M3Man,

Thank you for such an honest and heartfelt post. It made me cry and I have cried a few times during this campaign.

People like Hannity, Limbaugh and Buchanan absolutely must deny our reality because to acknowledge it means admitting they are privileged which for most privileged people is impossible to do.

White people are told that they are successful because of their skills and talents so how devastating it is to realize that perhaps it's only because they're white and not because they're smart or special or better than people of color. They are white in a system created just for them--that doesn't make them special, it just makes them, well, white.

I think about your father and his potential....I wrote a piece once about how the world denies itself the fullness of human potential by oppressing fellow human beings. We would no doubt be more progressed as a people on a planet if everyone was allowed and encouraged to contribute all of their talents, skills and creativity. It's a disgusting shame and an outrage.

Thank you so much for addressing issues that touch me at the core of my soul. And peace & blessings to you and your father.

When I read something such as your post, it solidifies my belief that, "Until you walk in someone's shoes, you do not have the right or the experience necessary to make judgments about their character. Most who hand out verdicts about anothers life and actions seldom turn the mirror on themselves as harshly or with the same broad brush."
We all forget that our words and actions or lack thereof cause ripples in others lives, sometimes tidal waves. Too often, our lack of 'standing up and speaking out' is the most damaging.
Today is a good day to celebrate Obama's candidacy for too many reasons to list.
I thank you for your heartfelt post and sincerely wish you a Happy and Blessed Fathers Day!

Great post!

Thanks for your excellent post.

I think many whites don't have a clear understanding of the indignities black Americans suffered during segregation. I think many whites don't actually understand how horrible it was for a black man, who sincerely wanted to provide for his familiy to find out that that his talent mattered much less than his race.

That said, I think many, even most whites, would be empathetic. No, not the Sean Hannity types who simply work for their Republican paymasters who benefit from racial disharmony, but the overwhelming bulk of whites who 1)often had similar struggles against prejudice themselves based not on race, but on language, culture or religion and 2) are sympathetic to the idea of a massive struggle against overwhelming odds.

I don't think whites understand what our parents and grandparents went through, but I think many whites know enough to recognize that the system was horribly unfair and, themselves, take some pride in the fact that much of segregation has been dismantled.

I think black hostility to these whites many of whom are reasonable, fair minded people is counterproductive. I think many, even most white Americans believe that in all spheres of public life blacks and white should receive the same treatment. Equally, many whites (and blacks) would admit that the system remains unfair but much less unfair than it used to be and would argue that, even in an unfair system, blacks men do themselves no favors when they abandon their kids.

Obama speaks to many reasonable whites in a language and tone they understand. For example, blacks and whites may disagree as to whether high black incarceration rates are explained by high black criminal behavior or by racially biased policing. I think Obama would say that we need to try and curb black criminality and reform the police. Neither party is completely guilty or guiltless. In fact, sitting around trying to assign blame is far less useful than working for improvement.

If real racial progress is to be made, someone has to mediate between both sides. Obama, in my view, is the best in politics today.

As a father, I don't know if I'd be able to find the words to adequately express just how proud I was feeling, if I were to read this post and realize that these were my son's words.

I do know that I'd feel like I'd done something that nobody could ever take away from me. You've done your father proud with this.

There is a county in Virginia that from 1959 to 1964 closed their public schools rather than desegregate. "Private" schools were opened all over the county for the white student however most of the black students had to forgo their eduction all together.

I don't bring this up to stir up old pain but to point out that the effects of these actions are long lasting as the children of this generation were raised by parents with often only an elementary school education. I absolutely agree with this great post that their are current effects of the actions of previous generations that can't be ignored. They don't need to be used as a weapon either but we can all agree that Barack Obama is as far from a racial radical as you can get while still remaining in touch with racial realities.

What a beautiful and moving post. Thank you.

I've never lost sight of the divide between opportunities for white people and opportunities for black people, but it was abstract until I did research for a student guide to the film Public Enemy. Some of what I discovered:

The 1999 President’s Initiative on Race found these statistics:

Unemployment rates for people 16 or older show that unemployment for black people has been at least 5% higher than for white people since 1955, when they were at 5% for white people and 10% for black people. At the worst times for general unemployment, 1975 and 1983, unemployment rates for white people were 7.5% and 8%, respectively. For those same two years, unemployment rates for black people were 15% and 19.75%. The unemployment rate is defined as the percentage of the labor force without a job but actively seeking work.

The median weekly earnings for male full-time workers has had a gap of roughly $200 between white and black men since 1967.

In 1979, all black males earned $0.78 on the dollar compared to white males, and it was $0.77 on the dollar in 1997. For black males with a bachelor’s degree or more, in 1979 they earned $0.82 on the dollar compared to while males with a bachelor’s degree or more, and in 1997, they earned $0.76 on the dollar.

Median family income for a white family in 1967 was $36,000 a year (in 1997 dollars). For a black family in 1967 it was $22,000 a year (in 1997 dollars). In 1997, the median family income for a white family was $43,000 a year. For a black family it was $26,500 a year.

Statistically, Asian and white people are far more likely to have managerial and professional jobs than black, Hispanic, and American Indian people. Asian and white people are far less likely to work in “blue collar” jobs than black, Hispanic, and American Indian people. Yet within the blue-collar sector, white people are more likely to be in higher-paying precision production and craft occupations than black, Hispanic, and American Indian people, who are more likely to work at “lower- skilled” jobs that operate machines, fabricate products, or do general labor, as well as service occupations.

In 1960, about 65,000 white people were admitted into the prison system, while about 26,000 black people were. In 1995, about 175,000 white people were admitted into prison, while about 185,000 black people were. Please note that black people make up about 17% of the US population. In 1985, 13 percent of total incarcerations were for drug-related offenses. In 1995, 31 percent were for drug-related offenses. The number of admissions for these offenses was about equal between black people and white people in 1985; there has been a sharp disparity since then, with black people more than twice as likely than white people to be incarcerated for drug-related crimes in 1995.

In 1985, a little over 1% of the white population was under “correctional supervision,” meaning incarcerated, on probation, or on parole. In 1985, the percentage for black people was about 5.5%. In 1995, the percentage of white people was 2% and the percentage of black people was 9.5%.

Nothing like a few numbers to show how much racism still exists, and it's the covert racism that does the most harm.