As we look toward the 2016 presidential election, some Republican strategists are floating the idea of putting Sen. Marco Rubio on the ticket to attract Latino voters. This kind of short-term, quick-fix thinking lies at the root of the “Republican problem.” As with any constituency, and particularly with Latinos, it is all about building genuine, long-term relationships; nothing less will suffice.
In commenting on the Patraeus scandal for the first time, President Obama said, “We are safer because of the work Dave Petraeus has done (true) and I “hope that the scandal would end up as a “single side note on what has otherwise been an extraordinary career.” (false) Nice try, but my gut feeling is that a male speech writer for Obama came up with this. Ask his wife, Holly Petraeus. I don’t think that “side note” in any way, shape, or form describes her take on this mess. Nor will it ever.
Earlier this week, I visited a wonderful national exhibit with some of my colleagues at Baltimore City Community College (BCCC). The exhibit, entitled, “Race: Are We So Different,” prompted us to shift our perspectives and focus on our commonalities, both in terms of genetics and culture. One quote by Patricia Williams, legal scholar and professor, really made me think; “How can it be that so many well-meaning white people have never thought about race when so few blacks pass a single day without being reminded of it?”
Lastly, consider the racist comments and disturbances, at institutions of higher education no less, in the aftermath of President Obama’s election. For example, an online microaggression by one college student (“4 more years of this N____” ) appeared on Twitter. I found myself reflecting on two quotes, the first by Robin Kelly, a historian; “Racism is not about how you look, it’s about how people assign meaning to how you look.” And lastly, from President Obama’s speech on race four years ago; “I have never been so naïve as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle, or with a single candidacy – particularly a candidacy as imperfect as my own.”