Race Matters

In just a few days, Barack Hussein Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. Few presidents in history will have entered the Oval Office with higher expectations or a more daunting set of economic and national security challenges to confront.

Barack Obama's electoral success was said to rest, in part, on the fact that he, a first generation African-American, did not seek to exploit or campaign on the subject of America's racial history. In other words, Obama "transcended "race by ignoring the subject, and discussed it only when forced to do so by others. Ironically, he was left to lift the burden of race and racism imposed by white society upon the backs of blacks for more than three hundred years. Nonetheless, many in our country take pride that America has seemingly placed our racial history behind us, with the so-called "baggage of the civil rights movement" finally packed away in the attic of history.

Implicit in the claim of Obama's racial transcendence is the notion that racial equality has been achieved, and that black people have little, if anything, left to complain about today. After all, blacks enjoy prominence at highest levels of the corporate, entertainment, athletic, and political circles of power.

Lost in this exercise of euphoric self-congratulations and back-slapping are the reports that in the immediate aftermath of Obama's election, gun sales sky rocketed throughout the country, along with a significant increase in threats to Obama's life. A lottery was organized in one community to wager on the exact date of Obama's entry into the halls of martyrdom.

Recently, three individuals from Staten Island in New York were arrested for having planned to attack any blacks they encountered following the announcement of Obama's electoral victory. Perhaps even more ominous are the recent spate of police shootings of unarmed black men. But for the omnipresence of cell phone cameras, these assaults would have been dismissed as appropriate measures of self defense taken by law enforcement officials in the line of duty. While lying face down in a mall with a police officer's foot on his back, Oscar Grant, who was unarmed, was shot to death for allegedly resisting arrest. The police officer in question claimed that he was reaching for his taser gun and mistakenly pulled out his revolver instead.

This incident called to mind the case of Amadou Diallo, another unarmed man who was shot at 41 times while holding his wallet in the air in his outstretched hands in an effort to identify himself. The police officers claimed they thought his wallet was a gun.

Perhaps the most dramatic display of what activist Dick Gregory maintained so many years ago about it being "open season on Negroes in America" occurred several years ago in New Orleans Louisiana. A black man holding a hunting knife was surrounded by thirteen police officers armed with semi-automatic weapons. Allegedly, they felt threatened by this one man, but rather than attempt to wound or incapacitate him, they instead unleashed a volley of fire, killing him instantly.

A few weeks later, another threat was released upon a small rural community when a moose started to romp through its streets posing a potential physical threat to any people it might encounter. The local police, rather than killing the moose, fired a tranquilizer dart into the animal, and called in a helicopter to safely lift it back to its natural habitat.

Blacks who complain about police malice, misconduct or murder are said to carry a chip on their shoulders. No, it's not a chip, it's is a bullet in their backs. We are urged to stop carrying the past around like a "monstrous corpse" in the cemetery. The time has come, we are told, to bury it!

On January 20th, when the first African- American President moves into the White House, it doesn't mean that we've entered a "post-racial" society or grant impunity to those who are convinced that it's still open season on blacks and other minorities. Contrary to what passes as conventional wisdom, the conversation on race in America has not ended with the election of Barack Obama. It has just begun.

www.raceandreconciliation.com

Comments

[bigmaddy]

Where I live still has alot of racism,but it is getting better,but still has along way to go. I did see some people vote for Obama and have bumper stckers on their up trucks that I would of thought would of ever voted for a black man. BUT WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO!

[Buddy McCue]

I live in North Georgia, and I can report similar observations.

[mikaman3000]

"I did see some people vote for Obama and have bumper stckers on their up trucks that I would of thought would of never voted for a black man."

what led you to believe that these folks would never vote for a blackman ??

did you have a conversation w/ them that led you to this assumption, or was it the color of their skin ??

[lovethehuff]

Race does matter but i think the question we need to concern ourselves with today is how much?

This is the promise I feel Obama's presidency brings. On November 4th, I didn't believe that racism was ending forever or that I could suddenly forget my heritage but I did feel that being black in this country was entering a new phase of existence, as in, a certain amount of unimportance could be placed on it because in the greater scope of things--changing the world, fixing the country, making America a country where the promises stated are promises able to be achieved by all, are the priority. Not someone's skin color. While I cannot say exactly how things will change or when, I do believe they will, and that we as blacks will not have to sacrifice, or forget, our heritage for them to do so.

