Well, apparently even O'brother (as in an exasperated "Oh, Brother"!) gets it right sometimes...or does he?...unlike many, I took a few minutes to sit down and watch (YouTube) the address that the President gave on Friday at his seemingly impromptu, yet clearly planned, appearance before the daily White House press briefing...while I am certain that some of my conservative friends will disagree, I thought that, taken as a whole, his address was both appropriate and well-intended... in fact, I thought that the “chat” (it was more that than speech) was one of his better moments...it was delivered sans the hubris and feigned affability that normally accompany his frequent teleprompter recitals...
How can an avowed Obamaphobe, like myself, possibly make such a declaration?...well, while I realize that it may result in some hardliners on the right asking to check my conservative card, I simply refuse to allow myself to filter my perceptions of everything that he does and says through my general disdain for his ideology and his policies (a disdain which remains solidly intact)...that would render me as myopic and dogmatic as I believe most liberals to be and that just ain't how I roll…
As a human being and as one who likes to rely upon reason, I can understand and (as a White American) can attempt to internalize the President's attempt to explain the origins of the angst that many Black Americans clearly feel about the Trayvon Martin tragedy and the frustration that many obviously feel towards the George Zimmerman verdict...it came across as sincere and heartfelt , intended to foster understanding while simultaneously making certain not to ignore the realities of the disproportionate involvement of Black males in the criminal justice system (his words) or to make excuses for them...his talk also struck me as surprisingly apolitical, a rarity for this President...any thoughtful person, I think, who did not already appreciate the framework of the perspective through which many Black Americans are processing these events should be better able to after listening to the President's remarks
I also found some of the steps that he suggested to actuate change (in the aftermath of the tragedy and trial) toward the end of his address positive and worthy of our consideration...certainly, any steps that we can take to further educate law enforcement and the general public on racial profiling - though I still disagree that answering the question, "What color is he? (or something to that effect)" and "What is he wearing? (the question which gave rise to the whole myth that this had anything to do with "hoodies", a completely media-generated aspect of this whole fiasco)" qualify as racial profiling - can't be objectionable...and, of course, any and all measures, programs, etc., that we might undertake to better weave Black males fully into the fabric of our nation so that they are made to feel like whole and equal fibers (citizens) would have to be considered by all as both welcomed and beneficial (Note: though I totally reject Tavis Smiley's assertion that America has disdain for Black males- there are far too many counter examples in the public's adoration for athletes and entertainment, not mention the fact that we have a Black man in the White House, to accept such a claim ...and I also reject Smiley's assertion that the President's words amounted to nothing more than a "Kool-Aid" speech )...
Time out...reality check...there were, however, a few points in his talk with which I either disagreed or would simply offer qualification and/or clarification...in the course of my thirty-one years of working with young Black men, I have known many who, despite coming from environments that may have been less than nurturing and favorable, rose above those obstacles and simply chose to become good men, sons, fathers, husbands, etc., as well as successful and productive citizens...certainly, when children of any race grow up in the face poverty, violence, and other non-nurturing environmental conditions, the obstacles that they have to hurdle to succeed in life may indeed be higher...but I believe that, unless we are content to see ourselves as simply victims of our circumstances, at some point each of us has the power to choose who and what we will become as people...so, as long as we are avoiding the "victim of circumstances" pitfall and eschewing the entitlement mentality as a solution in our approach AND are instead focusing upon helping people learn to make the right choices in life and to be accountable for those that they do make, good or bad, then overall I am in concert with the President's message regarding this issue...
As for his suggestion that the federal government needs to “help" the states examine "Stand Your Ground" laws, I am skeptical from a both a Constitutional and a practical standpoint...on a practical level, I don't think that most Americans even knew what this law was or that it existed before this case came into the spotlight...so extrapolating from the existence of these laws on the books of many states that they have fostered some kind of “Wild West” mentality, much less an "open season" on black teens for white "hate hunters" is quite a stretch, in my view…in addition, I have to wonder...in addition, are these laws are an issue when whites kill whites, and when blacks kill blacks, and when blacks kill whites, etc., and claim self-defense or does it only become a concern in cases such as this one?...
And on a constitutional plane, if we take race out of the equation (which we should since the origins of these laws do not lie in race), then these laws are purely the purview of the states, since, in and of themselves, they have nothing to do with violations of civil rights or other specific federal laws...as I expressed the other day, I am particularly concerned with the trend in which the federal government, especially under Obama, has increasingly encroached upon states' rights...you should be too...the rights and powers of the states is part of the delicate balance of power that the Framers crafted within our federal system to safeguard us from tyranny...
Regarding his proposed initiatives to redouble the focus on profiling education and efforts to better fold Black males, on a equal and whole basis, into the American mix, I was struck by the harsh reality and stark truth, I think, of the observation that I heard one Black commentator make while he was analyzing the President’s Friday appearance...speaking of the President's call for changing perceptions and, in so doing, improving the position of black males within our society, the analyst argued that POTUS was far too understated, indirect and vague on this point…he simply observed that if we want to change the perceptions (stereotypes) that the greater society holds of young Black American males, be they fair or not (and stereotypical for certain), then behaviors will have to be changed…this is an issue to which comedian/philosopher Bill Cosby speaks all the time…he cited dress, language, misogyny, violence and crime, etc., as focal points of change...the reality of the disproportionate involvement in the criminal justice system to which the President alluded is that Blacks, who compose but thirteen percent of the population, commit half of all the nation's murders and a whopping 93 percent of all murders of Blacks victims. ...accurate or not, earned or unfairly assigned, these stereotypes exist, and as long as the behaviors that give rise to them remain unchanged, progress on things like prejudice and profiling will be slow...
