say, “see. Black Americans have overcome! As Dr. King predicted, we as a men and women have gotten towards the Promised Land.”(Burrell, xiv). Mr. Obama won the election notwithstanding the ardent opposition from the best and harassment from men and women who could not envision an African American inside the white home. Those voices,nevertheless, could not influence the election in any meaningful way and most considered them as absolutely nothing far more than faint echoes of a dying past.
Almost two years ago, Americans by and significant seemed poised to create a enormous leap into the future. We had been quick approaching an era of a “post- racial” society, or so it seemed. The egalitarian struggle seemed to be winning the battle for racial equality. An Obama victory could be observed to support the claim that racism has been eliminated and racial equality achieved inside the United States (Knowles et al. 2010). This would appear, superficially, a legitimate claim. Nevertheless 1 has to comprehend the marketing brilliance associated using the 2008 presidential election just before producing such a generalized claim.
In this day and age, imagery is power. By no means prior to has the country had the image of a black man occupying the highest workplace inside the land, delivering the State with the Union address, drafting and promoting national policy, or disembarking from Air Force 1 with his black wife and daughters. From a marketing perspective, this is powerful, life-altering stuff. [?] Inside the so-called “post-racial era,” internalized black inferiority combined with this new media reality indicates the guidelines of engagement have changed dramatically. (Burrell, xiv)
Indeed they’ve! Research has shown that the willingness with the country to vote for a black candidate for the President with the United States isn’t an evidence with the finish of racial disparity; towards the contrary, Obama?s election did provide [?] people having a new justification for the claim that racism no longer exists and consequently policies designed to address racism are no longer needed (Knowles et al. 2010). In accordance with Knowles, people rationalize opposition to hierarchy-attenuating policies or candidates when it comes to what he calls, “legitimizing myths”(Knowles et al. 2010), which indicates to say that there was dominance motivated rationale amongst some whites for supporting Obama?s candidacy. Those motivated by maintaining the existing hierarchy see value within the prospective “post-racial” implications of Mr. Obama?s victory. This notion of post-racial society, If widely embraced, could undercut actual efforts to function towards racial equality, by denying the conditions that would justify those efforts(Winant, 2001). Even the term “post-racial” appears to recommend that discussions pertaining to or leading toward racial equality are no longer applicable and as a result not required. Soon after all,
” how can you say that there’s institutional racism when individuals in Nebraska vote for a guy who’s a self-identified black man?” Similarly, former US Secretary of Education William Bennett claimed that Obama?s victory meant that “[y]ou don?t take any excuses anymore from anybody who says, ?The deck is stacked, I can?t do something,[...]“(qtd. In Neiwert, 2008).
Needless to say, racism is alive and nicely in America and manifesting itself in some disturbing techniques. In Seattle alone, inside the past couple of weeks, there have been four headline-grabbing incidents that have brought to life the concern of racism as well as the discussion thereof. Nobody will forget the incident in South Seattle where a white cop was videotaped punching a young African American woman, on the face, for attempting to quit the officer from arresting her buddy who was caught jaywalking (Miletich, 2010). Although, each action and reaction are questionable, had the girls been of Caucasian descent, would the officer have responded exactly the same way? Probably not!
This incident came a month following a robbery suspect, who was later discovered to have no connection towards the robbery, was videotaped becoming stumped on, whilst racial epithets had been getting thrown at him by the Seattle Police Gang Unit. Similarly, on August 30th the SPD shot and killed a quite talented native totem carver for walking toward the officer with his carving knife on hand (Westneat, 2010). He was later discovered to have a hearing impairment which hindered him from hearing the officer’s commands to drop his tiny carving knife. Just some days ago, Bethany Storro of Vancouver, Washington , grabbed the headline when she admitted to burning her own face with acid and blaming the attack on a factitious black assailant (Duara, 2010). Mrs. Storro figured by appealing to society?s unconscious racism , she could acquire sympathy and comfort and to her story, acceptability. This will be the type of racism Shankar Vedantam is referring to in his book the Hidden brain, which is a lot more prevalent in our society these days and exists within the unconscious of most Americans.(I agree with Vedantam on this point; even so, I quarrel with a number of the other items he has to say regarding this concern).
Furthermore, Obama, in some regards, has turn into a litmus test for the nations achievement of racial equality. Yes, we as a men and women have elected a black president but we as a folks have however to reach the promised land. We have not achieved the type of racial tolerance and coexistence that affirms our diversity and that comes as a result of our cognizant and deliberate attempt to strengthen institutions that had been set as much as advance, protect and promote the interest of minorities.
Bob Herbert, the syndicated columnist for Seattle times, in his post, neglecting the base, talks concerning the despondence that’s getting felt throughout the African American communities who’re affected, disproportionally by the lingering recession: What has taken a toll will be the perception that the president has consistently seemed a lot more concerned concerning the requirements and interests of those that are already nicely off, who’re hostile to policies that would support working individuals and ethnic minorities, and who in a lot of situations would like absolutely nothing greater than to see Obama fail.
Most blacks are reluctant to publicly express their concerns concerning the president since they’re so outraged by the blatantly unfair and usually racist attacks against him from the political proper. But a lot of blacks are unhappy that Obama hasn?t been a lot more forceful inside the fight to produce jobs . And there’s disappointment over the dearth of black faces in high profile posts within the administration.
