Was Obama a Hero in Fighting Racism?
Barack Obama’s presidential election was significant in marking a change in the nature of attitudes and beliefs regarding race in American society. As the first African-American president, the build-up to his campaign was crucial as it enforced many to evaluate pressing issues regarding race and unequal opportunities amongst minorities. His election was important in increasing voter turnout from minorities and encouraged individuals to question their own identities, bringing them closer to politics. For many, Obama’s emergence symbolized optimism, highlighting America’s progression into a representative society. It also stressed that America was diverging and breaking away from its racist and segregated past, which had long clouded the nation’s history. This essay will explore how Obama’s victory did indeed signal the beginning of post-racialism, focussing on how it increased diverse representation and resulted in popular support to redefine the meaning of ‘race.’ However, it is important to note other arguments such as conservative commentators who emphasize that prior to Obama, society had already moved beyond race, indicating that there is a strong divide amongst people in regards to at which point in history society entered post-racialism.
Obama’s ‘outsider’ status was hugely important in demonstrating that America was overcoming the racial divide, especially within the political arena. One of the reasons why this was a turning point in American history was because it traditionally broke the precedents of what characteristics defined a president. What was most appealing about Obama was that he was one of the first black men, since Jesse Jackson's presidential bid in the 1980s to run for the presidency. Unlike Clinton, many were captivated by what Obama represented. For instance, he was the son of an immigrant, who was an absent figure throughout his life and he struggled much with his biracial identity, a story which closely resonated amongst many members of the black community. Once settling in America to pursue further education, Obama notes ‘I was trying to raise myself as a black man in America .’ We can infer that Obama had trouble finding a place within a predominantly white society as simply just a black man, highlighting that racism and discrimination were deeply ingrained within American culture. He emphasizes that he ‘learned to slip back and forth between my black and white worlds, ’ in order to overcome racial challenges, giving us an insight that he never found a sense of belonging to either the black or white community. His early exposure to racial divides sheds light on the fact that despite moving past the Civil Rights era, progressive change was still required to deconstruct people’s attitudes towards minority groups. It was through his ‘outsider’ status in he was able to consolidate presidential power, securing popular support amongst those who connected with his identity struggle. Obama’s presidential election symbolized that America was transitioning into a post-racial society, crucially evoking a conversation about race, which had in the past become marginalized and of little relevance to former presidents. His election victory demonstrated that he was living proof that racial boundaries were gradually deconstructing. Yet, this is not to say that his image did not raise controversy. Multiple times he was attacked for his affiliation with the Nation of Islam’s leader, Louis Farrakhan, and was accused of being a Muslim due to his ‘funny sounding name,’ ‘Hussein’. Clinton used this as leverage and tried exploiting Obama during a convention, asking him to ‘reject’ and ‘denounce’ Farrakhan’s endorsement, which he inevitably did. Hence, despite claims that America had transcended beyond race, Obama’s public scrutiny suggested that there was still anxiety over this matter.
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Obama limited his discussions on race and adopted a ‘priceless’ identity throughout his campaign to be pluralistic in nature. This implied that he wasn’t simply electioneering as president for African-Americans but as president of the whole nation. Obama isolated the race issue except when held liable by the media in controversies such as the Jeremiah Wright scandal. Wright, in an edited sermon, argued that the foundations of the US were built upon slavery and racism. He reflected his unpatriotic attitudes by stating ‘God damn America by treating our citizens less than human. ’ For Obama who had close ties to Wright and his church, the scandal resulted in many doubting Obama’s electabilities in fear that he may share these same views. However, in reality, Wright was trying to educate African-Americans on the history of slavery and criticize the minority of blacks who were siding with Clinton, who represented the white, privileged class. Wright tried to galvanize support for Obama’s campaign by uniting African-Americans to abandon the belief that Obama was ‘not fully black’ due to his biracial heritage. Nevertheless, Wright's attack was significant because it led to one of the most important speeches in history - A Perfect Union. This was perhaps the first time Obama publicly addressed the race issue. He declared that ‘we do need to remind ourselves that so many of the disparities that exist between the African-American community and the larger American community today can be traced directly to inequalities passed on from an earlier generation that suffered under the brutal legacy of slavery and Jim Crow.’ We can infer that Obama acknowledged how racism in the past hadn’t withered away but instead continued to manifest in the present. Obama went on to mention how federal legislation in the past purposely excluded black people from gaining equal pay and opportunities to their counterparts. This conveyed that the very institution, established to protect all citizens, contributed to sabotaging equality based on skin color. Obama utilized the Wright scandal as an opportunity to talk of America's violent history, emphasizing that it was still embedded within society. As William argues, this speech set a reminder that there was a generational division between people like Reverend Wright, who claimed there was still a lack of racial advancement, and people like Obama, ‘who benefited from the advances made by the previous generation. Yet according to Pew research polls, only 51% of the African-American community believed Obama handled the issue of the race well. For many, this speech was important because it reaffirmed Obama’s ‘blackness,’ validating their beliefs that he was initially ‘one of them.’ However, not all blacks shared this particular optimistic view as some criticized that Obama had ‘failed to connect the sins of the past to the crimes of the present, when racism thrives ’, conveying that there was a wide disappointment as he made no mention of how his administration would overcome the racial injustice. Ergo, it is apparent that in spite of his election as the first black president, his race was overlooked much throughout his campaign, which is surprising given that it was his race that played a vital role in his election.
