Today, January 20, 2009, after Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States (he's actually not the 44th, and Justice Roberts botched the Oath, but whatever), Civil Rights Leader Rev. Joseph Lowery, 87 years old, delivered these stirring remarks to conclude his inaugural ceremony benediction speech:
"We ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to give back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man, and when white will embrace what is right."
I understand what he meant by the final stanza of his rhyme, but I wish he would not have said it in that manner - not because I am in any way offended, but because I worry that some white citizens will take his words too literally and miss the greater point he was trying to make...and that would be a shame. Rev. Lowery marched with Dr. King and decried racial intolerance when his message was significantly less popular than it is today. Although he is pleased with the progress our country has made in the last few decades, he is not blinded by it. Rev. Lowery is not so naive to believe that racism and hatred in our country have been defeated. Nor is Rev. Lowery too senile to remember how powerful and sinister such hate can be. Rev. Lowery is a realist, and he knows that although this day marks a significant milestone in the civil rights struggle, we (America) have not yet reached the "top of the mountain." Racism still exists and there is still much work to be done. Racism is like a weed that will continue to grow just beneath the surface even when you stomp it out. And so, with that understanding, he implored Americans to keep striving for ANOTHER DAY, when racism will truly be defeated.
Do not rest on your laurels, America. This is NOT the end of the fight. Just look at the composition of our country's poorest citizens compared to the composition of our overall population, and you will realize that while Obama's presidency may represent some attainment of equality of opportunity for wealthy and well-educated minorities in America, it does not represent a true "change" for those with significantly lesser means. "White" still has the power...the power to DO what is right. "White" must embrace the responsibility that goes along with that power and help end inequality for EVERYONE of all economic means. "White" - at least to Rev. Lowery - probably means the wealthy and powerful of all colors and nationalities. Rev. Lowery has even criticized Obama for promoting the notion of "giving back" on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, but not also emphasizing the NEED to keep giving back on the other 364 days of the year. Rev. Lowery is willing to point the finger not just at "White", but at "Black" and "Brown" and "Yellow" and "Red" - like Bill Cosby - and this sometimes puts him at odds with people in his own community who think that they are owed something and won't do enough to help themselves. However, he delivered the OPPOSITE message today, probably in the spirit of compromise, so as not to stir up resentment among the black community on such a triumphant day. That is a shame.
In his heart, I know (and hope) that Rev. Lowery meant to say:
"We ask you to help us work for that day when black will not [NEED TO] be asked to give back, when brown can [AND WILL WANT TO] stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man, and when . . . [EVERYONE OF PRIVILEGE] will embrace what is right [AND HELP THOSE LESS FORTUNATE THAN THEMSELVES]."
For the great work that Rev. Lowery has done in his lifetime, I will give him a pass. Fortunately for all Americans, his actions will always speak louder than his words.
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3 comments:
Interesting analysis. I can understand how it could easily be mistaken for inferring that white oppresses other colors while the other colors do not partake in racism themselves. Observing cases that white oppresses conditional on its privileged is easy while the contrapositive (not necessarily against white, though) is less frequently observed. Your interpretation is appreciated although the Rev had good intentions, but we all know with what the road to hell is paved.
I agree, especially with your last point about the "path to hell [being] paved with good intentions." I suppose that a non-literal interpretation would be that Rev. Lowery should have thought hard about the words he spoke, since this was the most high profile speech he will ever give. By offending many people, even if that was not his intention, Rev. Lowery may have cultivated as much hatred (against black people) as he has worked to destroy; ultimately paving a path straight back to the racism and bitterness he has so frequently decried.
That being said, I would think that anyone who "became" a racist after hearing Rev. Lowery's remarks was probably somewhat of a racist to begin with.
Agreed. Perhaps it was a "hail Mary" speech, which might make sense if he believes he is at the end and pinnacle of his career (and perhaps life). It's pretty hard to shoot the moon. I agree with your last point as well. Misinterpretation or the inability to comprehend the concept he was trying to urge could be the result of involuntary racism, which would suggest it was subconsciously present all along. It would be rare if there existed a non-biased but easily offended and dull enough person to misinterpret and racistly react to the comment.
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