Container Top
Search

Events Calendar

EVENT SEARCH:

In This Section


Most Read Stories


Blogs:


Akron Docs in Haiti:
Almost home

First Bell - On Education:
Strange, sad story from Canton

Pets:
Found: White Eskimo male dog near Bath and State Rd.

The Heldenfiles:
Fess Parker, R.I.P.

Akron Zips:
Looking back on the season

Tribe Matters:
Cabrera says it’s time to play

Cleveland Browns:
Yates latest to re-sign

Balanced Ledger:
How times have changed?

Kent State Sports:
Kent State beats Tulsa in NIT; Will face Illinois on ESPNU

Cleveland Cavaliers:
Highlights from Wednesday’s Cavs-Pacers Game

Buckeye Blogging:
Bucks High Seed – Turner High Praise

Varsity Letters:
DII state semifinal: Walsh Jesuit loses to Hathaway Brown 53-48

All Da King's Men:
ObamaCare To Reduce Premiums By 3000% ?

Blog of Mass Destruction:
Why Republicans Are Acting So Crazy

Akron Law Café:
Does Capitalism Inspire "Moral Flexibility"?

Car Chase:
2010 CONCOURS SEASON IS UPON US

Let's Talk Real Estate:
Deals in Miami?!.

Sound Check:
Willie Nelson & Family coming to the Akron Civic Theatre May 11

See Jane Style:
Who Wore What – The Oscars

HRLite House:
Horses of Courses

Akron Gamer:
PlayStation's Move ups the interaction, fidelity

An Obama moment

The Illinois senator turned a challenge for his campaign into an honest discussion about the country

Published on Thursday, Mar 20, 2008

Barack Obama has portrayed himself (refreshingly so) as a presidential candidate prepared to elevate the difficult conversation about race in this country. Thus, a profound challenge arrived when video surfaced of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright hurling angry words, declaring ''God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human,'' pointing to the ''arrogance'' of ''the United States of White America.'' This is the man Obama describes as his spiritual mentor, the man who presided at his wedding, who baptized his children?

On Tuesday, in Philadelphia, in the shadow of the place where the Constitution was written, Obama attempted to address the divide. He understood the stakes for his campaign. More, he grasped the moment for the country, a candidate (at last) talking about race in a thoughtful and productive way.

Writing on today's Commentary page, Kathleen Parker chides Obama for thinking he can play magician: Utter ''abracadabra,'' and racial tensions fade away. That speech wasn't so wishful, or magical, at all. Obama asked whites and blacks in the larger audience to think hard about the realities driving divided impressions. He urged a dose of honesty.

Obama condemned the harsh words of the Rev. Wright. He also advised that ''the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding. . . . '' He cited ''a similar anger'' among whites, the many who ''don't feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race.'' Here was a candidate seeking something far different than driving a familiar wedge between constituencies in pursuit of the necessary majority.

To be sure, Obama wants to prevail in the contest for president. His candidacy is most appealing when he approaches problems in new and promising ways. Thus, his speech proved compelling in asking black and white Americans to look at matters of race from uncommon and enlightened perspectives, to get past the ''racial stalemate we've been stuck in for years.''

Naive? Perhaps. Still, Obama shouldn't be sold short. He doesn't subscribe to the notion that his candidacy alone will erase centuries of racial friction. What he seeks is a frank conversation that addresses ''the complexities of race in this country that we've never really worked through.'' He opened with a reference to the phrasing of the Constitution: ''in order to form a more perfect union.'' The Founders had in mind a prolonged effort. Obama wants to push forward, whether slightly or dramatically.

More, Obama recognizes that by retreating into ''our respective corners,'' Americans will make all the harder challenges from health care to education. There is much about the Obama candidacy that invites pause, starting, yes, with his lack of experience. There also is something most uplifting, his capacity to get beyond the tired ways. It is evident in his discussion of foreign policy, in his eschewing the rancor of the Clinton and Bush years. It was prominently displayed in Philadelphia, an American politician talking intelligently and hopefully about race.

Barack Obama has portrayed himself (refreshingly so) as a presidential candidate prepared to elevate the difficult conversation about race in this country. Thus, a profound challenge arrived when video surfaced of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright hurling angry words, declaring ''God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human,'' pointing to the ''arrogance'' of ''the United States of White America.'' This is the man Obama describes as his spiritual mentor, the man who presided at his wedding, who baptized his children?

Get the full article here.



Story tools

Email  Email   Print  Print   Save  Save   Reprint  Reprint   Popular  Most Popular   Reprint  Subscribe

Share this story

AddThis Social Bookmark Button













Most Commented Stories