On March 18, 2008, after the Jeremiah Wright incident, Senator Barack Obama went on national television and delivered what many called one of the most inspiring and thought provoking speeches ever delivered on the issue of race. After the speech, several news organizations reported that it was time for America to engage in discussions on race.
Over the years, we have had several discussions on the subject, most of which focused on the relationship between blacks and whites but seldom have we ever explored the role politics played in establishing our racist society. Historians report that one political party supported slavery and Jim Crow while the other party opposed them. They also report that one party was known as the “Party of White Supremacy” and the other party was known as “Nigger Lovers.” In his book: Dreams From My Father, Senator Obama makes the connection between politics and racism when he tells his readers how white Chicago Democrats vowed to vote Republican before they would vote for a black man (Harold Washington) to be mayor of Chicago.
