THE CORNER STORE 360

In light of a historical Presidential Inauguration that just took place, it has recently become a rather popular media trend to draw comparisons between Barack Obama and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. There has been much discussion and analysis suggesting that President Obama is the fulfillment of Martin Luther King’s dream, and that his election into the White House is the ultimate culmination to the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement, and thus progressing this nation into a post-racial society. Over the past couple of years, while Barack Obama was campaigning to win over the support of the masses, Americans have fallen in love with this individual for a multitude of reasons. As with any political figure, people have their own reservations as to why they support a candidate, however, it cannot be denied that throughout the 2008 presidential race, America has adopted a certain infatuation with Obama that is unparallel to anything seen before. One is therefore compelled to question the racial dynamic behind Obama’s appeal.

Tim Wise, a highly esteemed author who is most known for his analysis on race in the United States, stated in his lecture at Moravian College that there were a number of fundamental problems that Barack Obama could not address, due to the fact that it might unsettle the nerves of many people. One of the most significant reasons why Obama was able to gain the trust of many was because he chose not to delve deep into anything that would shed light on the undeniable concept of white privilege.

During his lecture, Wise referenced Barack Obama’s “A More Perfect Union” speech in Philadelphia, more commonly known as Obama’s speech on race. In this address, Barack Obama does indeed explicitly say, “…race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now.” He then goes on to mention that by doing so “we would be making the same mistake that Reverend Wright made in his offending sermons about America — to simplify and stereotype and amplify the negative to the point that it distorts reality.” Obama’s address on racism was very well written, with content that included great wisdom and insight. Even with the sense of genius in his words however, he is merely scratching the surface of America’s immense problem with racism. He also implies that racism is something that affects everyone equally. While advantage does damage the collective whole to an extent, institutional oppression is felt way more by black and brown people than anyone else in America. This is something that Obama had to be careful not to fully express, for had he mentioned this, people may have categorized him as a radical.

While Obama does explicitly acknowledge that America cannot ignore the issue of race in this country, it is important for one to understand the context that he refers to. This speech was given in response to the conflict surrounding his affiliation with Reverend Jeremiah Wright who discomforted a lot of people with the statements that he made. It did make sense for Barack Obama to denounce Wright’s comments as hateful given the fact that this controversy posed a threat to his campaign; however, it would have been more truthful for Obama to delve deeper and thoroughly explain the rationale behind these statements. This was something that he could absolutely not do, because he had to be sure that his speech did not come across as “an attempt to justify or excuse comments that are simply inexcusable.” Obama had make a clear denouncement of Wright in order not to be perceived as someone who may have a special interest for African-Americans, or some sort of hidden agenda. The fact that Obama had to even make this address for the sake of just remaining in the race shows that America is nowhere being post-racial.

Tim Wise raised the point that in Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have A Dream” speech, there are certain parts that are often glamorized, while other significant parts are not highlighted nearly as much.

“It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

This is an excerpt from the speech that supports the radical side of King that Tim Wise referred to. This part of his speech aggressively blames America as the source of injustice, which is uncomfortable for people to think about. Instead, society embraces the “free at last, free at last” and the “content of their character.” While these are great excerptions from his speech, they should not be isolated from the entire message that is conveyed in King’s speech because it detracts from the authentic overall vision of King.

As Wise transitioned through his commentary on the significance of Barack Obama, he continued to speak about the concept White Privilege. One interesting point that he raises in both his lecture and his essays is the myth of racial preference benefitting minority groups in university admissions and the job market. Wise consistently disputes the idea that affirmative action leads to minority groups receiving an unfair advantage over whites by bringing up the point that just by virtue of being white, one is statistically more likely to have opportunities available that blacks do not. Wise brings up the famous case of the University of Michigan’s affirmative action lawsuit. From a white privileged point of view (which may very well be objective), it is quite possible to view Michigan’s point system as a clear inequality against white applicants. Wise explains however, that in this system, there were also points allotted to students who’s parents attended college, who were from high ranked high schools, and who were from the Upper Peninsula, a predominantly white section of Michigan. As these provisions don’t appear to have clear racial bias, with further investigation one could identify that the demographic that benefits from these point clauses are predominantly middle class white students.

In his essay, “The Real Face of Racial Preference: Whites Swim in Racial Preference,” Wise uses the metaphor of fish in water. If a fish is asked what water is, it would have a tough time giving an explanation because of the fact that it surrounds them so much that they take it for granted. This principle is also true in the case of white privilege. For the sake of expanding this metaphor, in order for address this problem the fish must be exposed to a discomforting waterless environment. Taking the fish outside of it’s comfort zone would finally allow it to truly understand the substance in society that grants it the liberty to swim around freely on a daily basis.