[neesy08]

I agree with what she writes. This is a milestone that should have been achievd decades ago for African-Americans. The ideas of people wo post on the blogs indicate that their is still stupidity, ignorance, bigots and racists in society who want Obama harm. We still have a long way to go.

[hortonhearsawho2]

Counter top by counter top....

[gageeandbaba]

so true. I live in a small town in PA and people are SO uneducated it makes me ashamed to say they are my fellow Americans. They blame all of their problems on immigrants or minorities when they fail to see most of the unwed mothers here are white, most of the people on welfare here are white, most of the drug addicts are white, most of the robberies are by white men, and if there ever is a murder, it's most likely by a white guy. But don't tell them that.

[dontpanic1]

So true...

[mikaman3000]

so does your disgust for uneducated people only apply to whites or does your prejudices reach across racial lines ? your statements about addiction,welfare,etc.... just proves what most of us educated folk already realize. that life's travails applies to all of us not just minorities. the truth is that if your poor, you are more likely to have a hard time making it in this country. and poor people come in all colors.
instead of perpetuating racial tensions we need to put our energy into rebuilding the middle class.
not further dividing our ranks just because of the color of our skin. i

[RightWingMarine]

talk about cherry picking your data.

"A lottery was organized in one community to wager [ when Obama would be assasinated.]" It was in one store not a state wide lottery advertised on billboards. It was a joke.

Gun sales have skyrocketed nationwide. Perhaps that's because people believe they have to get their guns now before Pres Obama bans new sales. His anti-gun stance is known, this is simply being prudent.

"Recently, three individuals from Staten Island in New York were arrested for having planned to attack any blacks they encountered following the announcement of Obama's electoral victory. " Well since the electoral victory was more than two months ago it seems like this was more bravado and talk than anything serious.

Several years ago (meaning not recently) some police officers shot a man threatening them with a knife in Louisanna. The next week some police tranquilized a moose. I'm betting the moose wasn't loose in La but probably Alaska several thousand miles away. I'm not clear on how the two are related.

This is just agitation to continue claiming to be a vicitm when most of America has demonstrated they want to move past the politics of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.

[SeanGardner]

Since you're versed in matters related to Lousiana, what are your thoughts on the bubbling controversy involving the white militia that hunted blacks during and just after Hurricane Katrina. This militia was given free reign by the New Orleans Police. That was 2005...and this controversy was just confirmed late last year.

I invite you to look at video tape of some of these militia members bragging about shooting at blacks. One even said (with cameras in full view) that it was like "hunting phesants in SD". That's a quote. Here is that disturbing video: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090105/hiddenracewar_video

Race isn't going anywhere. It doesn't matter how much you loathe Jackson and Sharpton. Racism will continue to be a fact of life in this country. For both the LEFT WING MARINE and the RIGHT WING MARINE.

Sorry, but Mrs. Cohen's post is spot on.

[vote-obama]

"A lottery was organized in one community to wager [ when Obama would be assasinated.]" It was in one store not a state wide lottery advertised on billboards. It was a joke... a joke you say, well you would have to excuse me if i don't laugh.

[unite4change]

RightWingMarine you can't handle the truth. As the author of the article said, whites like to blame minorities for the inability to progress. However, minorities have never been in control of the country. When you don't own the media, you can protray anyone negatively by sterotyping a particular group of people. White America never sees the millions of educated middleclass and upper income minorities with because it doesn't make a good story. Do you actually believe is the only intelligent black man in America? If so, you've been drinking from the kool pitcher of the GOP and media.

You cannot rewrite history. It is what it is.

[unite4change]

RightWingMarine you can't handle the truth. As the author of the article said, whites like to blame minorities for their own inability to progress. However, minorities have never been in control of anything in America. When you don't own the media, you can portray anyone negatively by stereotyping a particular group of people. You can make statistics say whatever you want them to say (example: 1 out of 5 blacks are in the penal system but they never tell you what the other four are doing). White America never sees the millions of educated middle and upper income minorities because it doesn't make a good news story. Do you actually believe Obama is the only intelligent black man in America? If so, you've been drinking from the GOP and media kool aid pitcher of ignorance for too long.

Facts are the facts and it is what it is. Although some try, you cannot rewrite history.

