Obama on race

It's been a long time, I know...busy, busy, busy.

But here's the link to a transcript of Barack Obama's speech on race.

I know it's not timely, (it was deliveredMarch 18, 2008) but if you haven't read it, it is worth a look.

Compared with most political rhetoric we have heard over the last...generation, it seems, although I'm sure I'm forgetting someone...it is superlative: balanced and nuanced, it dares to speak truthfully about race in America while also allowing the fears and anxieties on all sides to portray all of us in our humanity - while also calling for us to move towards our best selves, which he places deeply in the American constitution. It is also deeply thoughtful and learned while being accessible and eminently readable/hearable, which is rare indeed.

It's not perfect. It doesn't say everything, perhaps, that needs saying. There are points at which bits of ideology surface which might be questioned. But hey - he's talking about race and racism; he's doing it honestly and clearly; he's not letting us think it is a 'non-issue' or something from the past; and he's calling us all to our 'better selves'. It's a great start.