My mentor, Ira Zepp, once said, “You need to examine race, and then move on, but you can’t move on too quickly.” Presidential candidate Ben Carson, among many others in the public eye, would ask that we de-emphasize race and emphasize respect. Other issues such as education and values are much more pressing and socially significant according to Carson.
Carson argues that President Obama talks about race too much, making things seem worse than they really are. Rather, Carson feels that we need to emphasize respect rather than race, and “begin to see people as people.
Mr. Carson’s comments require closer examination.
- Talking about racial issues, by itself, will not significantly alter the level of the level of the playing field in the U.S. Obama and Carson actually agree that we continue to make progress. The question of how much progress is where they differ.
- Carson believes that the significance of race will “quickly fade into the background” if we stop talking about it so much. Obama understands the structural dimension of racial inequality, a dimension that is rooted in history. Obama would argue that while discussions are important, they are only part of the larger picture.
- Talking about race does not necessarily imply a lack of progress. Quite the opposite, talking about race, when it is relevant and focused, may indicate that we are open to learning more about this complex and ever-changing issue.
- As Carson says, there are those who perceive everything through racial eyes. While some inject race into every discussion, others refuse to acknowledge the relevance of race no matter what the situation. Clearly, we do not live in a post-racial society where race is no longer significant. By the same token, we have made significant social, economic, and political progress.
- Emphasizing respect for all people regardless of race does not mean shoving race into the background. Rather, it means trying to understand when race is relevant and when it is not.
Talking about race can be effective or ineffective. Similarly, discussions of this nature can promote respect or disrespect. They can be divisive or bring folks together, including those who live a very culturally encapsulated existence. As a professor who encourages all of his students to talk openly and honestly about race, gender, class, disability, and other dimensions of inequality, I have discovered that everyone needs a voice. And everyone’s voice needs to be heard and respected. When only one voice and one story are being told, discussions on race are apt to do more harm than good.
Perhaps we can all learn something from Arthur Ashe’s autobiography, Days of Grace. In it, he makes this plea, “If I had one last wish, I would ask that all Americans could see themselves…past the barbed- wire fence of race and color. We are the weaker for these divisions and the stronger when we transcend them.” How we get to this point is a question that deserves our attention.