With the election of our 44th President, the discussion of race has risen to the forefront of national conversation. Thank God the color of a man’s skin served not as a deterrent nor qualification for his White House tenure. Beauty and integrity are internal; hence, skin color matters not... mattering not for us all.
The challenge in this dialogue is to address race well. Several poor examples have disrupted the conversation. For instance, we have heard from the emotionally-inciting, both the white and the black, the Ku Klux Klan and the New Black Panther Party, both seemingly to whom, skin color matters much.
In February we heard the US Attorney General, Eric Holder, say the following: "Though the nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards.” President Obama backed off Holder’s statements, obviously wondering who exactly Holder was referring to as the cowards, but both Obama and Holder seem correct when they say we need to learn to dialogue about this issue well.
Let us begin as a nation by allowing the other to celebrate their heritage. Celebration is appropriate, assuming it includes no superior lines of thought. Thus, there should be no offense when People Magazine runs last week’s "Power Players -- Black Hollywood celebrates some of its most acclaimed stars at the Essence Luncheon in Beverly Hills." Equally said, there should be no offense should the publication this week present: “Power Players -- White Hollywood celebrates some of its most acclaimed stars at the Essential Luncheon in Beverly Hills.”
Next, let us eliminate emotionally-inciting vocabulary. That means, for example, black and white alike terminate use of the word “nigger.” If one people group should disallow a word, ALL people groups should disallow the word.
And lastly, let us follow Martin Luther King Jr.’s example, and individually discard any remaining, quiet prejudice or hate in our hearts...
“Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true.”
Hate confuses the false with the true... and the black with the white... the white with the black.
Let the dialogue begin. May it progress respectfully and well.
AR
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2 comments:
I have come to the conclusion that I do not like referring to the US as the "Great American Melting Pot". "Melting Pot" reminds me of the restaurant and fondue. Everything just melts together into a cheese or chocolate dip. When I was growing up in SC we would make a local dish known as "Beaufort Stew" or "Frogmore Stew" by others. Essentially it is corn, sausage, shrimp and potatoes boiled together in a tasty broth. Although they are cooked together and their flavors enhance each other each ingredient retains its unique characteristics. I wish we could learn to love each other and embrace our unique characteristics without having to "melt" into one. I married a Hispanic male from Ecuador and learning his culture and language has been a valuable gift from God. It has been an incredible journey and if my mind would have been closed I would have never experienced the joys I have had. Here's to "Beaufort Stew"!
A wonderful article and so well said, I couldn't have said it better if I tried. Before I took my job up in N.KY, I worked for Kentucky State Univ. in Frankfort, KY. This University is historically a place of learning for minorities. Young people come from all the inner cities all over the midwest. I would be in charge of the student center in the evenings and week-ends. It was a new experience for me, because often times I would be the only white person in the building, and I would be the minority. It was after working there that I better came to understand what minorities feel on a daily basis. After reading your article I am left wondering how many other "over the top" qualified minority men and women have been over-looked for positions of leadership based on the color of their skin. Everyone is aware of President Obama's outstanding education, credentials and background, and what is sad to me is how "over the top" this man had to be to be elected President of the United States. He's broken the glass ceiling for minorities, and I hope it stays broken!
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