Thoughts on being a leader...

I found two quotes that I feel really sum up quite nicely why Barack Obama is clearly heading toward the Democratic nomination for President of the United States...

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." - John Quincy Adams

"What Mrs. Clinton has that Mr. Obama does not have, Mr. Obama can get. What Mr. Obama has that Mrs. Clinton does not have, she can never get." - Alec Baldwin

A Statistic About Cardiac Arrest

Tonight, as I was doing my nightly scan of online articles to see if Obama had won the Wisconsin and Hawaii primaries, an article caught my eye on msnbc.com. The title of the article was "Hospital's 'Code blue' most deadly at night". The reason it caught my eye was because I went into cardiac arrest in the hospital after the birth of my daughter Karina, and a Code blue was called, at night. I was interested in what the article had to say.

Apparently, they define night time to be after 11 PM. (I went into cardiac arrest sometime between 6:30 and 8:00 PM and my anesthesiologist was in the room when it happened, so resuscitation began immediately.) Graveyard shift tends to be less staffed and when someone goes into cardiac arrest, hospital employees may not be paying as much attention in the middle of the night as during the day. But what really caught my eye is this statistic: 80 to 85 percent of people who go into cardiac arrest in the hospital DIE IN THE HOSPITAL. Only 20 percent of people who go into cardiac arrest during daytime hours survive. Only 15 percent who go into cardiac arrest in the middle of the night survive.

These statistics again remind me how lucky I am to be here.

And They Say The Young Are Apathetic

Check out this video...this interviewer picked the wrong Obama supporter to try to railroad.

http://thinkonthesethings.wordpress.com/2008/02/06/video-interviewer-picks-the-wrong-obama-supporter-to-try-to-railroad/

After watching the video, check this second video out...Derrick talks a bit more about his background and gives an even more impassioned argument as to why he is supporting Obama. Whereas the first video talks more about policy, this one is more of his emotional response. Excellent.

http://thinkonthesethings.wordpress.com/2008/02/12/video-obama-supporter-derrick-responds-to-his-video/

I am hard pressed to find anyone who can articulate their position as well as this young man! These are Obama supporters! Yeah!

Comparing Obama and Clinton's Campaigns

Last night I was having a passionate discussion with family members about the obvious reasons Obama should be the Democratic nominee. As I thought back over our conversation, another reason crossed my mind. Look at the way their campaigns are going.

Obama's campaign has been bringing in millions of dollars, mostly from small donors. He has inspired voters from all walks of life, all races, all ages, to become involved. He has done something that hasn't been seen since John F. Kennedy, and that is inspire a nation. HE IS A LEADER. That is what a President is. His campaign is a well-oiled machine that has run with integrity, and without the help of lobbyists. If he were President, it would be fair to assume his Administration would run this way as well.

On the other hand, Hillary Clinton has run out of money. She has already had to loan her campaign $5 million out of her own personal fortune. Her campaign manager has resigned. She has taken money from lobbyists. She has attacked Obama and her husband was chastised by Democratic party leaders for his attacks as well. When her people are questioned, they spin and spin and never answer questions directly. Would it be fair to assume that her Administration would run this way as well? It appears as if her campaign is falling apart, and she truly appears like a desparate woman. She also seems to be hinging her nomination on a few big states, whereas Obama obviously can garner votes from all over the country.

I also recently discovered that in New Hampshire, the Clinton campaign misled female state senators to sign a letter attacking Obama's women's rights record. After the New Hampshire primary, the senators appologized for misleading people about his record and took issue with the Clinton campaign's practices. This incident left great division among women's rights activists in New Hampshire.

When women's rights came under attack in South Dakoat, women's rights activists asked all the senators in Congress to write a letter and help fundraise on their behalf. Obama was the only Senator who did so. Clinton did not.

Clinton has also tried to mislead voters about Obama's commitment to helping victims of sexual abuse, an issue on which he has been a strong advocate.

So why are so many middle-aged women voting for Clinton? Is it just because they desperately want to see a woman in the White House? I feel that is not the right reason to put a person in the White House. I would love to have a woman in the White House, but I truly believe that you need to choose the right PERSON, and not just vote for them BECAUSE they're a woman. I believe, and I think millions of people agree with me, that Barack Obama is the better PERSON for the job, regardless of race or gender.

