What the President Should Have Said about Race to Start 2015

by Dean Muehlberg

     My fellow Americans, I speak to you tonight on the difficult issue of race relations in our country currently, and during our nation’s history. This country has come a long way from the time when 300,000, mostly white northern Americans, were killed in a brutal Civil War to free their black brothers from oppression, and to stand for what the Declaration of Independence described for this country–that all Americans are created equally.

      I have been elected to the presidency as the first American black man. It has taken 150 years to come to this point, but sometimes change takes that long. Black people, and other people of color in this country, and their education were suppressed for a long time, and, even after this great divisive conflict, were kept from realizing what the Civil War was all about. The social conflicts of the 1960’s started to change that, and began something that led to my being elected to the presidency.

      Race relations have come a long way since the Civil War. There are problems that yet exist, that need to be conquered, but the solution to those problems will have to come mainly from the black community. This country was founded by exiles from repression who banded together to form a more perfect union. There was no one to help them. They had to work hard, adhere to moral laws as they saw them at the time, to faith, and to community.

     I have faith that the great majority of whites in our country respect blacks as equals, and know many blacks who also know this is true. Yet many blacks continue to want to have whites do the hard work for them. We have built a system where many poor can survive without putting any effort into their existence, except to lobby for more assistance. The history of black suppression leads many of my brothers and sisters to think that bias and racism still exist in a large segment of our country today, but think of the whites who can say we gave up 300,000 lives to further the cause of equality. That is history too. The white people who came to this country had nothing, but bettered themselves greatly over the ensuing years. Asians and browns have also come to this country, but have improved their lives. We, as a people, have each to pull our selves up, and show that we are a contributing and respected part of the American population.

     How can we do that? Whatever or however change happens, improvements in racial tolerance and better lives for all of us will not happen overnight. But we can begin this very moment to sow the seeds that may bring us to a better society. I am black, and I am proud. I want all black people to feel the same way, not just because we are black, but because we have led good lives and can show we have something to be proud of. The only way to get from where we are to where we want to be is to work hard, to challenge ourselves, and to desire more than anything to be valuable citizens.

    There are more laws on the books now than ever to ensure equal treatment for all in this society. That fight has already been fought. Anyone who has a just claim to racially biased treatment can find an attorney who will be happy to fight that fight with and for you. Things are not perfect, and most likely never will be, but there are laws, and people of all colors will stand with you to make them right.

     Now it is up to each of us.

      I cannot honestly stand before you and claim I am proud that 72% of black births are out-of-wedlock. I call on all black men and women to think deeply about this, about how moral that fact is. Many of our black children never have a real family to grow up in or have parents to look up to. We cannot change everyone who has grown up in these conditions, but we can think of a future where each one of us can be a part of changing these conditions.

     I want young black men and women to hold each other to moral scrutiny, to feel shame when either is guilty of continuing the devaluing of their own and our children’s lives. There must be pride in adhering to what most Americans value: to be married before having children; to stay with children and raise them to be responsible members of our society–away from drugs, unemployment, and broken families. I know it will take time, but I know we can do this together. Police and security agents profile because segments of our population have far greater responsibility for criminal activity. In our country, the black population has a far greater percentage of crimes than other segments of our society, and much of this criminal and irresponsible activity is a result of conditions we have already mentioned. The only way focus can be taken away from these statistics is by reducing this percentage, and this is achieved by people of all colors respecting their families, respecting law enforcement, respecting the law, respecting themselves, and living a life free of crime. Young black men have a high mortality rate, but these unfortunate deaths are not from law enforcement,but largely from other young black men who have spurned the law, and who have learned to make a living from unlawful endeavors. Where there is no family, and no respect for family, this unlawful and destructive behavior will continue.

    Do not listen to charlatans and tax evaders like Al Sharpton, who only feather their own nests by leading you down the wrong road. They want discord, they want violence, because that is how they make money and how they stay in the limelight. They care little for those of us who are in poor situations, and onlypower and political control are their goals. These charlatans could not care less about black on black crime, or the erosion of the family in black communities, for these conditions only bring them more recognition, power and money. We need more black leaders willing to speak of these things, instead of crying for more help, more assistance, more violence, and blaming the rest of our society for the problems. The fostering of racial division and entitlement has been happening since the Great Society was launched by President Lyndon Johnson in the late l960’s, and it has changed nothing.

    It is indeed shameful that most black leaders continue to bring up all the old excuses for being downtrodden and poor, and want whites and other races to solve all the problems of poverty and racial tension. It is only each of us who can make a difference in our lives, and it is time to realize that self reliance is a principle this country was founded upon.

    None of these changes will happen quickly, but I believe with all the faith in my heart, that today each and everyone of us begins a change that will forever make us proud to be black, white, yellow, red or brown, and proud to be Americans. I put this challenge to you. We have come a long way from the Civil War days, and there is only one step left. That final step begins with all of us, and can only be brought to conclusion by each of us taking responsibility for ourselves, our children, and our country.

    I am sure our fellow citizens will do all we can to help each other fully realize our potential, but the greatest effort must come from each of us individually striving and holding ourselves accountable to make our lives and our country better.

    I am, respectfully, your servant.

Barrack Hussein Obama