Conservative commentators have repeatedly stressed that America has moved beyond the issue of race, prior to Obama’s emergence. The color-blind racial theory highlights that race no longer seems to play an important role in one’s ability to achieve success. They suggest that the movement towards a post-racial society transpired the moment minorities were guaranteed entrenched rights following the brutal and prolonged Civil Rights campaign. With the passage of the Civil rights Act in 1964, under Johnson, conservatives indicate that minorities saw their position in society strengthen, as the government was forced to recognize their rights and citizenship. Thus, this was a turning point in American history because it showed signs of assimilation. More importantly, crucial measures were taken to safeguard minorities since the deconstruction of Jim Crow laws. Therefore, since then they argue that it should come as no surprise that Obama was able to break through the political arena as an African-American candidate as society had clearly evolved into post-racial times. They emphasize that to accept that American culture has not progressed into a post-racial society is virtually a myth. This is because there have been huge advancements to give equal opportunities to minorities some of which currently still are in practice, such as affirmative action. It is apparent that Obama himself clearly affiliated himself with the view that society had transpired beyond race by making statements such as ‘we have arrived at a ‘post-racial society ’ and that ‘we already live in a color-blind society. ’ This conveyed that he aligned himself with the color-blind theory and used a race-neutral approach to be inclusive of all groups. Yet for many, his election victory was merely an illusion, which was symbolic of post-racialism rather than it actually manifesting in practice. This was seen through the rise of police brutality and systematic racism that was experienced by mainly African-Americans, which had inevitably seen the establishment of groups such as Black Lives Matter emerge. With individuals feeling disenchanted with Obama, he faced widespread criticism that he was not doing enough to tackle the issue and hence many grew weary, taking control into their own hands. Ergo, a post-racial society under Obama was not achieved with the upsurge of institutionalized racism, which is still prominent in the US even today.
However, it is important to note that race wasn’t the main factor that led to Obama’s success. For example, by 2008 the US economy was suffering with the government shutdown as a result of the financial crash. This had mainly affected minorities of the working class who experienced hardship, as they were unable to work. It was through Obama’s strong message of hope and change, as well as promises to stimulate the economy, which had increased his support amongst the many. Secondly, Obama was only able to obtain his position through the failures of the Bush administration, which led to a disastrous foreign policy and made him more unpopular than before. Unlike Clinton, who had supported Bush’s War on Terror, Obama was not so tolerant of Bush’s policies. He believed that it further drained government finances through military funding and shaped America’s image in the long term as an aggressor. With wide public disillusionment on the handling of domestic issues, the majority of the population felt isolated, thus turning to Obama’s charismatic and strategic policies. Furthermore, there is no doubt that the Republican’s lack of appeal was also vital in building Obama’s platform and increasing momentum. With McCain securing the Republican front-runner status, he chose Palin as his running mate. Palin’s inexperience and inconsistent comments had many anxious over America’s future, giving the Republican party a weak appearance. This was perhaps one of the biggest factors which persuaded people to vote for the Democrats as alternatively, they believed they had no real option. Therefore by 2008, Obama secured his victory by winning 52% of the popular vote, suggesting that race was not the only reason for Obama’s victory.
The widening racial disparities amongst races show that American society still lacks equality. Despite Obama shaping congress to be more racially diverse, with the appointment of minorities into his cabinet, it does not overlook the domestic social inequalities that were present on a more local basis. As quoted ‘The most persistent manifestation of racial inequality in the modern United States has been racial segregation in housing and education. ’ The lack of opportunities for minorities have been marginalized to low-income jobs, leading to them being unable to raise their standards of living, in comparison to the white middle-class, who are generally well off in these areas. Here, we are able to see that race and class slowly begin to intersect showing the level of complexity. With socio-economic conditions and demographics playing a vital role in this, minorities who live in poorer crime-ridden neighborhoods are unable to experience the same prosperity. For example, nationally a third of black men are either incarcerated, awaiting parole, or on probation, suggesting they are unable to break this cycle and that the nature of racial progress has been slow. Moreover, in fields like education, evidence suggests that 70% of children attend racially segregated schools, indicating that regardless of living in contemporary times, there are areas in society still mirroring the past, needing filtration. Despite securing strong support from minorities during his first term, the lack of intervention on racial issues under the Obama administration saw many withdraw their endorsement, as they still lagged behind their white counterparts. In spite of Obama being America’s first black president, society has not fully evolved into post-racial times as there have been clear gaps both on a race and class basis, showing that his victory did not necessarily lead to a greater outcome.
In conclusion, Obama’s election campaign did to a minimal degree display that society had well transitioned past race. His legacy of being the first black president in history marked a turning point for minorities and mainly the African-American sect because it manifested that America had entered a new period of racial acceptance. He focussed on uniting all groups together rather than one community alone, reinforcing his message that ‘there is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asia America – there’s the United States of America ’. However, as examined it was the disastrous economic decline and Bush’s catastrophic handling of war that also played a prominent role in Obama’s victory. His campaign was structured more on kickstarting and rebooting the economy than on race, which despite facing criticism, he was still able to address on rare occasions. Moreover, it is vital to remember that equally, Obama’s election had seen a resurgence of the right develop conveying that racism is still prominent.
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