Thoughts on caucusing

Yesterday was the second time I've caucused, and it was a great experience. I loved getting together with other people and talking about politics. This was an extremely important event because the results of the caucus was going to determine the delegate count for Clinton and Obama, and right now, they are in a race for delegates. The turnout for this caucus was double the turnout of the 2004 caucuses. I honestly attribute this to the inspiration of Barack Obama, who is influencing people to get involved all across the nation.

However, I also wondered, why are there so many who don't caucus? Yesterday morning, there were so many people who said to me, "Have fun at the caucus today!" I thought to myself, these people are Democrats, why aren't they going to the caucus? Don't they want their voices to be heard?

The fact of the matter is, many people don't like politics, or don't care that much about politics. They are uncomfortable talking about politics, or thinking about openly discussing why they prefer one candidate over another. Maybe they feel they cannot articulate why. Maybe they have other work responsibilities (although the fact that it was on a Saturday afternoon would make it more accessible for those who work during the week). Maybe some believe their vote won't make a difference.

So what happens is that those who are highly motivated, and usually more educated about the issues, are the ones who attend the caucuses. Obama has tended to attract the more educated voters, and as a result, has done well in the caucuses. Personally, I like the fact that people can discuss their votes openly. It was interesting at yesterday's caucus how one Clinton supporter at our table actually believed that Obama had a childhood background as a Muslim and was afraid to vote for him because of that. Even though we told her it was all rumor and not fact, she did not believe us and was absolutely certain that these rumors were true! I think this open discussion actually is a great forum for talking about these issues.

I think another issue, and this has been talked about in quite a few blogs, is the fact that when a person votes openly in a caucus, that peerson would be less likely to want to expose any prejudices. They're held accountable for their votes. They're less likely to say, "Well, I'm not voting for Obama because he's black," whereas in the privacy of the voting booth, a scenario like that is more likely to happen. Who wants to be seen as outwardly racist?

Even though primaries are more convenient, and are more inclusive of the general population, I would hope that everyone who votes educates him or herself on the strengths and weaknesses of the two candidates and makes an INFORMED decision. I truly believe that those who go to the caucuses have at least thought long and hard about who they want and do not take it lightly. The fact that Obama beat Clinton in Washington by 2-1 voters speaks volumes.

I'm an Obama Delegate!!!!!

Today was the Democratic Caucus in Washington State. My precinct caucus was held in the gym of Woodmont Elementary School, where my children attend. The gym was already packed when I arrived at 12:50 PM. I ended up being the caucus chair for my table, which meant I led the caucus for the people sitting at my table, who were from my immediate neighborhood. Of the 22 people at our table 14 voted for Obama and 8 for Clinton. Which meant we were allotted 3 Obama delegates and 1 Clinton delegate (plus 3 alternate Obama delegates and 1 alternate Clinton delegate). Then we had a discussion in which people spoke up for their candidate, trying to persuade others to switch their vote. In the end, the Obama folks were able to get two people to switch their vote from Clinton to Obama; however, it didn't end up in a change in delegate count.

I am going to be a delegate to the legislative district caucus in April! I am so thrilled! Go Obama!

In other news today, my daughter, Karina, was selected to be on the U-10 Development A team for the Federal Way Reign Select Soccer Club. Go Karina!

Barack Obama Rally

Today I went to the Barack Obama Stand for Change Rally at the Key Arena in Seattle. It was one of the most awe-inspiring events I've been to in my life!!!! The arena was filled with an energy and excitement that was palpable. Even outside, just arriving, people were running into line, as if they just couldn't wait to hear from this man who is inspiring a nation to come together to change the way the things are done in our country. We waited a long time in our seats, watching Obama videos overhead, doing the wave, watching a crazy dance-off between two women in the stands. And finally, when Obama finally did enter the arena, there was a deafening roar, as if Obama were the biggest rock star on the planet. Key Arena was filled to capacity, 18,000 people, and there were 3,000 people out in the plaza who could not get in, listening to him speak through loudspeakers. Incredible. He speaks without notes, and when he talked about hope, that hope does not preclude being a realist, that hope is what gave slaves freedom, hope is what gave women the right to vote, hope is what gave African-Americans the right to sit at the same lunch counter as whites, my eyes started welling up. Things do not begin to change without hope.

