The Politics of Identity

October 29, 2008 in Articles
Tags: Obama, politics, race

Obama is not a post-racial candidate, and as long as minority students in our country , particularly those from low-income neighborhoods, see themselves as disadvantaged, his role as commander-in-cheif will be inextricable from his identity as a black man. The way post-racial is currently defined has to do with how dominant – white – society views his racial status to impact his ability to become elected. It’s clear that Obama will win, and it’s even fairly clear that the Bradley effect has had little impact on voter sentiment (though we will of course need to wait for the final results to come in before rendering a verdict). Yet as long as a poor black kid in Mississippi finds inspiration in Obama, we have to acknowledge a disparity in the perception of opportunity for success that heretofore existed. 

Here is a great article from the Oregonian:

http://www.oregonlive.com/commentary/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1224888914103980.xml&coll=7