In a speech to Justice Department employees on Wednesday marking Black History Month, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said that the United States is essentially a nation of cowards when it comes to dealing with race. Holder stated that although the nation's workplace is largely integrated, Americans still self-segregate in their private lives. Here is a portion of Holder's speech:"Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and I believe continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards," Holder said.
Race issues continue to be a topic of political discussion, but "we, as average Americans, simply do not talk enough with each other about race."
If you've read my inaugural post to this blog stating the Purpose of Diversity Ink, you can probably guess that I think U.S. Atty. General Holder is right on the money in his assessment. Just looking at the personal photos on Facebook of some of my co-workers, I can guess that in their personal lives they don't socialize much with people outside their race.Although the office building where I work is diverse, the department itself (consisting of well over 100 employees) is predominately white. Just in my interactions with some of the whites, I get the sense that they aren't comfortable around blacks. Dealing with people outside their race is hard enough for some, so one might feel like a dentist if they attempted to get them to talk openly about racial matters.
To be fair, the street of race isn't one-way. There are blacks (as well as other minorities) who are reluctant to discuss race too. My guess is that some of them don't want to come off as militant or accusatory if the subject of race does arise. There are bound to be moments of tension and awkwardness, but I feel we have to start somewhere if we hope to ever have a chance at getting over our racial hangups in America.
Do you agree with Holder that we are essentially a nation of cowards?
For the complete text to Holder's speech, you can visit the Los Angeles Times site.
Below is a heated exchange between Pat Buchanan and Michael Eric Dyson during their appearance on Hardball the other night to discuss Holder's speech.
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5 comments:
IMO, a particular race has absolutely nothing to do with this. I have a similar post about Holder's comments on my blog.
Our take on the situation is different, to say the least.
I think the fact that Eric Holder made this speech on the national stage is historically significant, although some might believe he himself was a coward because of what he didn’t say. Correct me if I’m wrong but hasn’t Tavis Smiley and others been saying some of the same things Holder said, that in order to bridge the obvious divisions in this country then we must first create that dialogue and especially at the grassroots level (where most real and lasting change happens anyway). Would I like to hear Holder discuss the structures of inequality and institutions, including the government, who contribute to the problems? Yes.
Was that video there the other day?
I didn't like it. Is that what happens when people talk "honestly" about race?
White guy: "it's not our fault"
Black guy: "yes it is"
Even though his camera feed was cutting out, I thought Dyson was schooling Buchanan up until the last minute.
I have to say, as a white guy, I don't have an answer when someone says "You have to take responsibility for what was done to the Native-Americans in this country and the African-Americans in this country."
How can anyone respond to that?
We need to find those 500-year-old white people who stole land and enslaved people so we can get to the bottom of this! Are they Highlanders? Great movie - cheesy sequels.
And I don't know how Buchanan citing African-American statistics is a way to "come together" either.
It's obvious that he took the stance that Holder was only speaking to white folk. Although I don't agree with Holder's comments and feel that it's a far-left propaganda thing again, I do believe he was addressing everyone.
I agree with Holder. We are a nation of cowards when it comes to matters of race, culture and ethnicity, among other things (smile). We are also a nation of folks who love living in denial and who refuse to learn from the mistakes of our past.
Part of the problem, I think, is we don't really know how to discuss anything. A true discussion is not a monologue, a tirade, a shouting match, or an on-going attempt to one-up those with whom you disagree. While those things might make for good TV, depending upon your taste (smile), they don't typically lead to any real understanding, much less change.
On TV, whomever shouts the loudest, gets in the last word or makes the wittiest or most sarcastic retort, is typically the one deemed the winner. Sadly, it's all game and spectacle, which might be fine if it weren't being pitched as the honest, meaningful, well-intentioned discourse that it clearly isn't.
Do we really want to have intelligent, grown-up discussions these issues? Well, here's a thought-- when someone says, that hurts me, that offends me, that discriminates against me and then goes onto articulate how and why, the correct response to that person really shouldn't be, "Uh-uh, no it doesn't. You're just a big crybaby."
That's how preschoolers interact. It's time we grow up, as a nation, and start listening to one another, rather than getting defensive and forming our counter-attack before the person has even finished sharing his or her point of view.
Josh: I read your post and you are right... our take is different. The video of Buchanan and Dyson was added a day after I originally posted this. Dyson had Buchanan on the ropes in my opinion, which may be why Buchanan started spouting off stats about the black community (for all we know, those "stats" may not even be factual).
IMO, the people who are upset about Holder's comments are proving his point. I also don't think we do ourselves any favors by attributing Holder's comments to his political affiliation. This is a problem that we as a nation (regardless of our political beliefs) have to face.
Judi: I myself wouldn't call Holder a coward. His speech was hopefully the first of many on this topic. At the very least, I think it was a good start in getting the dialogue going on race on a more consistent basis.
By the way, I'm glad to hear that you are reading not only Diversity Ink, but two other blogs that touch on racial matters. I look forward to your continued participation here.
Lori: Excellent points all around (esp. about how televised debates on race are often judged and how adults sometimes exhibit pre-school behavior). It definitely won't be easy, but we as a nation at least have to try and do a better job at discussing matters of race.
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