Yesterday Barack Obama delivered a remarkable speech on race, elevating the public dialog on the subject by tackling it with an honesty and a forthrightness almost never seen by politicians, and seldom seen from even writers or activist in the greater public realm.
Though a political speech, visa via having to address his Jeremiah Wright problem (sort of speak) it was a wonderful social speech where he acknowledge concerns of all communities in general, including those racial concerns of the group that has perpetrated the racial oppression in this country; being quite conciliatory and even generous towards those who’ve racially slighted him; such as contributing Geraldine Ferraro’s campaign of gender-baiting and race diminishing to being just a “gaff”.

And what did much of white America do with this speech, no not some hooded rednecks representing a minute portion of the population, but NPR listeners and Television pundits; they continue to devolve the conversation into “gotch ya” political point scoring, and continued racial acrimony.
Joe Scarborough of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program says he doesn’t “buy it”. And he, and the say nothings on Fox and Friends, and the youtube posters claim that Wright spewed “hate against white people”.
That’s simply a damn lie! He did no such thing. He condemned white racism; and the question has to be asked, why are white people offended by that? The reality is that this whole episode shows white people actually defending white racism, and defending the status quo of race privilege which Wright rightly condemned.
I disagree with some of Barack’s capitulating characterizations of Wright’s words as I pointed out in yesterday’s piece “Barack Obama’s Speech on Race, Church and Former Pastor”; but I was willing to go with Obama on this, pull back from the acrimony and give more mutual understanding a shot as he’d laid such a nice framework for us all to do so.
But confirming what I already knew, which is why I take the stance that I do, and probably why Dr. Wright takes the stance that he does (and it’s not generational, I’m less than half Wright’s age); rather than take this opportunity to elevate the dialog on race, a great many white people instead are taking it as an opportunity to re-enforce propaganda, including pushing fake patriotic blind worship of the red, white and blue that has Americans claiming to honor the troops with their lips, but their hearts are far from it; as they refuse to put forth a dollar more of taxes to actually safeguard the troops in the field nor honor their service with adequate health and life services when they come back home. Instead, they stick a flag on their house on the 4th of July, and act like that means something. And secondly, instead of elevating the dialog, they’re trying to brow beat the Black conscious into submission behind white superiority and their demand of how we should feel and think.
I let things go for the past few days to let Obama handle it politically, he did, and we get this crap as a response. So now I’m tired of it!
The fact of the matter is Wright didn’t do nothing but tell the TRUTH. In five days I can’t get one person to point out one inaccuracy of fact that he stated, until finally today, one finally mentioned the thing that has barely been a source at all of the condemnation that’s led to all this, the AIDS claim which I will treat in a piece tomorrow. Not even on a youtube video entitled “Obama’s Rev is Wrong”, could the author point out to me even 1 factual inaccuracy. All they talk about is their feelings, their mis-characterizations of what he said; and spew obfuscations so that they don’t have to deal with the issues he raised.
What they mean to say is, “how dare you not be a skinnin’ and grinnin’ happy go lucky Negro, who soft peddles race for white folks (and their capitulators) comfort. Get your Black ass back in line.” Then they slander and demonize the brother in order that the truth dies with his slain reputation.
Also, as I pointed out yesterday, they did the exact same thing even to Martin Luther King. The fake revisionist history we get on t.v. every January and February conveniently leaves this part of the story out; but when MLK spoke strongly against American aggression (as Wright did); despite all the love we KNOW him to have continuously preached, he was still demonized in order that he be marginalized and that the truth he spoke be marginalized with him.
We, Black people, have every RIGHT to our viewpoint from our perspective, born of our experience. An experience America could well learn from if she were willing to listen; but again a great swath of the majority race has refused. Instead, they plug their ears, look for the evil devil blackie racist to demonize, and try to control and DICTATE to us how we should feel and see things - not reconcile our various racial points of views together; but dictate that we bow in ideological submission to their point of view.
Well, my answer is a resounding NO! It was NO yesterday, and it will still be NO tomorrow. I will be dealt with as the equal that I am, not some petulant little thing who just doesn’t quite have the moral constitution to understand why I should simply accept as sacrosanct white paradigmatic ways of thinking. You do not get to set preconditions to the dialog on race as if we’re a bunch of petty dictators of a tiny nation who you can deal with on terms as you will. You do not get to unilateral decide what views are valuable.
Barack Obama yesterday laid out a bridge, offered a grand olive branch, and much of White America swatted it away. Many more accepted it barely; but in away where they feel they are just generously giving the benefit of the doubt, as if blackdome really owes them an apology; but they’re going to let it slide.
In 1965 Malcolm X said “If the white people realize what the alternative is, perhaps they will be more willing to hear Dr. King.”
Maybe white America might want to reconsider dealing with the racial dialog program laid out by Barack Obama; Malcolm X’s disciples are the alternative.
See also Shawn Williams piece that also appears in todays Dallas Morning News: “Black pastors speak truth to power”