by Elaine Sihera

Created on: March 20, 2008

Why Race Cannot be Ignored in the 2008 Elections

Minorities might boast about their 'heritage' just now simply because they have not had much of a heritage in public life to boast about down the years. This is the first time someone like themselves (Barack Obama) have had the opportunity to reach the highest office in the land. It is perfectly natural to take pride in that, and it will continue that way until black presidents become as usual as white ones, then race will cease to become any kind of issue in elections. White people might not 'boast' about their heritage publicly, but they make sure it continues intact and remains as the dominant force through mutual support, deliberate career and lifestyle exclusions and covert racism.

Obviously, if Barack Obama wins, he will 'dethrone' Bill Clinton, who was regarded as the first 'black' president. Yet that dubious title merely stoked up the perceived inferiority of blacks to a great degree. Translated, it is actually saying that, as there was no hope of a black person becoming president, and Clinton also looked out for black people, then he was the first 'black' president. It also cements the idea that a black person could never hold such high office so someone white has to be the black president by proxy. In a sense, blacks were being patronised by the Clintons.

But the saddest thing for minorities are the black folks who happily repeat that label with some pride, not seeing the inferior message it carries! Anyone who really cared about black people would not be boasting about, or taking pride in, being their 'black president'. He would be working with them to get equal representation for everyone.

Race has been used to make decisions from the dawn of America, except that the beneficiaries of these decisions have always been white, and that seems to be accepted. An interesting aspect of such biased decisions is that the constant election of white presidents have not been considered to be 'divisive', or Anti-American, but the minute a black perspective comes into play, then everyone begins to worry about the focus on race.

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