I almost want to apologize for the title of this blog entry. But not quite.
I am a white anti-racist (or so my partner tells me). And I guess that is accurate. Given my background, growing up in a working class neighborhood in Chicago, I am not quite sure how I came to have the dangerous liberal notions I now embrace so dearly. But that is indeed who I am.
I do not like hate speech and seldom make comments of that nature except to make a point. I think that hate speech is inherently emotionally driven and essentially devoid of any intellectual content. The use of the 'N' word and even the use of the less emotionally loaded term 'racist' generally evokes an emotional response from the hearer or reader.
So I guess I am writing today from a very emotional point of view and I apologize to those who may be offended but I also suggest that perhaps it is time to confront these issues head on and stop being afraid of saying what I feel. I think that I am not alone.
When I saw today the Clinton victory in Kentucky (known to many as 'Klan-tucky') and the recent victory in West Virginia I can't help but feel shame and embarassment for the uneducated, prejudiced and hateful attitudes that contributed more to Clinton's victory than any rational thoughts like, 'I believe her to be the best candidate.'
Racism was not resolved with the anti-slavery amendments, Brown v. Board of Education, the Civil Rights Act or any other of the limited victories of the Civil Rights movement. Some things have changed but one of the changes that has occurred is how racists have learned to be less blatant, less obvious, harder to catch, harder to prosecute.
I think that Clinton's victories in these states are pretty much the result of pandering to the vast numbers of hateful, uneducated, racist voters who simply won't vote for a....black man.
What is interesting and a sign of progress is that Obama has won in states where I would have predicted that such hateful people would have prevailed. A black man wins in Idaho, Kansas, etc. These are not strongholds of the civil rights movement but perhaps they have evolved and made some social progress.
I don't think that they voted this way just because they wouldn't vote for a woman either. Argue that point if you like.
I remember clearly the election of Harold Washington (Chicago's first black mayor). I, a lifelong democrat, supported Washington and was shocked (I was pretty naive) when I drove through the solidly democratic southwest neighborhoods in white Chicago and saw lawn signs in favor of the Republican candidate Bernie Epton. It was a moment of revelation for me seeing lifelong Democrats support the Republican candidate solely because he was white. I learned and am still learning about the insidious nature of racism.
This primary election process has been an opportunity and will continue to be an opportunity for all of us to learn about how racism works, how ugly it is but also how we have to confront it if we want to progress as a society.
I did not vote for Harold Washington because he was black. I voted for him because he was a Democrat and the best person for the office. I still stand proudly by my decision.
I am not supporting Barack Obama because he is black. I am not even supporting him just because he is a Democrat (well, maybe just a little for that reason). But overwhelmingly I am supporting him and will continue to support him because he is by far the most qualified candidate for the presidency of this country that I have seen in my lifetime (about 50 years) . I am excited by his speeches, impressed by his integrity,his dignity, proud to see a candidate who is both brilliant and humane.
So the slack jawed racists will be left in the dust. When all is said and done and the votes are cast we will have our first black president. (Put your seatbelts on folks.) I hope that those uneducated and hateful people can learn from Obama's example and take the high road of dignity and I welcome them to join us. But I am not so naive as to believe that even the election of a black man to the presidency will resolve the issues of hate that permeate this country.
There is much work to be done. Let's all try really hard. Please.
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