Dr. King, Obama and the US today

Last year President Barak Obama took the oath of office becoming the 44^th President of the United States of America.  I had the opportunity to stand on the mall and witness this great moment in US history.  “This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed -- why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.”  President Obama challenged our nation to reflect on what it means to be citizens of the United States and the responsibility that comes with being born here.  He talks about the amazing triumphs of our nations and the challenges we now face.  Was this moment the fulfillment of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream?  No, but it demonstrated how far racial reconciliation has come and how far we still need to go.  King also spoke of the evils of poverty and militarism, issues we continue to ignore. I believe Dr. King was smiling down from heaving, still praying that our country would continue moving forward toward reconciliation and peace.

The spring following the inauguration a club on my university’s campus hosted an event called “Born Identity”.  Attendees walked through an exhibit that told the stories of prejudice and marginalization in the United States.  It brought up contemporary issues of white privilege, unequal pay for women, immigration and the war(s) in the Middle East.  It explained that in the United States, each person is required to live in a reality defined by their skin tone, ethnic and cultural background, socioeconomic status, gender, religion, and immigration status.  Students walked through the exhibit and some where shocked by the contemporary reality of some Americans.  Their reaction was fear.  “This exhibit attacks whites” some wrote in their letters to the editors. 

Confronting issues of race is difficult for white people.  There is a lot of guilt and fear associated with past injustices.  It is hard to apologize for something that we don’t recognize as our fault.  I may have not done or said racist things intended to do harm but I live in a society that has institutionalized racism.  It is built into our institutions and not recognizing this is perpetuating injustice.  As a white person, I have the ability to walk past an exhibit on white privilege and ignore it.  But that very act, is an example of my privilege.  Students of color cannot ignore it because it is part of their everyday reality.  Every time they walk into a room, they become aware of their race.  Whereas I intentionally choose to be aware of myself and others in order to combat injustice. 

We celebrate the one year anniversary of the first black president of the United States and a day set aside to reflect on the message or Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  I encourage us to ask the hard questions, confront our fear and learn from our past. 

Letter to the Editor for the SPU Falcon

http://www.thefalcononline.com/article.php?id=5805

Articles and opinions

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34925317/

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2009/01/19/sesay.mlk.inauguration.king.cnn?iref=allsearch

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/19/sjsu.mlk.irpt/index.html?iref=allsearch

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/01/18/benjamin.king.obama/index.html?iref=allsearch

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/01/12/obama.race.dialogue/index.html?iref=allsearch

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/01/15/navarrette.obama.race/index.html#cnnSTCText