'I don't know what it means to get past race'
Experts discuss Obama's election and racism in US, Hillsdale
Cody Ewers
Issue date: 2/5/09 Section: Beyond
Several experts say that although Barack Obama's election to presidency represents a victory in race relations, bigotry and discrimination are far from gone. What it means for race relations, experts say, only time will tell.
However, they agree that racism isn't gone. It has played out in Hillsdale: last semester, a black Hillsdale College student was the victim of an alleged racially motivated assault (see interview on this page).
Peter Blum, Hillsdale College's professor of philosophy and culture and the director of sociology and social thought, said assuming racism is gone is a clear misconception.
"I think it's just really obvious that is not the case," Blum said. "Perhaps they're confusing racism with discrimination; you can have racists who don't discriminate."
Ruth Wilson, chair of African American Studies at San Jose State University, said Obama's election shows a shift in thought among the general American population.
"Something had to be in place before Obama decided to run for president for those people to be ready for Obama, to be positioned to support him," she said. "What's exciting is I think things have changed in America, and Obama came out of that change, and people were ready for Obama. It's not so much Obama changed things. People who wanted change saw Obama as the right candidate."
Wilson said it's difficult to assess changes in race relations, and no one is an expert in them. She said while the election of a black president signifies a change in thought, hate crimes still occur and likely will for some time.
Mary Gonzalez, coordinator of the University of Texas at Austin MultiCultural Information Center, agreed, saying while Obama's election is a victory, the race battle continues.
"I don't know what it means to get past race," she said. "While this is a benchmark event in history, it doesn't mean there isn't racism still happening in the United States. As long as racism exists, it will continue to play a part in politics."
Blum said most people are more racist than they think. He added while he does not mean everyone is racist, most people have prejudices that don't necessarily translate into violent beatings or other forms of visual oppression.
Hillsdale Chairman of the Peace and Justice Coalition Richard Wunsch said he agreed, adding he can see in himself traces of racially based opinions.
Wunsch said he thinks, however, that Obama's victory is good thing and that it has helped cool things between the races.
"White folks have seen that a black man is best for the job, and black folk have seen that white people are willing to vote for him," Wunsch said. "We now have a president whether we're black, white or some other shade that will make black men have a much better image of themselves and give white men a better image of them, too."
Wunsch said the problem, although not insurmountable, won't be going away any time soon.
"We have several hundred years of crap to deal with," Wunsch said. "Maybe someday racism will be a relic of the past, but that won't be for a while."
Many national organizations and prominent individuals working toward sociological equality, such as author and political analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson, professors from the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American studies at University of California Los Angeles and even remnants from the Black Panther Party and Ku Klux Klan did not return phone calls.
After many phone calls to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a representative said she was unable to comment on the matter because it was too sensitive and referred The Collegian to news releases.
Wilson said the advocacy community's reticence could be explained several ways.
First, there's no authority on race relationships in America. Second, no one knows what's going to happen next. Third, spokespeople at advocacy organizations haven't necessarily assessed how Obama's election will affect future race relations.
"No one knows what's going to happen next," she said. "If you look around on the Web, there are a lot of hateful things being said on the Web with the same intensity as people expressing their deep happiness about this election."
There are some speculations about the future, though.
Ronald J. Pestritto, associate professor of political science, said self-appointed leaders of minority groups may become much less significant.
Christina Miller, a senior American Studies major and the president of the Hillsdale College Republicans, said since Obama's election, "Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson should finally both be happy."
Wilson said Obama's presidency creates an opportunity for Americans to express racial development. She said people from multi-ethnic backgrounds may feel more open about talking about their cultures and about claiming their American heritage.
Experts agreed the college-aged generation will inherit the issue.
Gonzalez said at many colleges across America, students are becoming more vocal about race issues.
"I think it's provided a lot more optimism in trying to tackle race and diversity issues. It's empowered students specifically to be more involved and be more proactive and definitely help spur more activism," she said.
