I saw this video today and I thought it was important enough to me to post it on my blog. You may have seen it already - Obama's speech about race issues in the US, in his campaign and in politics. I think it's a brilliant explanation and acknowledgment of what's going on in this country regarding race.
I really want everyone to know that I am a racist. I admit my negative, prejudiced, oppressive and automatic thoughts, beliefs and feelings toward people of color. I am ashamed of it. Yet if I turn my head away from my own tendency to oppress people, I will continue doing it. So as I look at my racism, I encourage you all to look at yours in whatever sneaky ways it shows up in your life. And just notice it. That's all. Racism permeates United States culture and has since the founding of this country. We can't really escape it. What we can do is increase our awareness of where our beliefs, our assumptions and prejudices come from. We might be able, with more awareness, to create a gap in our thought process in which we can see people and situations freshly, rather than through a lens constructed by decades of those in power trying to convince us that people of color or women or the poor or immigrants are bad for whatever reason.
This speech that Obama gave - no matter if you support him or not - was helpful for me to understand even more the issues of race that confront us individually and as a country. I hope you take some time to watch this video. It's about 35 minutes long. Please watch it. And let me know what you think. The link is on the right side of my page under my favorites.
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