Dealing with America's "Original Sin"
by Cheryl Carroll
by Cheryl Carroll
The March 31st edition of Newsweek magazine
contains three articles that review the life and politics
of Barak Obama within the context of American race
relations. The most powerful of these articles is also
one of the shortest. In “It Was Always Headed
There”, journalist Ellis Cose briefly addresses current
race relations that culminated in the speech given by
Obama on March 18th. One purpose of the article is
to state that although Obama has been careful to
avoid discussions of race issues, given his historic
position in the 2008 Presidential Race, “it was always
headed there”. Regarding Obama’s handling of the
Reverend Wright issue Cose writes that:
To his credit, Obama chose not to respond to the
silliness with more silliness- which, given the touchiness
of race and the seeming inability of different groups to
see the same picture in the same way, was probably the
politically clever thing to do. Instead, he invited
Americans of all hues to engage in a serious, sustained
thinking through our shared history and to focus on the
continuing ramifications of slavery, America’s “original
sin”.
This excerpt from Cose’s article is powerful stuff,
particularly the closing sentence. Yes, “the
ramifications of slavery” are the “original sin” of
America, the centuries-old cross we’ve had to bear, the
stubborn weight on our shoulders that refuses to be
removed. Even worse, whether this weight can
and/or will ever be removed is a serious question open
for debate.
In addition to his succinct description of slavery as
America’s “original sin”, Cose provides another
insight by making the point that society’s lack of
action has contributed to negative race relations. Our
nearly two and a half centuries as an established
nation has seen great, inspiring leadership from the
likes of Frederick Douglas, Sojourner Truth, Abraham
Lincoln, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
… we have had our share of awesome leadership.
What we have not had is a continuous stream of
positive action directed towards the permanent
ascension of the race burden in America. To quote a
series of statements from Ellis Cose’s article, “…
[Obama] invited Americans of all hues to engage in a
serious, sustained thinking through of our shared
history… It is an invitation that has been extended
many times in the past by orators even more eloquent
than Obama… The lesson of history seems to be that
the invitation is accepted only in times of crisis…”
What is the result of such invitations? Well, history
has demonstrated that these invitations typically
result in “[stimulating] some interesting discussions
but little action”.
Generation after generation has been inspired by the
words of our leaders, words of such import that they
have become immortal. When Abraham Lincoln
addressed our war-tired and emotionally stretched
ancestors in Gettysburg, he opened with
“Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth
on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and
dedicated to the proposition that all men are created
equal.”
During that same time period, Frederick Douglass
wrote that
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who
profess to favor freedom, and deprecate agitation, are
men who want crops without plowing up the ground,
they want rain without thunder and lightning”.
Almost a century later, when Robert F. Kennedy was
called upon to speak to people utterly devastated by
the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., he told
them that
“What we need in the United States is not division;
what we need in the United States is not hatred; what
we need in the United States is not violence and
lawlessness, but is love and wisdom, and compassion
toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those
who still suffer within our country, whether they be
white or whether they be black”.
These words are part of the great fabric that is The
American Spirit, and are so familiar to our being that
we’ve started slipping into a pattern of skimming
them without feeling them. We may feel the stir of
inspiration in our hearts, but if that stir doesn’t cause
any positive, outward action then those words might
as well have gone unsaid.
Let me say it again: what we need is a continuous
stream of positive action directed towards the permanent
ascension of the race burden in America. To be
effective, this action must be based upon true
understanding of what life has been like for all races
of our generation… for all races in our generation.
The racism that I face today as a black woman is not
the same that the racism my grandmother faced. In
my 26 years, the interactions that I’ve had with
whites have been blessedly different than the
prejudice she lived with for the entirety of her 63
years. Likewise, my white best friend doesn’t register
my “blackness” the way her Texan grandmother did.
My blackness and her whiteness have never been
discussed outside of the context of “the orange in that
shirt looks great next to your skin”, or “I’m so glad I
don’t have to spread that stupid sunscreen on my
skin”. I am her friend, and she is mine. We are what
Martin Luther King, Jr. hoped we’d become- different
races living together as one.
We need positive action, but for the action to be both
positive and effective it must come from a complete
willingness to understand the life of another. Black
America cannot flippantly regard how affirmative
action has impacted White America. White America
cannot disregard the reality of prejudice that Black
America still lives with. We must understand each
other. If we are to fix this problem together, we must
understand how the problem started and how past
attempts to correct the problem have made Americans
on all sides of the issue feel. This is our original sin,
and our savior is Understanding.
The first step to understanding each other is in
grasping the invitations that Ellis Cose states have
been given to us. We should honestly review our
personal feelings on race relations. Sigmund Freud
was a hallucinating drug addict, but at least he gave
us a psychoanalysis process that has proven its value.
