Hope in Hard Times - The Race Debate in America

During this week, President Barack Obama addressed the nation on two occasions: first in a speech to students returning to school across the nation, and second in a speech on health care reform to a joint session of the U.S. Congress. Debate on both speeches points to the deep political, racial and ideological divisions that remain endemic in our nation. Two weeks ago, my daughter began her college studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, and in one of her courses was asked to compare and contrast the views of President Obama and former Congressman Newt Gingrich on race and racism in America. I thought that her reflections were particularly timely in light of where we find ourselves as a nation. I share them with her permission:


Race in America:
A More Perfect Union Versus The Obama Challenge - by Kristen E. Hunt, College Park, MD

In the speeches "A More Perfect Union" and "The Obama Challenge," two notable politicians express their stunningly conflicting views on the presence of racism in today’s society, and its effect on the American people. After Reverend Jeremiah Wright, declared his uncompromising opinions regarding race in America, Barack Obama responded with the speech A More Perfect Union, in which he gave a remedy to heal the malady afflicting the American population. Among a variety of issues, Obama spoke about the prevalence of racial tensions which continue to define the relationship between the black and white communities. In response to Obama’s proposals intended to combat racial prejudice, Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, pronounced his opinions in the speech The Obama Challenge. After reading and analyzing both speeches, it is evident that Gingrich and Obama assert views which differ significantly.

Within the contexts of both speeches, Gingrich and Obama explicitly state their respective approaches on race. Surprisingly, both men agree that the anger contained by the black and white communities plays a considerable role in the discussion of race in America. However, this is conceivably one of the only similarities shared by the politicians. On one hand, Obama argues that to simply shelve anger or “wish it away” could prove to be completely detrimental. Contrarily, Gingrich contends that dismissing this anger and moving on is the only way that the American people can progress concurrently as a nation.

In "A More Perfect Union," Obama goes on to argue that the “black experience” is made up of a series of contradictions, such as “love and bitterness” and “fierce intelligence and shocking ignorance.” Unambiguously, the President believes that race factors into the chances provided to each American citizen. To support his belief, he notes that the inferior school systems today are often the ones that were segregated fifty years ago. Obama feels that racial tensions were undeniably the origin of the lack of opportunities for African Americans, and that it still continues to play a substantial role. Accordingly, it is both achievable and necessary for all Americans to unite and battle racial prejudices; people of all races must recognize the historically oppressive and tyrannical nature of the black experience in America.

Conversely, Gingrich challenges Obama’s outlook by reasoning that corrupt government and wayward culture are to blame for the discrepancies in today’s society. Race, according to Gingrich, is unquestionably not a current factor in the prospect for each American citizen. He notes that although one’s racial background may have lead to the denial of opportunity in the past, race is no longer an issue in the discussion of biased opportunity. To support his platform, Gingrich merely assumes that if every poor person were to move away from the areas which present “bad culture and bad government,” they would become affluent and prosperous. In order to become an even stronger nation, it is necessary to reform the corrupt culture and government leading the nation astray.

Personally, I find Obama’s views to be both accurate and relevant when examining race in today’s society. It is undeniable that the racial tensions in America have not been completely eradicated. Gingrich fails to discern this verity. Collectively, however, the American population has made definite progress in addressing the nation’s problems concerning race. Not only does Obama clearly and succinctly define the racial dilemmas which currently confine both black and white communities alike; he also provides a sensible resolution to further mend the condition of the American people. By making significant strides towards a more emancipated nation, it is clear that we, the people of the United States, are drawing nearer towards a more perfect union.