The Illusion of Post-Racialism

One of my favorite publications for updates on news and issues relevant to the black community is The Root. Earlier this week I found myself perusing the website for hours and an article entitled "Race Card Fraud" by Thomas Sowell caught my attention. Sowell's article begins with condemnation of the NAACP for claiming the Tea Party is racist. Now, I am not writing to speak on my feelings about the NAACP or to discuss whether or not I agree with the organization's allegations against the Tea Party. Instead, I would like to address Sowell's suggestions that President Obama is somehow hurting our country's racial climate.

According to Sowell:

"Among people who voted for Barack Obama in 2008, those who are likely to be most disappointed are those who thought that they were voting for a new post-racial era."

Upon reading this statement I wondered: How many black people (and ethnic minorities in general) voted for Obama because they thought we were moving into a POST-RACIAL era?

In order to understand why I take issue with Sowell's assumptions about Obama and post-racialism, let me explain how I feel about the term post-racial. On the surface, the term may sound inviting. However, despite a supposed emphasis on lack of racial differences, I feel the philosophy behind post-racialism shares the same laissez-faire racist attitudes of "colorblindness." In other words, post-racialism masks itself as equality when really the goal is to make privileged people feel less guilty about their advantages over everyone else. This ideology can be deemed racist because it trivializes the social meaning of skin color in our society. Therefore, the post-racial society of which Sowell speaks is one where black people and other oppressed minority groups will finally just shut the hell up about discrimination because no one "sees" race anymore. In a TRUE "post-racial" society, people would not be offered privileges or denied privileges based on skin color. While that situation would be ideal, it would be almost impossible in this country. Before we reach post-racial status, we have to acknowledge that racial inequality STILL exists in 2010 even though we have a black president. Minorities (not just blacks) DO NOT have EQUAL (and I stress the word EQUAL) access to opportunity.

Sowell goes on to discuss how Obama is clearly the opposite of the post-racial President his supporters thought he would have been:

"There is not now, nor has there ever been, anything post-racial about Barack Obama, except for the people who voted for him in the mistaken belief that he shared their desire to be post-racial. When he leaves office, especially if it is after one term, he will leave this country more racially polarized than before."

Can we really blame racial polarization on Obama? Is Sowell serious? I'm no historian (at least not a professional one), but I would argue that indigenous genocide, slavery, and the systemic oppression of minority groups have contributed more to racial polarization than ONE BLACK PRESIDENT who has been in office for less than two years! I think that Obama's presidency has resurfaced racial tensions because oppressors are afraid that Obama will empower the oppressed, and the oppressed are afraid that he won't. I do not believe we can fault Obama for equality struggles as old as this country.

Ultimately, I feel post-racialism in our country's present state remains an illusion. Before we can move to a POST-racial era, we must address and offer valid solutions within the RACIAL era (right now) in which society assigns social advantages and disadvantages according to racial groups.

The Master's House

The first time I ever read anything by Audre Lorde was during the summer of 2005 when I participated in a research program. In almost five years, I have never forgotten one particular line in one of her essays, "The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house."

Around this time last year I remember watching Obama's inauguration and the overwhelming sense of pride I felt watching all of those people stand outside in the freezing cold just to see Obama take his place in this country's history. I also remember saying that we had to be careful not to look at Obama as a political magician who would somehow wave a magic wand and fix everything that is wrong with this country. In the last two weeks I have read various commentaries about how many black people have expressed disappointment in the fact that Obama has not addressed race issues since he has been in office. Many of these critics believe that Obama is in a unique position to help black Americans since he is the President and he is black. Disillusioned voters feel that their high hopes have not been fulfilled.

I have to admit, I loved watching Obama during the elections. I found his speeches inspiring, and I even bought into the "Yes We Can" rhetoric. At the same time, I knew that Audre Lorde's statement would hold true - black president or not. "The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house." In other words, it seems that the black people who had such high hopes that Obama would address race issues want to see radical change in how this country treats its black population. But we must remember that Obama CHOSE to run for president of this country, which means that for the most part, he is happy with the government structure the way it is. While he may want to make a few policy changes here and there, his goal in running for president was to live in "the master's house" - to be in charge of our so-called democratic nation. Unless Obama plans to pull a Fidel Castro I think it's safe to say that he does not intend to make any real changes to the government structure.

Beneath Obama's "Yes WE Can" lies the more subtle "No I can't." As president, Obama CAN'T revolutionize the treatment of black America. "Democracy" means that the majority rules, and the majority doesn't give a (insert four letter word of choice) about black America. As the leader of this democratic system, Obama cannot ignore the majority and therefore cannot address black issues on a national level even if he wants to on a personal level.

I do not intend this blog as a dis to Obama. I'm just pointing out that revolution does not occur within an already corrupted system.