Race Today, Race Tomorrow
Ethelbert Miller on Talking About "It"
2009-09-21
By Ethelbert Miller

There was a story about Race back on the front-page of The New York Times last week. No surprise.

Whenever race become a flashpoint, the media gets trapped into stories about the need to move beyond it. We seem to be a nation with the measles. If only we could change our seat and move beyond the sickness. The problem is that we tend to think of race - especially when it comes to black people- as being negative. The word “race” is always associated with the word “problem”.

Maybe that's the problem.

I don't want to move beyond race. Where would I go? I checked my ticket and it says Black. That's my destination. I'm happy with it. I didn't buy a ticket to move beyond who I am. I am not a problem. Are you?

We seem so surprised by all the racial stuff in the air these days. Why? There were racists in the United States before Obama was elected president. Do you think they simply disappeared or moved beyond being racists? No, they are still here and they are not going anywhere. On page 18 of the Times I read, there is a small article about the beating of a black female Army reservist outside a restaurant in Morrow, Georgia.  Cracker Barrel. No jokes, please. She was attacked by a white man back on September 9th who punched and kicked her while yelling racial slurs.

Was this a teachable moment? Yes, and there will be more.

Meanwhile racists love to code their language. They love playing offense and defining the terms. Sometimes their lack of education gets in the way. So now we have Obama being presented in posters as Hitler. If that is the case, how are white skinheads going to display their swastikas? Because if Obama is now Hitler - who are they?