For those you who have not read/seen Barack Obama's speech from yesterday must take a bit of time to read this - here is the full transcript on the NY Times website.
He has eloquently put into words what is pushing me to write my dissertation - we DO have a problem with race in America. We DO need to fix our broken system. Recognizing it is part of the process - but finding out what we can do to CHANGE it is what is called for now - what we must do.
I know this campaign is not supposed to be about race - but it is. I know this campaign is not supposed to be about gender - but it is. Because America is so obsessed with these constructions. This man and his administration is the right person to lead our country - now, at this particular moment, to encourage America to face race head-on, to recognize that race is a construction, that race has been created by those in power with deep-seated anxieties about what the "Other" might be, who project their own fears onto the "Other" instead of finding out who s/he really is about. Because until we recognize that race is a problem in this country, still is a problem, we will never get beyond it. Obama seems to be the only one who is uniquely positioned to guide America into the next phase - he genuinely wants to see America change. And god knows we need a little of that right now.
Okay. End of my public service announcement. But don't just read this post, read the text of his speech.
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