Is this for real? Not a April Fools day joke? DF? Is this you? This chick actually used "snap" in a written sentence. I think I might have seen everything now.

Carmen, thats a pretty underwhelming effort thanks for stopping by.

Obama's speech has me asking myself what role black people should play in ending racism. Should they continue to embrace the role of traditional black politicians who use guilt as a weapon? Should they call on black people to stop viewing themselves as victims and take responsibility for the problems as well as the successes within the black community?

Obama seemed to me to be unable to move toward a new kind of politics when it comes to race relations in America. It did not help that he remained a loyal fan of Jeremiah Wright for so long, and denounced his own grandmother's racism, and later referred to her as "a typical white person". It did not help that his speech was in response to a political firestorm, even though he eventually said that he intended to deliver the speech all along. It did not help that his campaign has been using the race card since North Carolina. It did not help that his speech was mostly a history lesson rehashing white America's responsibility in creating the racial divide in today's America. It does not help that so many Obama supporters have stated or implied that a failure to vote for Obama amounts to racism.

I really would like to see a new dialog on race in this country. But so far it appears to me that Obama is going in the wrong direction in that regard.

Blacks receive less than standard medical treatment of a variety of life-thretning illnesses. This occurs even when income and insurance plans are equal. The solution oes not center around issues just in the African-American community.

Black pay more for equivalent housing and are driven to higher risk loans. Fair lending practices requires the paticipation of more than ust the Black citizenry.

Both of the above factors play a major role in the financial and health status of African-Americans The solutions require cooperation of all citizens in addressing biases.

Regarding intra-community action, everyone from Bill Cosby to Al Sharpton has talked about things that the community needs to do for itself.
Many Black individuals and organizations sponsor scholarships for youth aspiring to higher education. The adoption rate in the Black community increased three-fold after the Million Man March. The community is taking action.

There are judicial disparities that impact poor African-Americans who come into contact with the legal system. Equal times for equal crimes is not the way these individuals are treated in either the juvenile or adult criminal justice system. Prolonged prison sentences do not produce productive citizens.

Finally, regarding the educational system their is another problem. I came back from a recent Kiwanis meeting. The head of one state's Economic Development Council mentioned that their college system had produced 700 Physical Ed teachers over a given time span. Not one Physics teacher for the public school system had been produced in the same time period.

The education sytem is in a shambles for everyone.
Poor education effects everyone, not just African-Americans.

I think we might return to a gem of wisdom about what most everyone can do about racism, that actually dates from the early 1950's, when Rodgers and Hammerstein's "South Pacific" had us all singing the following lyrics...

You've got to be taught
Before it's to Late
Before you are six, or seven or eight
To Hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught.

Most of us have at many times in our lives relationships with small children, perhaps six is a little too old to start, but let's say three, four and five year olds. (five didn't rhyme with late -- so the lyrics are a little off). There are a zillion ways of getting across the idea that it is wrong to hate by race, class, religion, gender and previous condition of servitude -- and today one must add sexual orientation -- whether it be by story telling, the books you read kids, the way you answer the questions, and yes, the discipline you apply when the kid comes home with language of hate. You teach when you show how you feel when another adult introduces hateful and discriminatory attitudes. If you let them stand without comment to a child, chances are they will assume you agree with them.

It doesn't matter whether you are White, Black, Asian, Arab, South Indian -- you can do this sort of teaching with young children without any special equipment, special training, special ideology -- everyone and anyone can do it. It won't solve all the problems -- there are shall we say, more advanced classes, but if those now teaching small children understood their responsibility as this important, and yes, this simple, the base could be laid for many of the more advanced things that need to be done.

I'm really amused by this piece, especially since I am very guilty of the sin of "asking if what I'm saying is okay," on these topics.

But, really, the role that white people have to play in fighting racism is to not be racist.

Which isn't as easy as it sounds because it also involves accepting some fair measure of collective responsibility for things that we as individuals never did or sanctioned.

I never owned a slave, I've never used the N word outside of its proper rap context, I've never killed a Native American and I've never attacked somebody for being gay or sexually harassed a woman at work. Never, not once, would never happen, not me. But still. Problems between and amongst groups of people can only be solved between and amongst groups of people. That means that some individuals are just going to get caught in the crossfire. We should minimize that, but it can't be eliminated.

If an individual demonstrates to me that they didn't get a job or scholarship that they deserved because of affirmative action policies I really would sympathize with them. But I wouldn't oppose affirmative action over it.

Does that make any sense? (That question is rhetorical if you're white and is meant only for the wisened minorities, especially our noble Native American brethren).

Sorry I thought it was fluff....Needed to be on AOL not here. Just MO.

Obama is the last person in America who should be telling us to do something about racism because he sat there and listened, with his kids, to the racist and anti-America rants of Rev. Wright for 20 years and DID NOTHING.