When you review your feelings on the matter, ask
yourself “why” you’ve decided to feel the way that
you do. Let your “whys” help you to engage in
intelligent discussion with others within and outside
of your own race. Approach the discussion from an
open-mind that desires to understand the perspective
of someone living a life that you do not live. Think,
discuss, understand, and then act.
“Think, discuss, understand” are within themselves a
positive action. Depending upon your commitment to
eliminating racism, you can involve yourself in
further positive actions. For instance, if a friend or
acquaintance of any color uses a racial epithet to
categorize a race of people, call them on it. Make a
$10 contribution to a non-profit organization (see list
below). Celebrate Black and Hispanic History Months
with a spirit that understands why those celebratory
months became necessary. Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
with green beer and appreciation for the Irish-
Americans who signed the Declaration of
Independence, served as President of the United
States, entertained us on the Silver Screen, and lifted
world literature to a new level. The next time you
throw sauerkraut on a sausage (yum!) or ketchup on a
hotdog, be grateful that the ancestors of General
Custer, Fred Astaire, and Clark Gable contributed
their culture to the glorious, cultural mix that is
America. Be especially grateful for the ancestors of
Milton Hershey!
In 1967 Martin Luther King, Jr. addressed the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference with a
speech that has become known as “Where Do We Go
From Here”. The opening of this speech is as follows:
Now, in order to answer the question, “Where do we go
from here?” which is our theme, we must first honestly
recognize where we are now.
There you have it. Think. Discuss. Understand.
And then, Act.
*This article is protected by U.S. Copyright Laws. Permission is granted to
print and share for educational and non-profit purposes ONLY. You may
link to this page without writing for my consent, any other desired use
requires that you contact me for permission. Email: cheryl.
carroll@mamashouse.org
Return to Home Page
contains three articles that review the life and politics
of Barak Obama within the context of American race
relations. The most powerful of these articles is also
one of the shortest. In “It Was Always Headed
There”, journalist Ellis Cose briefly addresses current
race relations that culminated in the speech given by
Obama on March 18th. One purpose of the article is
to state that although Obama has been careful to
avoid discussions of race issues, given his historic
position in the 2008 Presidential Race, “it was always
headed there”. Regarding Obama’s handling of the
Reverend Wright issue Cose writes that:
To his credit, Obama chose not to respond to the
silliness with more silliness- which, given the touchiness
of race and the seeming inability of different groups to
see the same picture in the same way, was probably the
politically clever thing to do. Instead, he invited
Americans of all hues to engage in a serious, sustained
thinking through our shared history and to focus on the
continuing ramifications of slavery, America’s “original
sin”.
This excerpt from Cose’s article is powerful stuff,
particularly the closing sentence. Yes, “the
ramifications of slavery” are the “original sin” of
America, the centuries-old cross we’ve had to bear, the
stubborn weight on our shoulders that refuses to be
removed. Even worse, whether this weight can
and/or will ever be removed is a serious question open
for debate.
In addition to his succinct description of slavery as
America’s “original sin”, Cose provides another
insight by making the point that society’s lack of
action has contributed to negative race relations. Our
nearly two and a half centuries as an established
nation has seen great, inspiring leadership from the
likes of Frederick Douglas, Sojourner Truth, Abraham
Lincoln, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
… we have had our share of awesome leadership.
What we have not had is a continuous stream of
positive action directed towards the permanent
ascension of the race burden in America. To quote a
series of statements from Ellis Cose’s article, “…
[Obama] invited Americans of all hues to engage in a
serious, sustained thinking through of our shared
history… It is an invitation that has been extended
many times in the past by orators even more eloquent
than Obama… The lesson of history seems to be that
the invitation is accepted only in times of crisis…”
What is the result of such invitations? Well, history
has demonstrated that these invitations typically
result in “[stimulating] some interesting discussions
but little action”.
Generation after generation has been inspired by the
words of our leaders, words of such import that they
have become immortal. When Abraham Lincoln
addressed our war-tired and emotionally stretched
ancestors in Gettysburg, he opened with
“Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth
on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and
dedicated to the proposition that all men are created
equal.”
During that same time period, Frederick Douglass
wrote that
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who
profess to favor freedom, and deprecate agitation, are
men who want crops without plowing up the ground,
they want rain without thunder and lightning”.
Almost a century later, when Robert F. Kennedy was
called upon to speak to people utterly devastated by
the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., he told
them that
“What we need in the United States is not division;
what we need in the United States is not hatred; what
we need in the United States is not violence and
lawlessness, but is love and wisdom, and compassion
toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those
who still suffer within our country, whether they be
white or whether they be black”.
These words are part of the great fabric that is The
American Spirit, and are so familiar to our being that
we’ve started slipping into a pattern of skimming
them without feeling them. We may feel the stir of
inspiration in our hearts, but if that stir doesn’t cause
any positive, outward action then those words might
as well have gone unsaid.
Let me say it again: what we need is a continuous
stream of positive action directed towards the permanent
ascension of the race burden in America. To be
effective, this action must be based upon true
understanding of what life has been like for all races
of our generation… for all races in our generation.
