The End of Racism...

I caught a couple quick hits from sources that proclaimed after the inauguration of the first African American President that "racism is finally over."

When I first heard that bit -- I contemplated for about 4 seconds and then shock my head in disbelief. While there's a LOT to be said for the first African American President, we are still a very long ways off by officially calling racism over. One definitive clear sign was the whole "Barack, the magic negro" insensitive race-laden fiasco that they tried to pass it off like it was some kind of "joke." Well, I didn't laugh then, nor do I laugh now. Nor do 99% of African Americans that would find that little "parody" to be funny.

That's where the wheels start coming off the whole "racism is finally over" bit. Merely achieving "the first African American President" or being the "first African American (insert job title here)" has absolutely no relevance on the levels of by which we can accurately measure racism in this country.

That said - the election and inauguration of President Obama does remove one more barrier, one more obstacle. It truly is a momentous occasion given our incredibly violent and morally reprehensible racial history over the tenure of our country. From slavery to the White House - we've made progress, wonderful progress. But we still see racial divides when it comes to our neighbors, our court system, our schools, our society.

But in the era of personal responsibility, President Obama is a beacon that social change doesn't come from the outside in -- but from the inside out. Thus he is calling out every American - not just black, white, brown or red - to be better. To do better. To work better. To learn better. To make better decisions. To be responsible. To care. To take pride. To take come together for a common goal of being better.

It's still a color issue in this country when minority children still have a difficult time getting the education they need to make it in society. It's not always the school's fault - because most all of this starts at home, with our families and inside ourselves. Because we are in control of our destinies. We need to embrace what we can do - and continue to remove the obstacles and barriers that have held this country back from greatness.

The inauguration of President Obama was a first and very necessary step on that path - and we've come a long way, but we still have a ways to go.