Mind Your Asthma

For the past month now, I've been battling with my asthma symptoms.

I developed asthma when I was pregnant with my son. I've had allergies all my life, and during my pregnancy in 1996, I had a cough that wouldn't go away. I saw a pulmonologist and discovered that I had allergy-induced asthma. I was put on a corticosteroid inhaler and that lessened my asthma symptoms. For many years my asthma was under control, and I actually stopped using the inhaler for quite a while with no problem.

In 1998, after I gave birth to my daughter, I suffered an Amniotic Fluid Embolism. It is a long story, but suffice it to say, it was an experience that changed my life. While in the ICU, I developed Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, which is basically acute lung failure. I was on a ventilator for nine weeks (intubated for four weeks and on a trach for five weeks) and now have scarring in my lungs.

Because I am an ARDS survivor, my asthma has been exacerbated. Whenever I get a cold or my allergies start to act up, my asthma symptoms start to flare up. A year ago, despite the fact that I received a flu shot, I caught the flu from my children. My asthma symptoms became extremely severe, my peak flow was in the red zone, and I ended up in the ER with pneumonia.

This latest episode started when I caught a cold from my daughter. The problem is, I should be doing my corticosteroid inhaler ALL THE TIME, even when I feel good, because that is what keeps my airways open consistently. But I don't. So I caught the cold, and it wouldn't go away. I coughed and coughed. Then it turned to coughing and wheezing. And now it's at the point that I can't even walk up the stairs without becoming short of breath and doing a full exhalation. I was at the mall and I wanted to do a half-hour walk yesterday, and after 15 minutes I felt like I was having an attack, and ended up at the doctor's office. So now I'm on a short high dose burst of oral prednisone. I'm really afraid of possible side effects, but just after my first dose last night, I'm already starting to feel better.

So if you have asthma, keep taking your steroid inhaler, even if you feel okay! I guess I have to learn the hard way...

A New Beginning

Sometimes we need to make changes in our lives that are difficult to make. Difficult because they go against society's expectation of what makes sense. I subscribe to a blog called 37 Days and back in February 2007, Patti Digh wrote about Letting Go of the Monkey Bar. I feel like I've just let go of the monkey bar myself, although holding on to that bar was not a desirable alternative for me. And although I'm in that space between trapezes, that space after having let go and before grabbing another one, I feel a sense of peace, a sense of a huge burden lifted.

This past weekend was great! Karina's soccer team, the Federal Way Wildcats, won their last league game to end the season with 8 wins and 1 tie. They then played two indoor games and after a bit of a shaky start trying to get used to the much faster game during their first game and playing an older team and losing 0-2, they got it together in their second game and won 9-2. They then played in the Narrows Jamboree and went undefeated in three games. Afterwards, we went to Browns Point Pizzeria and surprised Hannah and Glaysia with a birthday celebration!

Racial Profiling

After a discussion I had today about racial profiling, I feel compelled to post this excerpt from an article by the ACLU titled "Racial Profiling: Old and New".

Is racial profiling real? Most Americans think so. A July 2001 Gallup poll
reported that 55 percent of whites and 83 percent of blacks believe racial
profiling is widespread. And the reports of thousands of racial and ethnic group
members across the country add credibility to the perception that racial
profiling is real. These are stories from all walks of life, not just
hardworking everyday people, but celebrities, professional athletes, and members
of the military. Also, reports of racial profiling come from respected members
of communities of color such as police commanders, prosecutors, judges, state
legislators, lawyers, dentists and even representatives in Congress, who have
been victims.

Racial profiling is a new term for an old practice known by other
names: institutional racism and discrimination and owes its existence to
prejudice that has existed in this country since slavery.

