Post-Racial America?

With the election of Barack Obama, our first black president, Americans would like to think that we have finally shifted into a post-racial society. However, the racial controversies that Barack Obama has encountered over the course of his presidency suggest otherwise. For instance, in July of 2009, the arrest of African-American Professor Henry Louis Gates in his home by Officer James Crowley of the Cambridge Police ignited a debate as to whether the arrest was racially motivated, and President Obama’s remarks about the potential racial undertones of the arrest sparked a media controversy. Also, the Tea Party Movement, which started as a response to Obama’s proposed health care bill, was accused of racism and opposition to a black president. These are just two of several racial controversies that have occurred in the last three years. I believe that America is not yet post-racial. But at the same time, one has to ask, is it even possible for America to ever be completely post-racial? My vote is for no. Not entirely, at least.

As we discussed a few weeks ago in class, the majority of whites seem to be “order theorists,” who assert that the “Civil Rights problem” is a problem of exclusion from institutions, and now that blacks can enter any institution, the problem has been solved. However, most blacks are “conflict theorists,” who believe that, although the problem has gotten better, the problem is structural, and that there are systematic and structural barriers to equality (i.e. job discrimination). That is why blacks are more likely than whites to advocate welfare programs and other government-run programs.

Why does this disconnect exist? Bobo’s and Charles’ “Race in the American Mind: From the Moynihan Report to the Obama Candidacy” discussed this. First of all, history plays a key role. The past is something that cannot be ignored when discussing race. The struggles of blacks have been different from the “struggles” of whites in America. Secondly, since whites were the segregators and blacks were the victims of segregation, there is an obvious animosity, one that will probably never be completely eliminated. Because of these differing contexts, blacks and whites tend to have different views of how much government should be involved in their lives, and these differences prevent them from completely integrating.

Also, another barrier to a “post-racial era” is that blacks and whites tend to have different goals. Many whites want to assimilate the blacks into American culture so that race can only be a matter of skin color. But at the same time, blacks are trying to maintain a sense of identity and culture. Many whites would not identify themselves as white. They would sooner identify themselves by their sex, age, personality, etc. Blacks, however, are more likely to identify themselves as black. Blacks realize the importance of their culture and have pride in the progress that their race has made over the last few centuries. Thus, while whites want to absorb blacks, blacks want to hold on to their heritage and identity.

Because of what I stated, I feel that the “elephant” of race will always exist in politics, media, and even relationships. I feel like the best thing that America can achieve is a mutual respect and an understanding of some of the fundamental differences between the two races. If we are sensitive to each other’s backgrounds and realize and accept the different cultures, we can get past this “race problem.”