black social history OBAMA AND A POST-RACIAL AMERICA
Forty-five years, two months and one week after Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech came the most significant shift in the racial landscape of American politics. Barack Obama was elected as the 44th President of the United States of America and the first African-American to hold, arguably, the most powerful position in the world. In a country whose history is tainted with violent and shameful abuse, exploitation and the severe oppression of African-Americans, Obama’s election provided a beacon of hope for change. But does Obama’s election signify that Americans have transcended the issue of race? Or is Obama’s Presidency simply another unique step in improved race relations rather than meaningful and absolute change.
One does not wish to stereotype all Americans as racist because this generalisation is not a fair or accurate analysis of every individual in the US. Many countries throughout the world have problems with racism and the US alone should not be condemned. However, racism is embodied in overt and subvert forms of discrimination, which culminate in detrimental effects on indigenous people. This can be seen in historic and contemporary American society and because of the US’ global prominence as a superpower, it is open to extensive scrutiny. Obama’s election as the first African-American President is a significant step in the amelioration of the two largest racial groups in the US and therefore lends itself to contextualised analysis of American race relations.
Image Copyright: Berta A Daniels 2010
Some political analysts are sceptical of Obama’s election as an indication of a post-racist American society. They argue that Obama’s election is not necessarily the result of a significant shift in race ideology, but rather a unique set of circumstances in the political sphere at the time of his campaign. Executive Director of the American advocacy group Opportunity Agenda, Alan Jenkins, suggests Obama’s success is a result of him being a phenomenally gifted politician. A candidate who ran a flawless campaign in a ‘change’ election year and in the midst of the economic crisis that played to Democratic strengths.
Undoubtedly, Obama’s landmark victory signifies a degree of change and increased racial tolerance. However, in a country where African-Americans are still subjected to discrimination, inequality in the distribution of wealth, inadequate education and rampant poverty, discrepancies in theory and practice arise. Is the concept of ‘post-racial’ society a fair analysis of progression or is it simply a slogan born from race-neutral politics and a desire for both whites and blacks to avoid the difficult, and often painful or shameful, issue of racial disparity?
Many political commentators and academics have drawn comparison between Obama’s victory and other moments in history that signified progression of racial equality. The civil rights movement, the March on Washington, the outlawing of segregation in public schools in 1954 and the Million Man March, each symbolically promised lasting change in Americans’ attitudes to racism. These events contributed significantly to the acknowledgement of African-Americans’ rights and the improvement of race relations. However, they did not cause a shift to a post-racist society. These events provided legislative and judicial protection from discrimination, but a lack of understanding of the underlying racial issues proved to be detrimental to lasting change.
Enslavement and dispossession of Native Americans has left a legacy of white supremacy in the American psyche. As long as this mentality exists for a social majority, even an event as monumental as the election of the first African-American president will not accomplish a post-racist shift.
Throughout Obama’s campaign and post-election, a race-neutral mentality was adopted by the campaign itself as well as by many facets of American society including politicians, the media and the white community. Scholars Esposito and Finley argue that Obama himself embraced a ‘colour blind ideology’ during his campaign by overshadowing the reality of racism with the possibility of American egalitarianism. Neutralising racial disparities only compounds them as it disregards the progression of race relationships and the social status of African-Americans. According to US Professor Thabiti Asukile, this is “more dangerous than ever because of the illusion many politicians, academics and journalists are promoting that race does not matter any more”.
Obama’s race-neutral stance also provokes the question: if he could not adequately address racism while running for the Presidency, how could there be any meaningful change following his election? Obama’s actions suggest that he will avoid addressing race unless his political survival depends on it. “The image of a black president in many ways serves as a mask for racism,” says Asukile.
However, for the possibility of a shift to a post-racist America, Obama needs to lead by example and address issues of racial disparity, so that American society is forced to face the idea that colour-blindness is not the same as equality. Genuine progress on racial issues comes from respecting differences, not avoiding them.
Although Obama often avoided addressing the issue of race during his campaign, statistics from the Pew Research Centre suggest that the race factor favoured Obama. Even though Obama’s supporters expressed concern about the impact of his race on the election, one seven per cent of white voters said that race was important to their vote. Furthermore, the exit poll revealed that while support for Obama in southern whites was only 31 per cent, he collected approximately half of white votes in other regions.