Tens of thousands of innocent drivers, pedestrians, and shoppers across
the country are victims of racial profiling. And these discriminatory police
stops and searches have reached epidemic proportions in recent years - fueled by
the "War on Drugs" and the "War on Terror" that have given police a pretext to
target people they think fit a "drug courier," "gang member," or "terrorist"
profile. In fact, racial profiling is the first step in a long road that leads
to the heavily disproportionate incarceration of people of color, especially
young men, for drug-related crimes, and of Arabs, Muslims and South Asians for
suspicion of terrorism. This despite the fact that people of color are no more
likely than whites to use or sell drugs, and Arabs Muslims and South Asians are
no more likely than whites to be terrorists.

We must end the practice of racial profiling.

Seeing the World Through Different Lenses

My favorite journalist is Leonard Pitts, Jr. of the Miami Herald. He writes an op-ed piece every Sunday that also appears in the Seattle Times. He won the most coveted award in 2004, the Pulitzer Prize for commentary. He writes thought-provoking columns on wide-ranging issues that affect our society, and whether you agree with him or not, he makes you think. I happen to agree with almost everything he has written.

Today's column is on the disturbing trend of the noose. The noose that has been displayed as a sign of hatred toward African-Americans. Here is an excerpt from the column:

"A noose is left for a black workman at a construction site in the Chicago area. In Queens, a woman brandishes a noose to threaten her black neighbors. A noose is left on the door of a black professor at Columbia University. And that's just last week. Go back a little further and you have similar incidents at the University of Maryland in College Park, at a police department on Long Island, on a Coast Guard cutter, in a bus maintenance garage in Pittsburgh.

Mark Potok, the director of the Intelligence Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, told USA Today, 'For a dozen incidents to come to the public's attention is a lot. I don't generally see noose incidents in a typical month. We might hear about a handful in a year.'

The superintendent of schools in Jena famously dismissed the original incident as a 'prank.' It was an astonishing response, speaking volumes about the blithe historical ignorance of people who have found it convenient not to peer too closely at the atrocities of the past lest they be accidentally . . . moved."

In the column, Pitts discusses the history of the rope/noose as a symbol of hate toward African-Americans. It is an ugly part of American history that African-Americans were lynched from trees, and even though that doesn't happen anymore, racism is still alive and well, both subtly and overtly.

What disturbs me, however, are the comments that I read in response to Pitts' column. It's the same phenomenon I saw with the Don Imus scandal. There are definitely people who do not view the world through the same lens as people who have experienced racism. They absolutely cannot see the racist acts in the displaying of the noose and dismiss them as "pranks." Their outrage is reserved for Pitts, as opposed to the perpetrators of these heinous acts.

I just recently received a blog post from a friend, Patti Digh, who talked about the racism that still exists in our country. I am reminded of it everyday when I read posts such as the diatribes against Leonard Pitts. I am reminded of it when I stand in line at the grocery store and see cover story after cover story about pretty white women and girls who are missing, but have yet to hear about one woman of color or one little girl of color on the national news. Wait, I take that back, on The Today Show, there was one story about an African-American woman who went missing, and there was NEVER a follow-up story. NEVER. Not the 24-7 coverage that Laci Peterson, Lori Hacking and Chandra Levy warranted.

Our society seems to care more about a runaway bride than a 9-year-old African-American girl who is shot in the head when caught in the middle of a firefight in the housing projects of Miami. Pitts wrote in his column that this violence, this sacrifice of children was symptomatic of an American problem. The response to Pitts: No, it's not our problem. It's your problem. It's your problem. It's a black problem. Pitts' response: So I guess it's only an American problem when white schools and colleges get shot to pieces.

My friend Patti wrote something in her blog that sums this up perfectly:

"Hate crimes won't end until those of us who are not hated are as outraged as those who are."

Well-Crafted Phoniness

Here is a great blog by Jeffrey Feldman that talks about Bob Herbert's brilliant observations regarding Al Gore's Nobel Peace Prize, and our society's penchant for electing "barbecue buddies" over those who are truly intelligent, thoughtful and talented.

We are now paying the price.

Al Gore's Nobel Peace Prize

It was announced this morning that Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize for being "probably the single individual who has done most to create greater worldwide understanding of the measures that need to be adopted to combat climate change", according to his citation.

