Bowing to mounting pressure from the media and criticism from American citizens [apparently, mostly White], advisors of the President convinced him to schedule a hastily arranged meeting with the Presidential Press corps to quell this firestorm before it severely distracts from his effectiveness to govern. An off-hand remark roughly 72 hours ago about the arrest of his friend Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates jr. (“Skip”) by Cambridge police which he called “stupid” had begun to undermine his domestic agenda and threatens to polarize the country on the issue of “race” relations. According to the latest MSNBC opinion and other online polls as well as Internet chat rooms, nearly three-fourths of respondents disagreed with President Obama’s characterization of the police officers and feel that he should apologize to them and the arresting officer, Sgt. James Crowley.
The apology is a no-brainer because President Obama had no choice in this matter because irrespective of being the Chief Executive and Commander-in-Chief of the Military, he is still in the final analysis, just a “Black” man in America; in spite of his bi-racial roots. This is a ‘reality’ check for Barack Obama and America as well because throughout the Presidential Campaign there has been a careful attempt to avoid seeing Barack Obama as the "Black" President because of all the emphasis on his White heritage (mother, maternal grandparents, uncle, etc.). Even his unforgettable discussion on “race” after former pastor Jeremiah Wright’s inflammatory rhetoric has not healed the deep wounds that still exist in America regarding its history of chattel slavery, Jim Crow segregation, miscegenation, Civil Rights, lynching, voter disenfranchisement, housing and employment discrimination, gentrification, redistricting and racial hatred. Indeed, it must be remembered that it is the “power” of the Oval Office and ‘NOT’ necessarily the person who occupies it that matters; and it seems that Barack Obama has found this out very early in his presidency.
The misconduct of police towards racial minorities is nothing new because it happens all over the place, in cities too numerous to mention; especially those of large urban areas or in a few infamous towns or cities in the Southern United States. This incident with Professor Gates happened in the most liberal States and home Harvard, of one of the most prestigious colleges in the country and the alma mater of the President himself. So, as President Obama called this incident a “teachable” moment, it seems that he is the one who has been ‘schooled,’ and although he invited Sgt. Crowley and “Skip” Gates to come and join him for a ‘brewski’ at the White House, no one has sent their RSVP back as of yet.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
July 24, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com
