Lost in Transliteration

The birth of a buzzword is probably a simple thing.

This one, I would guess, was no different. It likely began in the heart as an aspiration of the way things could be. In the mind, the word gathered weight, substance. It was a seed seeking fertile ground where it might take root and, finding sunlight and sustenance, begin to sprout. Spoken, the word received validation and bloomed. As it spread, it became something else, something more. A buzzword.

The word? Postracial society.

I’ve heard the term often enough. During those first frenetic days when the media was still grappling with the significance of the nation’s first Black President, some pundit would invariably ask: Isn’t a Black leader of the free world proof enough that we’ve gotten over our issues with race?

I’d like to believe that. I want to believe it. But wanting to believe a thing does not a reality make. I submit that we do not yet live in a postracial society, if only for one simple reason: people say the darndest things.

The 2008 Presidential campaign was remarkable in so many ways. The Democratic Party nominated its first African American to contend for the highest office in the country. Barack Obama proved that vision and charisma could be enough to bring unlikely voters back to the booths again. Not to be outdone, the Republican Party nominated its first woman as a Vice Presidential candidate. Sarah Palin, a little-known Governor from the state of Alaska. energized a listless group of supporters and rivaled- some would argue that even exceeded- her running mate’s ability to generate headlines and excitement.

And, of course, there was Hilary Clinton, the first woman to receive 18 million votes in a Democratic caucus and primary season.

For me, it was the first election in a long while where it didn’t seem as though we were making a President of the perceived lesser of two evils. Party and policy differences aside, these were individuals whose care for our nation was intelligently articulated in ways that inspired and motivated.

But it was a long, grueling process, one that strained the limits of respect and civility and shone a bright, unflinching light on the myriad differences within our electorate on issues of policy, vision for the future, and race. It was a campaign season I don't think we'll forget anytime soon.
What I won’t forget are the numerous statements I heard about race.

A random guy off the street told a CNN reporter this: “The only change a black man can make for me are for the dollar bills in my pocket.” Old people say the darndest things.

I heard Jeremiah Wright say he believed HIV was created by the U.S. government as a tool of genocide against people of color. Pastors say the darndest things.

Geraldine Ferraro had this to contribute: “If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman of any color he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept.” Former Democratic running mates from the 80s say the…you get the point.

Did all those sentiments about race simply fade away after Election Day? No. They’re all still out there, hidden (or not-so-hidden) beneath a very sensitive surface.

Whether you believe the statements or not, I think we can all agree that they are not the words one might expect to hear in a postracial society.

With Barack Obama’s election, the country has taken a visible step towards the goal. The journey, one that our national conscience has been walking for some time now, is far from complete. All that has come before has been a painful but necessary prelude for what is to come.

I recall these quotes not because I believe that a postracial society is beyond our reach. Achieving such a community, however, will take effort, resolve, and time. There have been and still are obstacles standing in the way - systems, institutions, and people who would hinder the pursuit of progress. Though they represent a kind of Old Guard, they are not all old. Some are actually quite young. Some haven’t been born yet.

If there is a future where this undiscovered utopia exists, then those of us still alive may have the toughest time living in it. There are so many ways in which intent, delivery, and reception can get screwed up.

Earlier this month, Texas State Representative Betty Brown, while addressing a member of the Organization of Chinese American on an issue of voter identification legislation, said the following: “Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese- I understand it’s a rather difficult language- do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?”

She went on to say, “Can’t you see that this is something that would make it a lot easier for you and the people who are poll workers if you could adopt a name just for identification purposes that’s easier for Americans to deal with?”

Though Representative Brown maintains that her remarks were not racially motivated (see the video here), the fact remains that even a polite suggestion to change one's name- even for official purposes- doesn’t seem all that postracial to me. While I can imagine Arnold Schwarzenegeer as Robert Johnson or Rod Blagojevich as Steve Green, something important gets lost in the translation.

Politicians, it would seem, say the darndest things, too.