I bet the right-wing pundits are gnashing their teeth right about now.

Does the Federal Way School District still need to require an "opposite viewpoint" when showing "An Inconvenient Truth"? Puhleeze.

I'll Take Ron Walker

In the upcoming November election, there are two candidates for the Federal Way School Board vying for the District 5 spot--Dave Larson and Ron Walker. Last Thursday, I met Dave Larson for the first time at the Multicultural Night I coordinated at my children's elementary school. He seemed like an affable fellow, and I appreciated the fact that he took the time to attend our event.

However, when it comes to the School Board, I'm going to cast my vote for Ron Walker. Apparently Dave Larson was one of three School Board members who voted for a ludicrous policy last year--that any showing of "An Inconvenient Truth" in a Federal Way high school had to be balanced by an opposite viewpoint. Their actions made the Federal Way School District the laughing stock of the country. According to Larson, he felt "a political partisan was presenting a contested political/scientific issue to impressionable youth."

You have got to be kidding me. These conservatives politicize this issue because it is Al Gore presenting it, and completely dismiss the myriads of scientists who back up what Gore says. And they even lend credence to the parent who was the catalyst for this ridiculous policy--Frosty Hardison, who claims that the earth is 14,000 years old and that the Bible says that in the end times everything will burn up, but that this viewpoint is not presented in "An Incovenient Truth." It was upon receipt of Hardison's email that Larson imposed a moratorium on Gore's film.

Why do I want Ron Walker on the School Board? He has been very active in the Federal Way Community for many years, both in the School District, in the city, and on the Diversity Commission. The School District is made up of 43% students of color, and it is important that the School Board is reflective of the population of the school district, so that the interests of the students are truly understood.

Dave Larson does not represent the majority of the Federal Way community. He represents his own political interests (even though the School Board is supposed to be non-partisan). He even admitted that he was naive about how the "Inconvenient Truth" fiasco would play out in the national media.

Let's get some new blood on the Federal Way School Board!

A long, hot summer

Some random thoughts-

I was watching "The Today Show" this morning and noticed that most of the country was experiencing weather above 100 degrees. Very strange. Yet the global warming skeptics still claim that global warming is a hoax... I teach a class called "Multiculturalism/Anti-Bias in Education" online for Green River Community College every summer and I posted on the Discussion Forum that my students will have to be prepared to deal with some of these types of parents when they have their own classrooms--parents who want to ban books, ban movies like "An Inconvenient Truth", and basically censor everything else they deem inappropriate based on their Biblical interpretations. UGH.

Hey, I just created a website for fans of High School Musical. Both my kids and I love the movie (being a former musical theatre performer myself, I can totally relate) and so I decided to create site with info about the movie, cast members, and latest news and events. The URL is http://www.highschoolmusical2fan.com

This summer has been a major soccer summer--spent a weekend in Lake Oswego with Giancarlo's select soccer team (Storm '96 Green) at the Lake Oswego Nike Cup, then Karina guest played in a tournament with the Federal Way Shooting Stars in Renton , this weekend Giancarlo's team plays in the Blast Off tournament in Federal Way, and finally Karina's team will be playing in the Port Orchard Root Beer Jamboree in late August. Then after Labor Day, fall soccer season starts! We just love soccer!

Today Alie finally got her driver's license! Yea!

CBS and MSNBC did the right thing

This is a seminal moment in our country's history. Regardless of the motives of CBS and MSNBC for firing Don Imus in the wake of this scandal, it still gives pause to those who think it is okay to spew hate from their mouths.

For too long people in the broadcasting industry have been too willing to turn a deaf ear to the racist and sexist trash that have come out of the mouths of the likes of Imus and other shock jocks. Then when they go "over the top", they apologize and go right back to doing what they do. Imus had been doing that for over 30 years. The fact that he was paid $10 million to do that is institutionalized racism, pure and simple.