The racism that I face today as a black woman is not
the same that the racism my grandmother faced. In
my 26 years, the interactions that I’ve had with
whites have been blessedly different than the
prejudice she lived with for the entirety of her 63
years. Likewise, my white best friend doesn’t register
my “blackness” the way her Texan grandmother did.
My blackness and her whiteness have never been
discussed outside of the context of “the orange in that
shirt looks great next to your skin”, or “I’m so glad I
don’t have to spread that stupid sunscreen on my
skin”. I am her friend, and she is mine. We are what
Martin Luther King, Jr. hoped we’d become- different
races living together as one.
We need positive action, but for the action to be both
positive and effective it must come from a complete
willingness to understand the life of another. Black
America cannot flippantly regard how affirmative
action has impacted White America. White America
cannot disregard the reality of prejudice that Black
America still lives with. We must understand each
other. If we are to fix this problem together, we must
understand how the problem started and how past
attempts to correct the problem have made Americans
on all sides of the issue feel. This is our original sin,
and our savior is Understanding.
The first step to understanding each other is in
grasping the invitations that Ellis Cose states have
been given to us. We should honestly review our
personal feelings on race relations. Sigmund Freud
was a hallucinating drug addict, but at least he gave
us a psychoanalysis process that has proven its value.
When you review your feelings on the matter, ask
yourself “why” you’ve decided to feel the way that
you do. Let your “whys” help you to engage in
intelligent discussion with others within and outside
of your own race. Approach the discussion from an
open-mind that desires to understand the perspective
of someone living a life that you do not live. Think,
discuss, understand, and then act.
“Think, discuss, understand” are within themselves a
positive action. Depending upon your commitment to
eliminating racism, you can involve yourself in
further positive actions. For instance, if a friend or
acquaintance of any color uses a racial epithet to
categorize a race of people, call them on it. Make a
$10 contribution to a non-profit organization (see list
below). Celebrate Black and Hispanic History Months
with a spirit that understands why those celebratory
months became necessary. Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
with green beer and appreciation for the Irish-
Americans who signed the Declaration of
Independence, served as President of the United
States, entertained us on the Silver Screen, and lifted
world literature to a new level. The next time you
throw sauerkraut on a sausage (yum!) or ketchup on a
hotdog, be grateful that the ancestors of General
Custer, Fred Astaire, and Clark Gable contributed
their culture to the glorious, cultural mix that is
America. Be especially grateful for the ancestors of
Milton Hershey!
In 1967 Martin Luther King, Jr. addressed the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference with a
speech that has become known as “Where Do We Go
From Here”. The opening of this speech is as follows:
Now, in order to answer the question, “Where do we go
from here?” which is our theme, we must first honestly
recognize where we are now.
There you have it. Think. Discuss. Understand.
And then, Act.
*This article is protected by U.S. Copyright Laws. Permission is granted to
print and share for educational and non-profit purposes ONLY. You may
link to this page without writing for my consent, any other desired use
requires that you contact me for permission. Email: cheryl.
carroll@mamashouse.org
Return to Home Page
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Organizations dealing with race relations
and minority rights:
and minority rights:
- Speak Out --> www.speakout.com
- See specifically www.speakout.
com/activism/race/. The following url
gives a summary on other Civil Rights
issues, as well as links to statistics,
articles, and other organizations.
- Minority Rights Group International --> www.
minorityrights.org
- This organization deals with race
relations on a global scale. Visiting this
site is highly recommended. It helps to
remind us that negative race relations
and minority rights issues are not just an
American problem.
- Let's Talk Honestly --> www.letstalkhonestly.
com
- See specifically www.letstalkhonestly.
com/raceinamerica.html
Ellis Cose is a Black
American journalist, radio
producer, and co-editor of
Newseek magazine. Visit
his website
American journalist, radio
producer, and co-editor of
Newseek magazine. Visit
his website
Famous Irish:
James Cagney
Buffalo Bill Cody
Davy Crocket
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Henry Ford
Andrew Jackson
Gene Kelly
John F. and Robert Kennedy
James Cagney
Buffalo Bill Cody
Davy Crocket
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Henry Ford
Andrew Jackson
Gene Kelly
John F. and Robert Kennedy
Great Germans:
Fred Astaire
Sandra Bullock
Walter Percy Chrysler
George Armstron Custer
Leonardo DiCaprio
Marlene Dietrich
Kirsten Dunst
Albert Einstein
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Clark Gable
Lou Gehrig
Henry J. Heinz
Milton Hershey
Fred Astaire
Sandra Bullock
Walter Percy Chrysler
George Armstron Custer
Leonardo DiCaprio
Marlene Dietrich
Kirsten Dunst
Albert Einstein
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Clark Gable
Lou Gehrig
Henry J. Heinz
Milton Hershey