President Obama and the Post-Racial Myth

In the afterglow of the inauguration of President Barack Obama has come the suggestion that his ascendancy marks the onset of a "post-racial" society, one in which Dr. Martin Luther King's dream has been fulfilled and race no longer is a barrier.

Indeed, his election and inauguration are mileposts in the progress of a nation. The ascension of a man of color to the most powerful position in the world is a landmark for the ages.

But "post-racial" is a bridge too far. Strained race relations have not been relegated to the past nor will they be just because an African-American family occupies the White House. Perhaps from the paneled offices within the Beltway, race might seem to have been vanquished, but those confines never have been the real America.

Obama resolutely called for Americans to seek a unity of purpose and shed old dogmas that have riven this country for decades.

America must take a heartfelt reality check.

Race, nationality and economic class will continue as barriers throughout the Obama administration and afterward. The insidious effects of prejudice and discrimination have not been eradicated, nor are they likely to be at any point in the next four, or even eight, years.

The symbolism is important, as is the reality of Obama's appointments of a diverse array of emissaries throughout the federal government. They bring a special dynamic to overcome past divisiveness and increase opportunity for many. It is delusional, however, to pin hopes on any one person or elected official to reroute decades of internal rifts and pretexts for armed conflicts around the world.

How well local governments, business leaders, institutions and non-profit organizations will act to continue bridging those gulfs remains to be seen.

Obama's elevation has set the table. But priorities and tough choices are getting only harder.

Race relations improve when people exchange views and resolve conflicts with people different from them. The idea of such change is much more palatable than actually acting outside of one's reliable comfort zone.

Power and privilege rarely are willingly shared or ceded. Many barriers continue to exist for minorities and women, although last year's presidential campaign blazed a trail for those who follow.

Obama is not only biracial, but also young enough that he's not caught up in the political chasms of the last generation. He breaks the mold in a number of ways. Yet in the real world, men and women with distinctive backgrounds, national origin or age still can be wrongly perceived as unproven risks.

The president talked about the patchwork of America in his inauguration speech. That quilt includes many immigrants who are working to absorb the language, culture and customs of the United States. The political dynamite of immigration reform must be elevated to the national stage after the economy reaches relative stability.

Our country should explode the deluded notion of a "color-blind society" espoused in the 1980s. America is multihued, not monochromatic. Yes, people have more in common than they have differences, but key differences must be acknowledged. Unity and progress are possible when those gaps are overcome by better human instincts.

Obama made an optimistic plea to heal America. And our nation, indeed, has many wounds that need cleansing and medicine. America is not post-racial; but as a new era begins, some stubborn vestiges may begin to dissolve into the American melting pot.

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