People who are up in arms about his firing are talking about his right to free speech. He absolutely has a right to free speech, but he DOES NOT have a right to a talk show, and CBS and MSNBC also have the right to fire someone they feel will not be profitable--apparently when Proctor and Gamble and Staples pulled out, the networks pulled the rug out from Don Imus. I am not so naive to think it was just because of his words, because if it were, they would have canned him immediately. I do believe there was a profit motive. But it was all connected, and finally people, and companies are beginning to see that they do not want to be associated with someone who makes his living by spewing hate.

There was another very interesting thing that I really didn't notice until it was pointed out to me. I read about it on Jon Landau's blog published in the Huffington Post:

"For some reason, people who make no secret of the fact that they despise Al Sharpton feel that they are doing something meaningful by engaging with him at times of crisis on racial issues. In going to him, they are seeking out someone who they think is disliked by large portions of the white audience, which they think puts them at an advantage. In the long run it doesn't. But instead of this knee jerk move, how about for once agreeing to talk to a professional news person like Tavis Smiley, an exceptional broadcaster, Errol Lewis of the New York Daily News, a terrific writer and broadcaster, the under appreciated Bob Herbert of the New York Times, or for that matter, Clarence Page, who challenged Imus on race many years ago, and was never heard from again on his airwaves. (Tom Oliphant, perhaps Mr. Page was more deserving of your solidarity than Imus is.) The assumption that the only place one has to go to make "media peace" is with Sharpton is in its own way subtly racist. And the MSM (mainstream media) encourages it."

I find this to be the case in every racial issue that comes up. When Michael Richards said the "n-word", he immediately went on to Al Sharpton's show. Why not discuss it with Tavis Smiley? Finally, yesterday on "The Today Show", Tavis Smiley, Clarence Page and several other African-American spokespeople who are not considered as "controversial" were guests on the show and spoke about the Imus issue in ways that made sense and would be extremely difficult to argue against. I wonder if that is why the MSM does not encourage racial offenders to go head to head with people like Tavis Smiley and Clarence Page?

What happened is even though Don Imus was the one who made the offensive and racist comment, it got turned around and Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson became the targets. Everywhere I turn I see comments about Al Sharpton's and Jesse Jackson's history. This is NOT about Sharpton and Jackson!!!! So if they hate Sharpton and Jackson so much, then why do they engage with them about racial issues? Go to African-American broadcasters they respect! But they won't do it because the mainstream media itself is playing the "race card".

I really hope this begins a dialogue on what is and is not acceptable on the airwaves. There is no room for hate speech in this country. And I'm all for getting rid of rap music that denigrates women and using the n-word too. It's all bad. It's a new day.

The Don Imus scandal - emblematic of a larger societal problem?

Unless you've been buried under a rock somewhere, you've probably heard by now about the racist and sexist comments radio broadcaster Don Imus made about the Rutgers University women's basketball team. In case you haven't, on his radio show he was talking to his producer about them, how he thought they were really "rough" looking and then proceeded to call them "nappy-headed hos". This comment was made about a basketball team that started at the bottom, perservered, and made it all the way to the finals, representing a prestigious university. To taint their accomplishment in that way was despicable, disgusting and abhorrent. Imus called it comedy.

Some people are calling for his firing. MSNBC is suspending him for two weeks. Sponsors such as Proctor and Gamble and Staples have pulled ads from his show. Bigelow Teas is revisiting whether it wants to advertise on the show.

However, what is disturbing to me is the number of people who think Don Imus should not even have been suspended. I just went to the MSNBC website to vote on whether Don Imus should be fired, suspended, or whether suspension was even too much. 33% felt Imus should be fired. 30% felt a two-week suspension was enough. But 38% felt that Imus should not even have been suspended, and that he was a shock jock, it was his job to shock people.

What does this say about our society? Granted, 157,000 voted, and it is not a scientific survey, but I've been reading a great deal about this scandal, and quite a few people feel that everyone should just get over it, Imus made a mistake, let him get his wrists slapped and move on from it.

The problem with this is that these sorts of comments are made over and over again in the public venue with no repercussions other than public embarrassment for the person saying it. Yes, we do have freedom of speech in this country, but where has the sense of decency gone where people in power can call people the "n-word" or "nappy-headed hos" and get away with it? People are trying to compare this with rappers saying the n-word and while I do not agree with rappers using that word or putting down women, I believe that this is an issue of power, and rappers do not wield the same power as a Don Imus using the phrase "nappy-headed ho" or a political candidate using the word "macaca" or even Michael Richards using the "n-word".