There is genuine danger here for black folks. In a lot of situations, as a result of an excess of caution, policies that would support men and women in want are by no means even seriously considered, significantly less implemented. [?] Whenever you need to tiptoe about definitely something that has to do with blacks, it can leave the insidious impression that there’s, the truth is some thing wrong with becoming black, one thing to be ashamed of. (Herbert, 2010)
All signs appear to indicate that we have taken a step back in terms of race relations. Policies instituted to protect minority groups are no longer becoming valued consequently not implemented, African Americans are nonetheless disproportionally affected by poverty and healthcare disparities, inner city schools, which African Americans make up the majority of, are nonetheless performing extremely poorly, minorities nonetheless constitute the bulk of state penitentiaries, and African American men are much more most likely to be unemployed than their white counterparts. As an example, Black men over the age of 18 are seven times as most likely to be incarcerated as White men with the identical age range, Black families are nearly 3 times as most likely to live below the poverty line as White families, and, compared to Whites, Blacks are 30% a lot more most likely to die from each heart disease and cancer (Kaiser et al. 2010).
Nonetheless, We, it appears to me, are now operating under the assumption that the problem of race no longer deserves the nation?s attention. Obama?s 2008 victory has grow to be a smock screen for people who would like to advance their “post-racial” agenda which has absolutely nothing to do with protecting the interests of minority groups as well as, in some situations, pushes for the dismantling of many of the most crucial achievements with the civil rights movements. If Americans assume that racism is less of a difficulty now that they’ve elected a Black president, their misperception could make it hard to garner resources and support efforts which are so desperately required to address these racial disparities (Kaiser et al. 2010). Moreover, any scrutiny towards the present power structure, economic, political or social, might be undermined. In addition, some Americans could also use Obama?s victory as a justification for further legitimizing the existing hierarchy status and for blaming Black Americans for their disadvantaged position in society ( Kaiser et al. 2010).
47 years right after the March on Washington, and 15 years following the Million Man March, the chains of discrimination are wearing out but have not however been broken and black men and ladies are nonetheless languishing inside the corners of American Society. Therefore, there’s reason to question regardless of whether Mr. Obama?s election even signals the beginning of a post-racial era, in which racial disparities are non-existent. Whilst the historic nature of Mr. Obama?s election provides a powerful symbol of alter, [?] those considering substantive alter nonetheless have function to do (Knowles et al.2010). Consequently, Inside the words of Martin Luther King, You can find people who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?”
We can in no way be satisfied so long as black individuals and other minority groups continue to be targets of police brutality. We can’t be satisfied so long as 1 thirds of our young children are growing up in abject poverty, we can not be satisfied until the concern of chronic unemployment amongst African Americans continues to be left on the back burner, we can not be satisfied until the criminal justice system stops criminalizing and incarcerating our kids unfairly, “No, no, we aren’t satisfied, and we won’t be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
There is no question that we have produced progress toward racial justice but we have a lengthy strategy to go ahead of we are able to distinguish ourselves having a “post-racial” status. As evidenced by current activities, we are facing ever much more determined forces which are effectively prepared and poised to erode the gains created by means of the struggles of generations of individuals, we should very first cope with these forces by striving to make a “post-racist society” where the rights and privillages of people are respected and protected, where laws enacted by congress to protect these rights are strengthened and enforced, where we, as a society, make a conscious effort to teach our kids the value of diversity, and racial tolerance, where our schools and Universities enforce affirmative action, and require their professors and instructors to undergo diversity training, and so on, prior to we attempt to rid ourselves of totally something that has to do with race.
Some are employing Obama?s victory as a best launching pad for attacking affirmative action and other minority protection acts, the hard-won gains that African Americans have created in political representation (Young, 2000). We need to be mindful of these forces as we continue the struggle for justice and equality. Fredrick Douglass when stated, “Power concedes absolutely nothing with out a demand [and] where there’s no struggle there isn’t any progress!” In addition, those of us who’re the new generation of African immigrants owe a debt of gratitude towards the civil correct struggle and towards the individuals who created it probable for us to be here inside the initial location. For that reason, we ought to also be willing to lend a hand towards the struggle for equality and justice for our children’s survival depends on it; for we know that, “Freedom is Never ever Given it can be Won!” A. Phillip Randolph.
Works cited:
Bob Herbert. Black Leaders: neglecting the base. Seattle Times. 2010
Cheryl R. Kaiser, Benjamin J. Drury, Kery E. Spalding. Sapna Cheryan, Laurie T. O?Brien. The ironic consequences of Obama?s election: Decreased support for social justice. 2010
Danny Westneat. We should see what police see. Seattle. Seattle Times. 2010
Eric D. Knowles, Brian S. Lowery, Rebecca L. Schaumberg. Racial prejudice predicts opposition to Obama and is his Health care reform strategy. Science Direct. 2010
Howard Winant. The Globe Is actually a Ghetto. Basic Books. New York. 2001
MLK. The I’ve a Dream Speech. US Constitution on Line. http://www.usconstitution.net/dream.html
Nigel Duara. Police Say Wash. Acid Attack Self-inflicted. Seattle. Seattle Times. 2010
The Pew Center On the States, 2006
Richard Young, Color Blind Injustice, The Independent Institute, Seattle University, 2000
Shankar Vedantam. The Hidden Brain. Random Residence Publishing. New York. 2010
Steve Miletich and Jennifer Sullivan. Seattle police to review tactics, officer’s conduct following videotaped punch. Seattle. Seattle Times. 2010
Tom Burrell. Brainwashed, Difficult the Myth of Black Inferiority. New York. 2010
Picture courtesy of: University of California, Race and Pedagogy Project