A Message from PolicyLink founder and CEO Angela Glover Blackwell

There have been moments in this nation’s racial history when we’ve seemed ready to open the door that hides our collective prejudices, resentments, and pain.

During Reconstruction, we had the opportunity for an honest debate that may have helped heal still-fresh wounds of slavery. In the wake of the Brown vs. Board of Education decision, we headed toward a national conversation about the injustice of America’s unequal schools. With the release of the Kerner Commission report, we came close to talking about the toxic lack of opportunity and hope that were dragging down our cities. In the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, we inched toward having a true and honest dialog about race in this country.

But it seems like every time we get close to real dialog, the door is slammed in our faces by leaders unwilling to gaze into the American soul or those all too happy to reap the benefits of the crippling status quo.

Could this time be different? The country is in the midst of a long and difficult national election campaign, a race that on its face challenges outmoded notions regarding race and gender while remaining notably devoid of in-depth discussions about those issues. However, the door to discussion may be opening. Pundits and rank-and-file voters are saying that Senator Barack Obama’s speech on race and unity on Tuesday may present a turning point in our national dialog. I, for one, am hopeful the nation is finally ready to engage in a thoughtful, informed conversation that will help us confront the complexities and nuances of the past.

Too often, discussions on race remain on the surface, triggered by a current event or debate - an affirmative action law, say, or a race-charged case in the Supreme Court. But racial history is long and complex. It is rooted in black and white, but today is also Asian, Latino, Native American, and wonderfully multiracial. Through slavery, segregated schools, ongoing discrimination, and the violence and hopelessness they serve to perpetuate, race and racism have left an indelible mark on all of us.

This election season has given me and many others hope that the discussion is ready to change. Despite fleeting unpleasantness, the campaign has largely been waged on the high-road — a debate of issues among a phalanx of talented and bright candidates. We have now seen millions of Americans cast their ballot for a black man or a white woman.

When several colleagues and I wrote about the “uncommon common ground” early this decade, we were critical of politicians who claim to be searching for “the common ground” but are really settling for the lowest common denominator. This presidential race has challenged us to move beyond the well-trod back-and-forth of our national racial stasis.

It’s long past time to acknowledge the legitimate and real concerns underpinning the racial divide, and tackle the big issues and the complex problems that need fixing. It’s time we recognize that we need to build a platform for a true discussion - one where everyone is both welcome and necessary in the conversation.

As someone who has spent my career working for equitable social change, I know how difficult it is to confront people’s deepest fears and needs. But my long experience tells me we are watching an historic opening of that discussion. We cannot afford to let it slam shut again.

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