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Obama on Race: Process over
Product
By Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir
July 31, 2009
What was revealed about President Barack Obama’s outlook
on racial issues as he dealt with the controversy over
the arrest of Harvard University Professor Henry Louis
Gates Jr.? Interestingly, the principle view shown by
the President was also highlighted by his Attorney
General in a controversial speech he gave last February
commemorating African American History Month.
After making unintentional remarks about the arrest of
Professor Gates in his home by Sergeant James Crowley of
the Cambridge police, President Obama extended an
invitation to the gentlemen for a beer at the White
House--a positive gathering which occurred on July 30th.
The idea it seems behind the invitation is that direct
communication between parties involved in a conflict (in
this case, Dr. Gates and Sgt. Crowley) and a skilled
third-party facilitator (here the President of the
United States), can advance mutual understanding among
the participants.
Attorney General Eric Holder also underscored the
dialogue theme in his noted speech about race. He said
that “we, average Americans, simply do not talk enough
with each other about race,” and that “we must feel
comfortable enough with one another, and tolerant enough
of each other, to have frank conversations about the
racial matters that continue to divide us.”
Participatory communication to which Mr. Holder seems to
refer is an internationally applied methodology that
builds more productive racial-ethnic relations through
inclusive direct dialogue. The process begins with
groups building trust (by sharing and acknowledging life
experiences), leading to expressions of regret. Racial
dialogue and reconciliation at the local level can
gradually become vehicles for participants to
collaboratively plan and implement their priority
socio-economic and environmental initiatives.
Mr. Holder’s comment in that speech that received great
(negative) attention--that we are “essentially a nation
of cowards”--was directed at the reality that we as a
nation commonly avoid inter-personal and -group dialogue
on issues of race (and, for that matter, religion).
People may not have the opportunity to participate in
discussions about race, but also they may not want to in
order to not feel the discomfort that can go along with
conversing about how race can determine opportunities in
life, for example. While recognizing it is difficult,
Holder suggests that people ought to persist and talk
through hard issues.
From these two incidences involving the President and
the Attorney General, what can we learn about how the
Obama administration might approach crux issues such as
an apology from the federal government for slavery,
affirmative action and reparations, and institutional
racism (in the criminal justice system, the economy,
health, and education) creating disproportionate levels
of poverty and incarceration among African Americans
particularly?
Foremost, Obama’s policies may significantly grow from
inter-racial “listening” (an act often repeated by
Obama)--or racial dialogue across U.S. communities. In
fact, policies and programs that create constructive
local dialogue about racial and ethnic experiences and
partnership could be viewed by the administration as an
end in itself.
This approach to managing racial issues embodies the
President’s bottom-up philosophy, and could unfold in
society in the following way. Understanding and
relationships among racial and ethnic groups are built
during inclusive local dialogue. Then, coalitions form
and local racial movements composed of diverse groups
spread horizontally--from one group to another and from
one community to another through peers, its
demonstration effect, and the ongoing training and work
of facilitators. The local movements then partner and
have a vertical effect--on state and national laws and
policies.
For this to happen, dialogue at the community level
needs to be catalyzed, facilitated, and sustained. What
kinds of programs then spur on these local bottom-up
processes? To start, the U.S. Department of Education
could dedicate funding to compiling existing and
creating new participatory dialogue activities that
provide some structure to group dialogue to maximize
information sharing, and build trust and partnership. A
warehouse of racial dialogue tools ought to be made
available on-line.
People, particularly those in a position to apply them,
need to be trained in facilitating community-dialogue.
Training can be given to leaders in government from the
many departments who liaison with local communities;
members of communities of faith with support from the
White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood
Partnerships; AmeriCorps and other grassroots
volunteers; university students through
community-building programs; and community workers from
Organizing for America, the successor organization to
Obama for America. Civil society organizations working
on issues of racial reconciliation would be
indispensible partners for their community outreach and
capacity to train.
The emerging position of Obama on race does not seem as
much focused on end solutions to our most challenging
problems, but rather more on the process of how
sustainable solutions may be found. Under Obama, then,
race-related programs and policies would not be directed
toward pre-determined ends, but rather reflect the
consensus position derived from countless community
conversations. The end for Obama, then, which utilizes
magnificently his skills and identity, is to build the
means by which people can come together and talk.
Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir is joining the faculty at Al
Akhawayn University in Morocco next month. He is
president of the High Atlas Foundation, a nongovernment
organization founded by former Peace Corps volunteers
and dedicated to community development in Morocco. The
views in this article reflect the author’s.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Tel. (646) 285-7444
yossef@highatlasfoundation.org
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