Barack is In - What's Next for Race Relations In This Country?

Now that Barack Obama has won the battle for the presidency, what will it mean for race relations in this country? Will America have to put aside all of the unreasonable opinions and prejudices and out-and-out racist ideas and start to view itself as finally united? Will we begin to view each other individually --not as black people and white people, but as Americans?

I've seen a lot of comments on these pages from some very hateful and confused people who accuse blacks of being racist because there is a Black History Month or a Miss Black America pageant or even an AOL Black Voices.

Well, there was a need for Black History Month to let people know that contributions by blacks to this country extend beyond the spheres of slavery and civil rights. Yes, there were Frederick Douglass and Harriett Tubman, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., but the inventions and industries created by and built on the backs of African Americans have been mostly ignored. Inventing the traffic light, the filament that made the light bulb possible, the mailbox, and the original golf tee, plus discovering blood plasma and three hundred uses for the peanut -- all were accomplished by African Americans. That's why we have Black History Month, so that we'll, to borrow a phrase, "never forget."

But will having a President Barack Obama eliminate that need to remember? Will black contributions now find their way into the annals of mainstream America?

While we're pondering that, let's ask: do we still need a Miss Black America? Well, for too many years the standard of beauty has been that of white skin, straight hair, and keen features. But that has changed dramatically. In fact, Tyra Banks, Halle Berry, Angela Bassett, and Queen Latifah are considered American beauties, and there have been several black Miss Americas. It might be time to put that one out to pasture.

And what about Black Voices?

Well, turn on your television. How many black journalists host a news talk show on a major cable or network station? I'll help you out: None. (DL Hughley doesn't count, believe me!) How many black voices are heard on mainstream media outlets (outside of entertainment shows like 'The View' and 'Oprah.')

How many major newspapers and news magazines are run or shaped by people who are not white? How many blacks in decision-making positions to greenlight projects? If you do the research, you'll know why Black Voices was necessary.

The question moving forward is: does having Barack Obama as president change things? Does his presidency eliminate the need for holidays, outlets and organizations like the NAACP and the Urban League, that are primarily for the interests blacks?

While his presidency will certainly go a long way toward bettering the way blacks (and all Americans) will be viewed, it will not change the hearts and minds of the ignorant among us who will judge a person based on stereotypes and the color of his or her skin. The need for organizations, holidays, and outlets that set the record straight will remain.

Meanwhile, the fact that 250,000 people showed up to hear Obama speak in Germany (not exactly a country with a history for accepting ethnic differences) shows that he has in some ways transcended the previous limitations of his race.

He is the manifestation of the American dream -- raised by a single mom with humble means, worked hard to finish at the top of his class, and ran a successful national campaign to finally hold the greatest office in the land.
His victory says to all Americans, no matter their race, creed, or color, that anything is possible.

Yes, Obama is special, but his success should not be viewed as an anomaly. Ken Chenault, Dick Parsons, and others sit at the helm of major mainstream companies like American Express and Time Warner. They were never "black" CEOs, no more than Neil deGrasse Tyson is a "black" astrophysicist, or Ben Carson is a "black" pediatric neurosurgeon who happens to be the best in the world.

Now, Barack Obama will simply be President Barack Obama

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Our Lens Sept. 1

Hector Jackson (C), who impersonates the late US pop star Michael Jackson, gestures while he takes part in the "I do dance Thriller" event which attempts to break the Guinness World Record for the biggest mass "Thriller" dance, in Mexico City, on August 29. Up to 15,000 people are expected to take part in a potentially record breaking mass performance of Michael Jackson's famed "Thriller" dance on the day he would have turned 51.

Omar Torres, AFP/ Getty Images

A long line of fire marches west towards the communities of Acton and Sunland-Tujanga on August 31 in Los Angeles, California. At least 18 homes were destroyed and 12,000 more homes and 500 commercial buildings are being threatened in the fire which already took two lives. The wildfire, which broke out Wednesday afternoon near a ranger station and the Angeles Crest Highway above La Canada Flintridge, has forced thousands of evacuations.

Kevork Djansezian, Getty Images

Venus Williams of the United States reaches for a shot against Vera Dushevina of Russia during day one of the 2009 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 31, in Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

Chris McGrath, Getty Images

A Kenyan Muslim child reads verses from the Quran, Islam's holy book, on the fifth day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in a Madrassa (Religion School), in Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, Aug. 26. Muslims throughout the world are celebrating the holy month of Ramadan, where observants fast from dawn till dusk.

Sayyid Azim, AP

Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off from launch pad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Center on August 28, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Discovery is scheduled for a 13-day mission to the International Space Station.

Joe Raedle, Getty Images

Host Vanessa Williams performs with dancer Gilles Marini onstage at the 36th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards at The Orpheum Theatre on August 30, in Los Angeles, California.

Jesse Grant, WireImage

A girl plays with tomato pulp during the annual "Tomatina" tomato fight fiesta in the village of Bunol, near Valencia, Spain, Wednesday, Aug. 26. Bunol's town hall estimated more than 40,000 people, some from as far away as Japan and Australia, took up arms Wednesday with 100 tons of tomatoes in the yearly food fight known as the 'Tomatina' now in its 64th year.

Alberto Saiz, AP

Tom Wainaina recounts the events that lead to his being burned over most of his upper body August 26 in the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya. Wainaina was burned by a group of men during post-election violence in Kenya's disputed 2007 presidential election. Ethnic-tribal violence left over 1,000 people dead. The non-governmental organization (NGO) Concern, in cooperation with local Kenyan groups, has launched a campaign to provide the urban poor with cash grants to start a business or get back on their feet after suffering disproportionately from post-election violence in 2007. The money is transferred to the recipients via a mobile phone which insures a safe and simple financial transaction to customers who don?t have bank accounts. Wainaina is one of dozens of Kibera residents to receive the assistance of a cash grant. Hairdressers, grocery stores and food vendors are just some of the businesses that have been financed through the program.

Spencer Platt, Getty Images

People standing near the grave of Senator Robert F. Kennedy (D-NY) look at the grave of Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) at Arlington National Cemetery August 30, in Arlington, Virginia. Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) was buried yesterday next to his brothers President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy (D-NY) after he died of brain cancer on August 25.

Brendan Smialowski, Getty Images

US President Barack Obama takes out his daughters Malia (R) and Sasha (2nd L) and niece Suhaila Ng (L) to shop in the Alleys general store on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, on August 30, 2009.

Jewel Samad, AFP/ Getty Images

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