During a speech in honor of Black History Month, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder left Americans with scathing comments concerning dialogue pertaining to race, calling the U.S. ‘a nation of cowards.’
Regardless of his motives and rationale, using these words seems counterproductive, quickly pushing people from conversation to confrontation. No one can have open discussions about race when on the defensive.
‘To get to the heart of this country, one must examine its racial soul,’ Holder said. ‘This is truly sad, given all that we as a nation went through.’
Without a doubt this is true. The U.S. has a history encompassing all different races, all of which we should embrace. This is why we celebrate cultural diversity through events such as Black History Month. However, his advice of discussing race frankly is easier said than done. Where do we start?
Earl Ofari Hutchinson, political analyst and social issues commentator for The Huffington Post, says much of the reason we as Americans do not openly talk about race can be attributed to presidential nominees, including Obama.
‘Race has been a taboo subject for presidents and their challengers on the campaign trail for the past two decades because no president or presidential challenger, especially a Democratic challenger, will risk being tarred as pandering to minorities for the mere mention of racial problems,’ Hutchinson wrote in his Sept. 18 article ‘Why McCain and Obama Won’t Talk about Race, but Should.’
Similarly, because politicians’ every word is examined, no one wants to say the wrong thing and end up labeled a racist or discriminatory.
Hutchinson also said, other than a speech made to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Obama’s only real mention of race on his road to the White House was while distancing himself from his controversial former pastor, Jeremiah Wright.
‘We, average Americans, simply do not talk enough with each other about things racial,’ Holder said.
‘If we are to make progress in this area, we must feel comfortable enough with one other and tolerable enough of each other to have frank conversations about the racial matters that continue to divide us.’
Given the delicate nature of the subject matter, it would seem it is up to average Americans to be the change they wish to see in the world.
Progress must come from the people, not the government; because from the looks of it, the people in charge aren’t planning to do much about it.
‘We have made a lot of progress. The fact we have an African-American attorney general, an African-American president, I think, is extremely significant,’ Holder said.
‘But it is not an indication that all of the problems that we have confronted as a nation over the years are now resolved.’
For all the changes Americans are seeing under the Obama administration, whether we support them, we should take advantage of the movement and change our own daily lives for the better.
For those of us whose words are not being recorded and every step watched, we have the ability to openly discuss things like race with friends and family. We should take advantage of this and talk.
Matthew Keever is a communication junior and may be reached at [email protected].