In closing, the President pointed to the progress we have made in race relations as a society...I was struck by his acknowledgement of it, as I recently lamented in a post that, based upon some of the hostile and divisive language that I had read during the life of the Martin-Zimmerman tragedy, perhaps we had not come as far in race relations in America as I had previously thought and hoped...upon listening to his comments, I was reminded that I was wrong...indeed, we have come far...but we have a ways to go yet...we should all be mindful that, when it comes to the quest for race equity and unity in our society, our children have been and continue to be born into a much better America than we were...perhaps more importantly, we need to be cognizant of the fact that they are born into this world without the pernicious suspicions and prejudices that we, as adults, acquire through experiences, modeling and observations, and certainly through our interactions with others within our environment...we must take care not to make racism an unwanted and negative legacy for our children...we mustn't burden our young with the baggage of racism past, thus unnecessarily perpetuating it in the present and on into the future...prejudice doesn't need any help from us...and I wholeheartedly agreed with the President that the conversations about race that are still needed among us should be held among us, the people, in our homes, in our churches, and in our relationships with one another (even on the social networks and blogs), NOT among politicians...politicians just tend to f...well, muck things up...
Lastly, I thought that the President, in a subtle and understated way, tried to let people know that, in all probability, final justice has been rendered in this tragic case and that as a nation we should prepare to move forward...he appropriately pointed out that violent and otherwise inappropriate reactions and protests in the aftermath of unpopular justice will do nothing but detract from the tragic loss and the memory of a young man's life ...had POTUS spoken out more forcefully in his admonitions, he risked ceasing to be "The" president and would have simply become the "Black" president...I thought his calm, measured words as OUR president represented the best tack...
With that said, should he have spoken out on the matter?...Given the case's national prominence, the widespread discussion of the case, and the emotions that it had evoked, I absolutely believe that there is merit to his being able to share his insights, as a Black American man, with us...it's something that certainly no previous president could have possibly ever done...could he have also addressed other cases (in the news, e.g. the Brunswick, Georgia baby shooting) and issues (black on black crime) pertinent to race in America?...sure, but at the end of the day, putting my own political biases aside, I think that he was hoping to be helpful...I think he viewed the moment as a teaching opportunity, and attempted to share his insights and thoughts in the spirit of nation-building (something that I wished that he spent more time doing, like he promised)...besides, I would much rather he speak to the topic, from his reasoned, measured, personal perspective, than to hear from self-serving, race-baiters like the Al Sharptons and Jesse Jacksons of the world...and the Jamie Foxxs?...man, please...
Now, with that ringing endorsement of his voicing his unique perspective extended, I found his open-ended query, rhetorically wondering aloud if the outcome of the trial might have been different had the circumstances been reversed, a quite different matter entirely...you know...his conjecturing "what if " it had been an unarmed, white teen killed by an armed Black man?...or "what if " an "of age", pistol-packing Martin (Black) had killed Zimmerman (he of the newly created "White" Hispanic race) and had subsequently attempted to invoke "Stand Your Ground" as his defense (Note to President: the Zimmerman defense team did not use that defense)?..."would that have turned out differently?" he queried in so many words...well, that right there, Boss, almost completely tanked your otherwise beneficial and positive introspective, in my eyes...you don't know that, given the same circumstances and evidence, things would have ended up differently, and neither does anyone else...in addition, your "what if" is somewhat of a head scratcher, given the fact that to date Blacks have made one-third of the "Stand Your Ground" defense claims in Florida, though they represent just under 17 percent of the state's population... the sort of subtle, race-baiting, "dog whistle" speculation that the President engaged in with his "what if" hypotheticals represented an uncalled for and unnecessary nadir in a message that he intended to be paternal, positive, insightful and instructional , I think...it seemed as though the President was almost determined to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory...
Some are criticizing the President for bringing race to the forefront of this case which, according to the evidence presented at trial, was NOT one rooted in race...I disagree with them...now, to be clear, beyond the rash of crimes involving young Black males in that Sanford, Florida neighborhood which preceded and provided the backdrop for this tragedy, I don't believe that race was central to George Zimmerman's thinking on that fateful night...and nothing has been unearthed in his background or in his relationships to support that it was...if race had been key, it most certainly would have been the centerpiece of the prosecution's case...but it wasn't...
However, to suggest that the intense sensationalism and extreme emotions surrounding this case, which have given it life in the media and made it the focus of discussion on social networks, at water coolers and dinner tables around the nation, and on blogs like this one, have nothing to do with race is a completely preposterous proposition...that's what has made it news!...and on the eve of a weekend where rallies protesting the unpopular verdict were to take place in cities around the nation, it would have been surprising, if not blatantly remiss of our President, had he chosen to remain on the sidelines and NOT address the elephant in the room, the raw emotions at the heart of people's frustration over their perceived lack of justice for Trayvon Martin...
And for all the naysayers and "pooh-poohers" of profiling?...it's real...it happens every day...I learned of it from talking and living among the young men that I taught and coached over the decades...I have probably been guilty of it myself...but it happens on both sides of the racial fence that, despite its becoming less high with time, still divides us to some degree...when prejudice and bias are "assumed" because of one's color, that's profiling too...but I don't think that it was the factor in this particular case that many want it, for reason or another, to be...
My final thought?...I took the time from my day to listen to a voice that I hear far, far too often and disagree with almost always...and I heard him...unfortunately, I'm not so certain that all of those that really, really needed to hear the President did...as for me?...I'm going to keep looking at the world through clear lenses and judge the people that I meet in this world by the content of their character, rather than the color of their skin...
Were YOU listening, Reverend Al?...and "This is for Trayvon" guys?...and "mired in the past" Jimmy Crow?...I hope so...but I doubt it...after all, what would you be or have without your hate?...
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