Collegian Freelancer Alexi Treu and Beyond Editor Jillian Melchior contributed to this story.
However, they agree that racism isn't gone. It has played out in Hillsdale: last semester, a black Hillsdale College student was the victim of an alleged racially motivated assault (see interview on this page).
Peter Blum, Hillsdale College's professor of philosophy and culture and the director of sociology and social thought, said assuming racism is gone is a clear misconception.
"I think it's just really obvious that is not the case," Blum said. "Perhaps they're confusing racism with discrimination; you can have racists who don't discriminate."
Ruth Wilson, chair of African American Studies at San Jose State University, said Obama's election shows a shift in thought among the general American population.
"Something had to be in place before Obama decided to run for president for those people to be ready for Obama, to be positioned to support him," she said. "What's exciting is I think things have changed in America, and Obama came out of that change, and people were ready for Obama. It's not so much Obama changed things. People who wanted change saw Obama as the right candidate."
Wilson said it's difficult to assess changes in race relations, and no one is an expert in them. She said while the election of a black president signifies a change in thought, hate crimes still occur and likely will for some time.
Mary Gonzalez, coordinator of the University of Texas at Austin MultiCultural Information Center, agreed, saying while Obama's election is a victory, the race battle continues.
"I don't know what it means to get past race," she said. "While this is a benchmark event in history, it doesn't mean there isn't racism still happening in the United States. As long as racism exists, it will continue to play a part in politics."
Blum said most people are more racist than they think. He added while he does not mean everyone is racist, most people have prejudices that don't necessarily translate into violent beatings or other forms of visual oppression.
Hillsdale Chairman of the Peace and Justice Coalition Richard Wunsch said he agreed, adding he can see in himself traces of racially based opinions.
Wunsch said he thinks, however, that Obama's victory is good thing and that it has helped cool things between the races.
"White folks have seen that a black man is best for the job, and black folk have seen that white people are willing to vote for him," Wunsch said. "We now have a president whether we're black, white or some other shade that will make black men have a much better image of themselves and give white men a better image of them, too."
Wunsch said the problem, although not insurmountable, won't be going away any time soon.
"We have several hundred years of crap to deal with," Wunsch said. "Maybe someday racism will be a relic of the past, but that won't be for a while."
Many national organizations and prominent individuals working toward sociological equality, such as author and political analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson, professors from the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American studies at University of California Los Angeles and even remnants from the Black Panther Party and Ku Klux Klan did not return phone calls.
After many phone calls to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a representative said she was unable to comment on the matter because it was too sensitive and referred The Collegian to news releases.
Wilson said the advocacy community's reticence could be explained several ways.
First, there's no authority on race relationships in America. Second, no one knows what's going to happen next. Third, spokespeople at advocacy organizations haven't necessarily assessed how Obama's election will affect future race relations.
"No one knows what's going to happen next," she said. "If you look around on the Web, there are a lot of hateful things being said on the Web with the same intensity as people expressing their deep happiness about this election."
There are some speculations about the future, though.
Ronald J. Pestritto, associate professor of political science, said self-appointed leaders of minority groups may become much less significant.
Christina Miller, a senior American Studies major and the president of the Hillsdale College Republicans, said since Obama's election, "Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson should finally both be happy."
Wilson said Obama's presidency creates an opportunity for Americans to express racial development. She said people from multi-ethnic backgrounds may feel more open about talking about their cultures and about claiming their American heritage.
Experts agreed the college-aged generation will inherit the issue.
Gonzalez said at many colleges across America, students are becoming more vocal about race issues.
"I think it's provided a lot more optimism in trying to tackle race and diversity issues. It's empowered students specifically to be more involved and be more proactive and definitely help spur more activism," she said.
Collegian Freelancer Alexi Treu and Beyond Editor Jillian Melchior contributed to this story.
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