Is there an answer?

When it comes to politicians discussing the delicate issue of race, is the perfect solution or the “right” answer ever feasible? Regardless of my personal opinion and beliefs about the (then) candidate in question, this speech touched on issues that no politician has ever had the courage to approach before. There is no disputing the fact that Barak Obama has the ability to captivate and intrigue an audience both intellectually and emotionally. But when he spoke of “the past few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country…a part of our union that we have not yet made perfect” I can’t help but wonder what perfect would be? I feel as though huge strides have been made in America in the past 50 years that reflect a joining together of the different cultural backgrounds that make up this country. Where is the invisible line in the sand that must be crossed in order to have racial impartiality in America? What will be the measuring stick that determines the end of racial discrimination now that Obama has set the standard by achieving one of the most difficult jobs in America?
Slight change of pace, but another interesting part of Obama’s speech was when he referenced back to the old saying that “the most segregated hour of American life occurs on Sunday morning.” This brought back a memory of my father’s relationship with the African American community in South Carolina. My father has been an elected official for as long as I can remember, fighting for equal distribution of resources to the less fortunate. Through his leadership and dedication he gained favor of many local churches and we were invited to attend worship service at Boyd Hill Baptist which is predominately African American. What an exciting and new way to spend our Sunday morning! I still to this day haven’t experienced anything quite like that animated, enthusiastic sermon that was given that Sunday morning.