In the last two weeks the newspapers have been filled with misunderstandings between the races. Danny Westneat, a columnist for the Seattle Times wrote of his frustration with the Seattle School District and his perception that the district was "obsessed with race". He was bombarded with hundreds of responses, some agreeing with him and others accusing him of "not getting it" and suffering from unexamined white privilege. He was open to discussing the issues although in his follow-up article, he still didn't seem to "get it" and did acknowledge perhaps it was due to his own white privilege. He also felt that he probably wasn't really very good at talking about race and hoped the new superintendent would be better at talking about it. Interestingly enough, one of the candidates for Seattle Schools Superintendent says about race, "We should all stop talking about it and deal with it." Okay, but how do you deal with it if you don't talk about it?

Unfortunately in our society, many people don't want to talk about it. When people of color bring it up as an issue, they're accused of bringing up "the race card". But the fact of the matter is, if a person of color is in a group where they are the only person of color, it is disingenuous to think that race might not come up as an issue if that person is feeling isolated or disenfranchised. Many white people do not understand this until I pose this question: "If you walked into a meeting, and you were the only white person, and everyone else was African-American, and you were feeling isolated and left out, do you think that part of the reason might be because you're white?" And of course, everyone says yes. However, the fact of the matter is most whites are never in this situation so it is difficult for them to envision being "the one and only" or to envision a situation where race is an issue for them. They don't live in a world where it is. Our society is one where whites are in power, whites can walk into a room or a workplace, and pretty much count on the fact that the majority of people will look like them. So when people of color bring up race, they accuse us of playing the race card, when in fact it may be a valid point.

As a diversity trainer and multicultural educator, it is my job to talk about race, as well as all dimensions of diversity. It's important that we start feeling comfortable talking about our differences as well as our similarities. Until we can start talking about our differences in a safe, non-threatening way, these problems will continue to divide us.

For an excellent blog by Jon Landau about the Don Imus scandal go to the Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-landau/imus-words-recognizing-_b_45532.html

The Michael Richards debacle

The recent scandal involving Michael Richards' rant at the Laugh Factory comedy club, and the resulting discussion about whether or not he is a racist again makes me wonder what makes some people want to deny the obvious. When a person is up on stage yelling "Look, there's a n*****! There's a n*****!" Or "Fifty years ago we'd have had a f****** fork up your a**!" Those aren't just angry words. Those are words stemming from racial hatred.

What was also very telling was that during his rambling apology on "The David Letterman Show", he used the term "Afro-Americans", a term for African-Americans that has not been used since the 1970's. There were giggles from the audience when he used the term, which he addressed and made a comment that perhaps the Letterman Show wasn't the proper forum for his apology. He is clearly clueless about just how uneducated and stupid he sounded when he used that term.

My favorite columnist, Leonard Pitts, Jr., of The Miami Herald, wrote an excellent column today about the Michael Richards debacle and some of his thoughts. It's an excellent commentary on just what racism is.

Richards' rant leaves no doubt he's a racist
By Leonard Pitts, Jr.

You'd think one of the first things a stand-up comic learns is how to deal with hecklers. One recalls Richard Pryor's jab at some fool who blew a whistle during his monologue. ''This ain't Kool and the Gang, motherfornicator!'' Except, he didn't say motherfornicator.

Apparently, Michael Richards was absent from Comedy 101 the day they studied Heckler Management. Hence, his epic, headline-making meltdown. It happened last week after Richards was razzed -- benignly, by most accounts -- by some black folks in the crowd.

As a result, a pointed question is now being debated: Is Michael Richards a racist? Let me save us all a lot of time: Yes. It seems obvious that Seinfeld's Kramer, his claims to the contrary notwithstanding, has no use for, as he put it in his rambling, disjointed, and painful-to-watch apology on Letterman, ``Afro Americans.''

