I was on The Mike Signorile Show (SIRIUS OutQ - channel 109) on Friday to discuss Obama’s speech about race relations, and the impact of race on politics and culture — along with our lack of ability to discuss it in a productive manner. While we are doing a pretty good job here on Pandagon (see the comments in the recent post on Pat Buchanan’s outlandish column), I think that is the exception, not the rule.
Here is the audio. Use the player below or click here for the MP3
While we’re on the complexities of race, on April 24-26 there will be a landmark LGBT conference in Baltimore hosted by the National Black Justice Coalition. I liveblogged the Philly event last year, which focused on homophobia in the black church. The 2008 event is going to be a much larger conference, given that it’s an election year.
The conference will feature over 50 national experts, 35 workshops, a tone of panel discussions, Q&As and receptions. During this conference the NBJC is partnering with the DNC and The Victory Fund’s Gay and Lesbian Leadership Institute on a Candidate & Campaign Training event for people of color (see Michael Crawford’s diary for details). The purpose of the training will be to give participants the skills needed to run an effective campaign for public office — more LGBT elected officials means more visibility.
The conference is divided into three tracks (you can register here):
Day 1 - April 24, 2008: Health and Wellness Track
Focuses on Black Wellness including HIV/AIDS.
Day 2 - April 25, 2008: 3rd Annual Black Church Summit
Focuses upon Black Church Homophobia
Day 3 - April 26, 2008: Leadership Development and Mobilization Summit
Focuses on Black LGBT Politics, 2008 Presidential Race and Marriage Equality.
For those interested in the Candidate & Campaign Training, you can apply here.
As PageOneQ reports, over the weekend Obama stressed how wedge issues such as marriage equality are still being bandied about to divide people. The same can be said about race.
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), speaking to rally attendees in Medford, Oregon on Saturday, took issue with how recent political campaigns have used wedge issues to divide the electorate, but have ultimately done little to make a real difference, especially when there are more important things to worry about.“I mean, think about what these last few election cycles have been about,” the Senator said. “We argue about immigration, but we don’t try to solve the immigration problem. It’s an argument that is all about people’s passions instead of trying to figure it out.
“We argue about gay marriage. You know, in the meantime the planet is, you know, potentially being destroyed. We’ve got a war that is bankrupting us. And we’re going to argue about gay marriage? I mean, that doesn’t make any sense.”
3 Responses to “Audio from my segment about race on the Mike Signorile Show”
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Thank you Pam!
I have been fortunate that I have had friends in whom I’ve had relationships where we can ask and answer racial questions and neither take offense. We understand that we are removing “tapes” that we got overting or inadvertantly throughout our lives. And it is from, or has been from both sides. But that takes a comfort that only deep friendship provides.
We also acknowledge that the race issue is there. 25+ years ago we were all having lunch together when we got on the subject of my African American friend (now a Dr.) going to pick up another friend when she went back home for a visit, and bring her back (for school). She is white and lived in a very small ALL white small town in Colorado. He began to pile on all the reactions he would receive from this small town when he went to pick her up.
We were on the laughing as we ate our lunch, because while it was so sad and so our mutal acknowledgment, not shrinking from it, not ignoring it, but acknowledging it. But in his bit he forgot to use one word, which I reminded him of -”you forgot to add boy” which was immediately added and which sent all of us to the floor.
This is the same person who called me on some passive racism I was expressing in my attempts to make a joke. So he wasn’t a push over, and I stopped using it then and there. (I actually knew where it came from, my high school JROTC instructor) - we still talk for many hours on the phone.
Another African American best friend (I hate having to reface it that way) and I have the same, “ask anything I won’t be offended” relationship. One day I was telling her how my mom always fried chicken in an electric skillet. She stopped me and was surprised, “your mom fried chicken?”
“yes”
“You grew up making and eating friend chicken?”
“Yes”
“I was taught that white people don’t eat fried chicken.”
I started to laugh, “S” I said “there’s a big white head on the KFC sign” — she hadn’t made the connection
I have a “rainbow” of best, close friends, African American, Asian, Latinos, white - and I am generally the one who stands up and challenges other whites on white priviledge. Because after the person generally get’s the obligatory “white liberal guilt” comment out, I go on and challenge them.
The most recent was here on my block. I live in a cul-de-sac of 6 homes. 3 of those homes have a toddler. One of the toddlers lives in a home of an O’Reilly loving white conservative. Another is a 4 generation African American family.
One day when we three were outside, conservative father said did the Tony Snow - there is no racism, and no such thing as white priviledge. My African American neighbor wasn’t going to take it on, it was too charged. But it wasn’t so charged if I took it, and I did.
I asked him if he was going to teach his son to put his hands on the dashboard if stopped by a cop
he said “no”
I turned to my African American neighbor and asked her and she said “that’s what we were taught, that’s what i will teach”
I turned to him and said “that’s your white privilege.”
My white uncle when he and his family came to visit was watching “Mannix” with my dad and I. He said “He’s the guy with the n***** secretary?” - I left the room.
It was the same visit where my cousin found out that I had a crush on an African American boy in my class - she became unglued.
My dad’s family said many racist things, and some were/are outright racists. What they said was offensive and there were times removing ourselves from their presence was the only way to preserve some harmony . . . I’m surprised their heads didn’t explode when I said “I do” to a man that wasn’t/isn’t white.
However my mother’s brother, a farmer, asked me when I was visiting them in Kansas - if I had and “angus” kids in my school .. . we were at the stock tank at the time and he was watering a few cattle. There was angus among the cattle, but they weren’t the only ones.
I wasn’t offended at that. He was trying to ask about integration at school - it was an ackward and ignorant way to ask the question, but it wasn’t done with malice in his heart.
Okay, I’m done opening a vein.
Pam, u r teh rawkerz.
In all seriousness, I’m so glad you’re out there throwing punches—albeit, calm, rational, gosh-that’s-common-sense-isn’t-it punches—on this speech. There’s clearly a real attempt on the part of the mainstream media to downplay the issues raised, and unless the blogs push back, they might accomplish that goal.
What bothers me is that I think it’s 50% racism, but also 50% the MSM can’t stand that Obama’s smarter than they are. He’s not only wonky, but an elegant politician who flicks away bullshit like it was just a buzzing fly. They go after his church in thinly veiled racist terms—most politicians would respond by jumping around, scared to piss anyone off. He instead calls them on their shit, calls out the racism for what it is, and gets ahead of the controversy. So now they’re determined to reinterpret what was a monumental MSM smackdown until it doesn’t look like a smackdown. We can’t let that happen.
Hey Pam, I can’t listen to the show right now because I’m on a school computer, but I just wanted to thank you for all your great work on race issues here. I know that the commenters here (many of us white) sometimes don’t feel like we have much to add to the discussion (as you say, race is really the third rail in American politics), but your perspective is really valuable.
Give ‘em hell!