Obama Speech on Race – March 2008

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Main body
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

Barack Obama in his “Speech on Race” begins at a time when the American Constitution was being drawn. He says that the document although signed by great men of the nation remained unfinished as it was tainted by slavery, which divided the colonies. The founders had allowed slave trade and left the final decisions to abolish it to their future generations. Although the Constitution promised its people justice, equality and liberty, it has never been able to rid the slaves off their bondage and provide the people of every race and color their privileges and equal rights as the citizens of America. What he calls as legalized discrimination prevented the black people from owning property, attending schools with the white, owning businesses and getting proper jobs. They could not accumulate enough wealth for the future generations and thus, a huge income and wealth gap is evident between the black and white. They received very little economic opportunities and their frustration from being unable to provide for the family, wore down the black families forcing them into poverty. Basic services, like police protection, parks and community centers, are absent in most of the modern black neighborhoods. Obama asks the people not to accept politics, which creates cynicism, conflicts and division among the people, but to remember that people of every creed and color had fought and bleed together to uphold the same flag. In order to face the challenges present today, like unemployment and health issues, America has to come together. Even if its people do not look alike, they want the same future for their coming generations.

Main body

Barack Obama believes that the issue of race cannot be ignored and people need to come together to solve challenges of education, healthcare and employment. He says that people need to address the accounts of racial injustice which the country has faced and remind themselves that the reason the numerous disparities exist within the African American communities is mainly due to the inequalities that had taken place in their earlier generations caused by the cruel era of slavery and the Jim Crow Laws, which were a number of strict anti-Black laws. Black and white children had to attend the segregated schools and often the black schools were the inferior ones. Even after the Brown v. Board of Education declared that the laws forcing separation of schools for white and black students refused the black children their equal educational opportunities, the problem hasn’t still been fixed. This explains the gap that still prevails between them.

Barack Obama’s mother is a white woman from Kansas and father was a black man from Kenya, but his white grandparents helped raise him. His grandfather survived the Great Depression and had served World War II and his grandmother served at Fort Leavenworth on the bomber assembly line. He had been educated in America’s best schools, including Harvard and Columbia Law School, and even lived in some of the poor countries of the world, like Indonesia. His wife, Michelle, is also a black American. He says that she has inherited the blood of slaves, which they have proudly passed on to their two daughters. He has many relatives of different race and color scattered over three continents and believes that America is indeed united as one.

Barack Obama also addresses the issue of enormous segregation in the religious beliefs in America. He says that the controversial remarks given by Reverend Jeremiah Wright only reminds him of the obvious truth that Sunday mornings are the most segregated time for the Americans. This is the time when most Americans go to the churches to hear sermons. The main reason Sunday mornings have been called segregated is that only around 7% of the churches in America are racially unbiased. Religious ignorance and superstitions has made them avoid logic and science fueling both racism and isolation among the people.

Conclusion

In his speech, Barack Obama also refers to Ashley Baia who is a 23 years old white woman and worked on the Barack Obama Presidential Campaign. When Ashley asked the old black man his reason for supporting their campaign, he replied by saying “I’m here because of Ashley.” (Obama, 9) This meant that he supported the campaign and was present there not just, because a single person or a single candidate inspired him, even though it was part of the reason, but because he was impressed by the dedication of the supporters that had eliminated all sorts of social barriers. At that time the single instance of respect and gratitude that was present between Ashley and the old man provided a beginning for equality and opportunity for all, white and blacks alike, in America. The isolation among the people of America can finally end only if everyone prays and works together for a better future. Justice and peace can only be achieved if people join their hands together and eliminate the causes that divide them and pave a bright future for them.

Works Cited

Obama, Barack. Speech on Race. Philadelphia: Constitution Center. 2008. pp 1-9.

Click Here To Order Now!

Obama Speech on Race – March 2008

Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?

We have qualified writers to help you.

We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.

You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)