I have a reader who would disagree on that. She sent an e-mail hoping to preempt my calling Richards racist. She asked that I consider the possibility he's no bigot but simply a man who, in anger, reached instinctively for the most hurtful language he could find. We've all been there, right?

HE MEANT IT

Well, no. Richards' rant, according to the video of it online, lasted a good 2 ½ minutes. You might angrily snap that somebody is a ''fat so-and-so'' without really meaning it. You don't spend 2 ½ minutes calling them fat unless fat is exactly what you mean.

What bothers me most about my reader's explanation is that she felt compelled to postulate an alternate reason for Richards' behavior. Evidently she found the likeliest reason too hard to accept.

Nor is she alone. TMZ.com, the website that obtained the video, polled its users with this question: Is Richards a racist? Forty percent of the respondents said no.

Granted, the survey is not scientific, but it is instructive. And no, it makes no difference to me that some black people freely use the same word Richards did. I consider them just as hateful as I do him, except with them, it's hatred of self.

But frankly, Richards is not the point here. He's just a TV used-to-be who has likely immolated what remains of his career. So be it.

BLATANT AND UNMISTAKABLE

But if so many of my white countrymen refuse to recognize racism when it is this blatant and unmistakable, what expectation can we have that they will do so when it is subtle and covert? In other words, when it is what it usually is.

Modern bigotry usually isn't some nitwit screaming the N-word. It is jobs you don't get and loans you don't get and apartments you don't get and healthcare you don't get and justice you don't get, for reasons you get all too clearly, even though no one ever quite speaks them. Or needs to. It is smiles in your face and knives in your back. And it is, yes, a sitcom -- like Seinfeld -- that presents New York City, of all places, as a black-free zone.

These are complaints African Americans have sought for years to drive home only to be met largely by indifference, the defensive apathy of those who are free to ignore or diminish any claim on conscience that makes them uncomfortable. At the risk of metaphor abuse, the response to this debacle makes clear that you can't explain Advanced Racism to those who haven't passed Racism 101.

And, with all due respect to my correspondent, that need to make excuses gets old. The man spent 2 ½ minutes screaming racial insults. You say that's not racism?

Then, pray tell, what is?

The Anniversary of Katrina

It has been a year since Hurricane Katrina and there have been numerous stories about the lack of progress in New Orleans, particularly in the Lower Ninth Ward. Most of the people who lived in this predominantly black, lower-income neighborhood have been displaced, and are living in other parts of the country or in FEMA trailers. They had no flood insurance. Contrast this with the wealthier neighborhoods in New Orleans, where residents are busy rebuilding, using their insurance money to rebuild their homes.

There have been many lessons learned from Katrina, and many ugly truths revealed by Katrina. This morning I read the top story in the Seattle Times about a 13-year-old girl who had been raped by a caregiver who had been employed by YouthCare, a non-profit organization that was supposed to provide a safe haven for runaway adolescents. The Seattle Times has been opening up court cases that have been closed from the public for various reasons, presumably because they would cause people or organizations involved in the case much embarrassment. This was no exception, and I bring it up because it reminds me of the privilege and oppression that divide the haves and the have nots--the ulgy truth that was revealed by Katrina.

In the rape case, it was a clear case of rape; however, because YouthCare was well-connected with important people on the board, a decision was made to blame the 13-year-old, saying she was partially responsible, even though the caregiver had a criminal background which had never been checked, and the evidence showed it was not consensual. The whole thing was a travesty, and I can't help but think that if this had happened to a rich, pretty white girl, it first of all would have been all over the newspapers, and second of all, the lawsuit would have been for millions. Clearly, our society values certain people over others.

Here is an excellent article entitled "What Katrina Teaches Us About Racism"

http://understandingkatrina.ssrc.org/Gilman/

A wonderful weekend in Minneapolis

I just spent a wonderful weekend with great people in Minneapolis. All of us were in the diversity field--some of us seasoned diversity consultants and others less experienced but eager to learn more.

Being in Minneapolis with like-minded, creative people reconfirmed for me that I'm doing what I was always meant to do. Like one of the people said, "We're so lucky that we GET to do this work!" Amen to that!