Obama Waffles

I'm so mad, I can't write about this issue. Check out the story at Christianity Today about a vendor at the Values Voter Summit selling Obama Waffle Mix.

Just to be clear, this is not about free speech or satire. It's racism.

Clueless Republicans

Some people are so clueless that they don't realize that "uppity" in reference to African-Americans has an extremely negative connotation, going back to the days of slavery. Masters called disobedient slaves "uppity". The latest example of how some Republican politicians are out of touch with everyday people is illustrated by U.S. Representative from Georgia, Lynn Westmoreland.

How does earning a good education, using student loans and scholarships, make someone "uppity"? How does helping laid-off white workers as a community organizer make someone "uppity"? Isn't it the American dream to come from humble beginnings to national prominence?

Get a clue.

Here is a good take on elitism from George F. Will.

The Race Card

Check out an interesting take on the subject of race in both campaigns from Anna Quindlen.

I am American.

I have spent the evening NOT making my condo toddler-proof. My sister and her family are staying with me this weekend, which includes my 16-month old nephew. So, what was I doing instead of covering sharp furniture corners? I was catching up on my favorite blogs, and the list keeps growing every few weeks.

One post from my friend Pam caught my attention. Pam references an article about the Spanish basketball team making an offensive gesture toward Chinese people, and frankly all Asians, in my opinion. We're talking about racism. The type of racism expressed by the Spanish is the kind that worries me the most. You could probably call it ignorance. We really haven't come that far in our modern culture if educated adults think that making slanty-eye gestures or using phrases like "fresh of the boat" is even remotely acceptable.

Pam and I were both raised in Midwest towns (in Illinois for her and Missouri for me), where only a handful of Asian kids attended our schools. For most of my childhood I was comfortable at school and with my friends, but once in awhile, I would get a swift reminder that I was not like everyone else in my town. I still live in my hometown and I really can't tell you how often I go through this conversation:

Stranger: "Hi, how are you? That's a different last name. Where are you from?"
Me: "I'm from St. Louis (or St. Peters, my hometown)."
Stranger: "No, really. Where are you from?"
Me: "I was born in St. Louis."
Stranger: "Oh. I mean, what's your nationality?"
Me (irritated at this point): "I'm American."
Stranger (finally noticing my irritation): "Well, that's not what I meant. Where are your parents from?"
Me: "Thailand. They've been here for over 38 years, over half of their lives. I'm American, but my ethnicity is Thai."
Stranger (back to total ignorance of my irritation): "That's great. I love Thai food!"

At this point in the conversation, I either politely extricate myself from this person, making my parents proud for not provoking confrontation, or I steer the conversation to the halfway decent Thai restaurants in St. Louis.

However, lately, I find myself becoming the educator. If anything, I make people uncomfortable by forcing them to see their inherent racism. I honestly think that most people believe that they are not racists, even though they carry these pre-conceived notions in their head, or they ask questions like the ones above. This is how they were raised -- no exposure to anyone of non-Caucasian, non-Anglo, or non-European background.

I think you only know racism if you have experienced it firsthand or if a close friend or relative has experienced it and you share their pain. For me, the pain is not just about racism against Asians, but of people of all races. I know what it feels like to be the minority and to feel alone in a sea of sameness.

Earlier, I mentioned having reminders of race. Even today, I wonder what the person at the retail store thinks when they see me coming up to the counter. Do they automatically think that I speak with an accent? Are they surprised when I speak English with a perfect Midwestern accent? I don't think about this too often, because it would drive me insane. So, I guess it's a sanity check, albeit a negative one.

I live with racism everyday. I never know when it will rear its ugly head. Will I need to get into a debate with my co-workers about immigration? Will I need to remind friends that America is a melting pot and even our exalted forefathers were immigrants? It really does get old. How often do I need to tell people that I am American? Would it be this way if I lived in a more diverse community?

Honorary Degrees

I was touched by a story I saw on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer this evening. The story was about how Oregon State University conferred 23 honorary degrees to Japanese Americans who were sent to internment camps during WWII. These students were never allowed to graduate from OSU. I know that some people think that apologizing for past behavior (discrimination, racism, slavery, etc.) is unwarranted. I think that these people don't realize that we cannot hide from the sins of our fathers. By expressing remorse, we let the victims of racism and hate know that they are not forgotten, that their pain and suffering has meaning.

You can listen to the MP3 podcast on the NewsHour's PBS site.

MLK - Letter from Birmingham Jail

I've been catching up on my DVR shows and I just finished the tribute, King, to Martin Luther King, Jr. on The History Channel. They featured a letter that Reverend King wrote from the Birmingham, Alabama jail. Much of what he writes still applies to the present day, especially this quote: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

Forty years after Dr. King's assassination, I feel like that we haven't fulfilled his dream of equality. The examples are around us everyday -- new opposition to affirmative action, the reluctant to use qualified minority businesses as vendors, and the whispers of the invasion of foreigners in the workplace. I see these things everyday and it makes me very sad. I do my best to educate and try not to preach. It's very hard to go up against the establishment, when I'm the only one among my co-workers who really understands and has experienced prejudice.

Well, I'll continue to fight the good fight. Wish me luck.

Do we cultivate a culture of ignorance?

I recently read a commentary on STL Today, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's website, on Barack Obama's recent speech on race. The article discusses our country's descent into ignorance and rejection of intellect. The writer praises Barack Obama for believing in the American people and not dumbing down his speech on race.

I encourage you to read the short article from STL Today and to listen or read Barack Obama's full 37-minute speech on the state of race in America. Please do not only listen to the short 30-second soundbites on CNN or Fox News, as I did. If you do, you will miss out on this profound emotionally and intellectually stirring speech. I truly believe that Barack Obama writes from his heart. The words are not empty, but so full of meaning that I admit to tearing up at the end of the speech. He really makes me believe in the promise of America.