[VSamuels]

Rightwing Marine is typical of the voices on the right who do NOT respect the opinions of those who have a different opinion than their opinion, but this is nothing new in terms of how those in power here and elsewhere frame their behavior, rationalize it and then argue for the merits of their voice. An implicit in their ways is how fearful they are of seeing a world not working in a way comfortable for them; a world where all folks have relevant things to say which equally have the same right to be either proven right or proven wrong. This sort of mentality is nothing recent, but shadows the way many seek to misuse power to shape a reality consistent with their lack of empathy towards directions in which they do not wish to acknowledge exists.

[propitiousmoment]

The lottery was a joke, a sick joke.
Gun sales are up.
The point of the tranquilizing the moose story is that a destructive animal got treated more humanely and carefully than a less threatening human being.
Planning to kill any blacks encountered after Obama's election victory is exactly what the author is talking about.
Each of your comments just proves her point.

[PATina]

Thank you !!! What I find so disturbing is that people are in a rush to push race in the background like these things never happened, aren't still happening, or won't happen again. Until we really deal w/ the issue of race... ignoring it isn't going to make anything better.

[Overd0g]

Yeah, but were sick of it already.

[dontpanic1]

God forbid the tables ever turn. You'll be jumping from buildings.

[SeanGardner]

Right on the money Ms. Cohen.

I don't believe America will ever enter in a "post-racial" society. If anything, with the dramatic demographic shift, there will be an opportunity for people to work together and build strong coalitions. But race will always be an issue, because race will always matter.

And you're right, the situation with the young brother being shot in the back - that incident really hit me in gut. I already have a deep, deep mistrust of the police. I have no criminal record, and have never been detained for anything. But I've seen situations where cops have gone way over the line with young black men, and that incident just shows that it will never get better. Cops will continue to view every black male as a suspect, and get off with low prison terms, even in cases of extreme brutality. Its horrible.

But I thanks so much for contribution to this discussion. You and your husband, former U.S. Senator William Cohen, should write something together for this site. I look forward to seeing you here again.

[daddysboy]

"Contrary to what passes as conventional wisdom, the conversation on race in America has not ended with the election of Barack Obama. It has just begun." Wouldn't this be great for people that like to talk about race if this were true? That some are scrambling in fear is the real indicator that diversity has won, not an indicator that racism is alive and well. America doesn't need a conversation about race, America really needs a conversation about poverty and class. Some time back, a famous black comedian asked the question as to whether it is better in America to be rich and black or poor and white. At the time, the funny and sometimes true response was to say being poor and white was more desirable. I'd say that has no truth in it now as it did before (poor is now just poor), illustrating the subtle change that has finally taken place in America.

[ccmd]

there is a spike in racial retaliation all over the country. its not just from police either. my city's black mayor in particular, is being "politically" attacked by the state's white elite.



do realize, the rise of our people is inevitable. we still shall overcome.

[ohioan73]

I have something to confess. On the night of the election, I only cried for 5 seconds and collapsed briefly on my knees when Obama won Ohio, but it was not from complete euphoria. I watched the other black tear streamed faces on TV but I couldn't cry. I turned off my phone.

I have never lived through such a historic event in American history and frankly, I don't know how to feel about it. All this does is magnify what I don't want to know. If its still such an "historic event" to be first and black, then my son is still in danger of the police killing him because of his braids. They don't know he's a straight-A student. He's profiled as "dangerous" apparently.

I am afraid that some vindictive, racist, deluded person is going to unleash hell on random black people. Gun sales increases make me wonder if some underground militia is forming to overthrow the "black" government that is "taking over". I don't want this intrusion on my false modern security. I am excited and silently proud yet terrified. I am afraid for my life but I've never felt so alive. Weird stuff.

[MacQ]

Gun sales went up because of Mr. Obama's stance on gun control, and the possibility that the new congress will work to outlaw them. Many folks saw it as a last chance to obtain guns legally.

[dontpanic1]

Keep telling yourself that.

[JoePalooka]

For all the set backs that still go on, we are truly advancing past the national ugliness of racism. All good things take time, folks!

[sbrown80]

Thank you! I've noticed the streak of random blk men being shot too.

[deka415]

oscar grant was shot an oakland, california train station
thank you for writing this. it's important for everyone to realize
racial problems are still with us