Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Why 'post-racialism' is a myth

Spike Lee has been very adamant that just because we are living in a era where there is the first Black president does not mean that we are in a post-racial society.

Meaning that just because a Black man sits in the highest seat in the land doesn't mean that people of color have arrived.

He is right. I am anticipating Soledad O'Brien's documentary follow-up tonight, but in the wake of that, Henry Louis Gates gets arrested in his own home.

That shows how far we are from post-racial. There is nothing post-racial about debating whether Obama is a black president or a president who happens to be black. Nothing post-racial about the subtle increase of white supremacy. Nothing post-racial about increased unemployment among blacks and a pay ceiling that just won't move.

There is nothing post-racial about having to search out a public school academy or a private school in order to assure that your child has every opportunity they need to succeed.

Have race relations come a long way? Yes, definitely. Have we achieved post-racialism. Definitely not.