We elected a black guy! Pretty sweet.

When I turned on the news after Barack Obama won the election, I saw white people tripping over each other to declare that racism was over. 

Nothing makes me happier than seeing rich white pundits shed a bit of their white guilt in their multimillion dollar New York City studios without a hint of irony. 

As if somehow voting for the black guy makes up for years of not covering poverty, a failing war on drugs, urban education, deserved reparations and gentrification. The two times the media actually did their job and covered the African-American community was when an entire city drowned (even then there has been little follow-up) and OJ Simpson. Twice! 

And who was the new rising star to come out of the Katrina disaster? Was it prophetic African-American voices like Cornell West, Melissa Harris Lacewell, Tavis Smiley or Michael Eric Dyson?  Nope. It was Gloria Vanderbilt's kid! Really. 

To the newsrooms I say it's easy to say racism is over now that we elected Barack Obama when the only black guy you have to see on a daily basis is your door guy. (I bet you think we are getting past racism every time you tip him, as well. You are, like, so multicultural!) 

But saying racism is over? Really? You know the only person that kind of talk helps? Racists. Now, every time some racist cop pulls over a black kid, and the black kid says, "Did you just pull me over 'cause of the color of my skin?" The cop can respond with, "No, dude, didn't ya hear? Racism is over! Now, hands against the hood."

I'm not being a complete cynic. Now that we have our first and long overdue black President, it certainly helps nullify certain stereotypes. It dismantles some of the basic arguments racists relied on. 

You won't see a bunch of white guys down south on their front porch, watching a group of black people walk by and overhear:


"Look at 'em. Just like all the others. You know what they're probably going to do, right? They're probably going to become president of the Harvard law review, followed by state Senator, then go on to run the most successful grassroots political campaign this country has ever seen, culminating in the presidency of the United States....typical."


The ironic thing about that is I'm more scared of Obama now that he is the president. I grew up near Trenton, so if I see a group of black kids walking by I don't even blink. But if I saw a group of politicians, I'd say, "Put your wallet in your sock, put your wallet in your sock!" 

I want us to be proud of Barack and our country without forgetting the past. But we need to acknowledge that racism still exists. We should all keep in mind Eugene Debs when he said, "While there is a lower class, I'm in it. While there's a criminal element, I'm of it. While there's a soul in jail, I am not free." We cannot use this moment as an excuse, but instead we must use it as a catalyst for true change. 



Here is what I'm afraid of: that one racist dude at the office. He stands around the water cooler, telling these terribly off-color jokes, but his big excuse is, "No, it's cool, I can say that, I have a black friend." I don't want America to be that racist guy, while using Barack Obama as our "black friend." 

Don't get me wrong, this is a moment to celebrate, and I want President-elect Obama to be good. I want him to be so good that in twenty years, if we elect a white president, it will be a civil rights victory. I want white people marching in the streets saying, "When's it going to be our turn? This is bullshit." 

But I want us to be good with him. I want us to be honest. I want to make Barack Obama not a fluke, but the beginning of a brand new chapter in history where maybe, certainly not now, but in the future, we can make good of those founding documents when they fiercely proclaimed that all men are created equal. But right now, that's just not the case. And the sooner we realize it, the sooner we can fix it. In fact, let's start revising right now. All men and women are created equal. Let's get to work.