Undoubtedly, Obama’s race was also a major factor in drawing out large numbers of African-American voters. Their share of the electorate in 2008 was 13 per cent, compared to 11 per cent in 2004 and 10 per cent in 2000. This increased activity suggests Obama’s race in itself increased the inclusion of African-Americans in the democratic process, which has been a major obstacle in improving their societal status and inclusion in state affairs. Since his inauguration in December 2008, Obama is yet to take action to improve social and economic conditions for African-Americans. Although he did not promise such action, many African-Americans anticipated that Obama would instigate meaningful change in policies that have a disproportionate negative effect on people of colour. However, the Obama Administration has not made any changes to policies such as those associated with the social safety net, criminal justice and tax policy, which have a disproportionate negative impact on African Americans. Commentator and analyst, John Powell from Pan-African Voice for Freedom and Justice says “we [America] as a society are more socially conscious and racially egalitarian than at any time in our short history. However, this improvement in the societal position on race is not reflected in either our conscious attitudes or our inter-institutional practices and policies.
Obama’s inaction and a lack of substantive policy pronouncement on race suggest that he may not be any more pro-active on on issues of race than his white male predecessors. Even in an era, in which African-Americans have improved their social and economic standing, there are major countervailing trends. For example, the poverty line for African-Americans still hovers between 20 and 25 per cent, which remains more than twice that of white Americans. While the median income rose dramatically for African-American women between 1974 and 2004, it fell for African-American men. Until there are changes in policy to correct these imbalances, no meaningful change can occur.
Image Copyright: cq.swat 2008
Perhaps the most significant indicator that the US is not post-racist is the discrepancy that still exists between African-Americans and white Americans in terms of equal opportunity and social inclusion. Obama’s Presidency indicates an improvement in racial attitudes, but this is yet to translate into policies and opportunities in both the private and public sectors.
Furthermore, human rights activist Linda Burnham argues that racist expression has taken ‘new, coded and perverse’ terms, which can be seen in right-wing policies that protect the interests of white Americans, as well as other covert expressions of racism. This metamorphosis of racism includes racial animosity in terms of concealed discrimination, structural inequality and implicit bias.
Historically entrenched residential segregation and localised poverty in many American cities perpetuates unequal opportunities in the realms of education, health care, employment and housing. Although race becomes insignificant in predicting a number of important outcomes for young adults, when asset levels are included in the models, wealth itself is nevertheless distributed unequally by race, which perpetrates a diversity of social problems. Racial disparity in this social context highlights that the racial inequality embedded in American policies and practices hinders the country’s ability to resolve its deep-rooted racial problems. “Racial apartheid and the most blatant twentieth-century forms of discrimination are behind us but the colourline has hardly faded away,” says Burnham.
While Obama’s Presidency is not indicative of a complete post-racist shift, it has the ability to transform racist attitudes, practices and policies. His supporters describe him as a ‘transformational figure’ and his Presidency as a ‘paradigm shift’. Two years before his election, a victory for Obama was viewed by a majority of political experts as impossible because of his race. However, he proved critics wrong by winning votes from a significant proportion of whites and drawing large numbers of new African-American voters. Obama is progressive in a political context that had proved to be increasingly conservative over the previous 30 years, with only one Democratic president serving two terms in 40 years. He also has the potential to alter stereotypes of African-Americans as his abilities, motivation and status challenge the typical perceptions that provide a foundation for racism.
Obama’s election is a natural step in the ongoing evolution of American democracy and ascension of African-Americans, from slavery and oppression, to complete participation in the social, political and economic spheres of American life. Obama represents an emerging demographic of educated and influential African-Americans who have benefited from social changes that were predominately brought about by the civil rights movement. He is part of a profound cultural shift and his election creates opportunities to redefine a range of social and cultural constructs in American society.
A major encouragement from Obama’s election is that he drew two-thirds of the vote from people under the age of 30, which suggest a shift in race ideology among younger generations. It is clear the ascendency of an African-American man to the highest office in the country has validated claims about social and economic success being possible for anyone, irrespective of race, as long as they can show sufficient talent, effort and motivation.
With the influences of globalisation and the increasing multiculturalism in the US, the coming years will see a broadening context of racial identity as multiracial Americans, Asian Americans and Latinos demand a stronger political voice. As demographics change, so too do the pressures on political candidates to represent broader community’s interests and demands. These are heavily influenced by not only race, but social class and generational differences. Obama’s election signifies the beginning of this journey, but it is not indicative of a ‘post-racist’ America. The US will continue to struggle with issues of racism and racial inequality. With the immense changes under way in American society, there is a need for a new theory on racial and class identity that addresses the challenges to reducing racism. Race-neutral politics will only hinder necessary progress, not promote it.
For the US to progress in its development towards becoming a post-racist civilisation, it is integral that different facets of society work co-operatively to address issues of racial disparity. Obama has the ability to facilitate this through collaboration between his Administration, non-profit organisations, policy-makers, marginalised communities and the American public. Until the US government addresses unequal opportunities and social exclusion, it cannot abolish racism that has been deeply embedded in her history and culture.
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