Race in America… Duuuhhhh…

I know I am jumping on the “Amen corner” bandwagon following Barack Obama’s speech on Race in America. Everybody needs to read the full text of his brilliant speech and take away one major point. WE CAN NOT AND SHOULD NOT IGNORE THE ROLE THAT RACE HAS PLAYED IN THE FORMATION, CREATION AND CONTINUATION OF AMERICAN SOCIETY! It is literally astounding to me that some people are acting as if they are hearing the points Obama made for the first time. This is nothing new. What is new is that a Presidential candidate made it plain. Let’s not forget that former President Bill Clinton tried to open up a national dialogue on race during his administration without much success. I also blame my fellow journalists for not being bold enough to stand up and “speak truth to power.” Perhaps it is because we don’t really own or control the most powerful media outlets in the world which continue to give us a distorted view of the world. As I said in an earlier blog, I am having a flashback to the 60’s when people wanted to make a difference and when people had the courage to speak openly and honestly. After the 60’s, there was a clamp down on free speech and free thought. I am documenting what happened in a video I am preparing on what has happened in our nation’s newsrooms 40 years after the issuance of the landmark Kerner Commission Report. That documentary will be premiered at the Unity convention this summer in Chicago. I have taped stories from pioneer journalists who went through the fire and opened the doors that many of us have now walked through. For years I had said that many of the issues associated with diversity are the result of the fact that we are too “scured” to speak up. Obama is setting an example for all of us.