Obama and the End of Racism

I have been asked many times if I think racism still plays a dominant role in American life. Through most of my adulthood, I have heard friends and acquaintances query whether I think most white people are still racist, or , since Barack Obama has been elected, do I believe that racism is dying out in our society.

On the surface, it would appear that the racism that plagued the lives of our forbearers is crumbling in the face of ever increasing multicultural awareness, and the hope that our children are really being judged by the content of our character. Obama’s victory points to an acceptance of African-Americans by White people, that frankly (an in some cases, secretly) most Blacks would have never thought could happen.

It is a new day, I honestly believe that. But with this new day, should come a new realization. Let’s face it; most White people in the country are not racist. They just don’t have a hateful bone in their body. With the exception of a few hopeless idiots in sheets, racism, as our older kith and kin knew it, is dead.

But here is the rub, while most White people are not racist, almost every single one of them is truly and completely ignorant of how the racism of the past has shaped our society and influences our everyday lives. The mere mention of the words “race” or “Black” in a public arena usually causes our Caucasian brothers and sisters to do their best “See no evil” impressions. And when White people do choose to observe the varied language, actions, politics, and culture of African-Americans, their view is colored by lenses tainted with subtle but dangerous misconceptions.

As a White person, you have the luxury of being considered on your own individual merit. You get to be just Sam, or Jamie, or Jen. But whether one becomes a crack dealer or a stockbroker, an African-American will always have the color of their skin announce something about them before you learn anything about their character.

The ignorance on the part of Whites that I speak of manifests itself in the fear of a changing American demographic. It’s displayed in the anti-Mexican immigrant stances that are so prominent now when the problem with that border has been around for decades. Why now? Because “We shall over come” is not as powerful as “We shall come over”. In a country founded by the decedents of illegal immigrants, it is hypocritical to deny others the same American dream.

The ignorance rears its head again every time race is used as an argument against Affirmative Action. The largest group of people to benefit from that program is White women, but that is barely mentioned. Why? Because policy makers know and understand your latent fear and ignorance, and play upon it. Everyone assumes that the most qualified person for anything is a White male. If you meet his standard, fine. But if not, it belongs to him by default. I don’t know about you but I went to school with both White and Black kids who didn’t “deserve” to be there. But since many under qualified White kids have a number of unofficial means of getting in available to them, no one says a thing.

Bu t the main way the ignorance of White America displays itself is in the ability to see life from the perspective of someone who doesn’t look like them. In this great country of ours, success for minorities is achieved partially through hard work and talent, but most by how adept a person of color is in navigating a culture dominated by White people. We have to understand how you think, how you act, and how you live to make sure we can get access to levels of achievement that are more easily open to you.

Those persons of color who don’t attempt to “fit in” to some part of America, or weren’t given a chance to, end up on drugs, dead, or in jail. Negotiating our dreams through your world is tough and we have to do it with you letting you know we are doing it. For if we let on that we might have to handle you, that we might have to smile more, or not be as aggressive in the office as you so we can get to where we want to go in life, you will label us a reverse racist, a malcontent, someone who just doesn’t get it.

We have come a long way in 50 years. To deny that is to be unreasonable. But to be smug in the face of so much work left undone is not only foolish, but dangerous. As our world is becoming more and more interconnected, it is folly to think the US can succeed in on the global stage while we still don’t fully trust each other at home.

All I am saying is pay more attention to your interactions with people of color. How do you perceive them? How do you interact with them? What if the next level for growth in our society isn’t to achieve a useless color blindness, but instead to encourage a proactive appreciation of the power that will become the “one” out of our collective and colorful “many”?