the pursuit of happiness.

FILE UNDER: an ongoing discussion/moment of clarity.

words. 

"Obama’s election in 2008 undoubtedly marked a milestone, one I never dreamed I’d live to see. I wrote at the time that it felt like morning in America.

What I didn’t fully appreciate then was the extent to which the mere fact of a black family living in the White House would, at least in the short term, heighten racial anxieties and conflicts. I didn’t see that the spectacle of African Americans in power would apparently lead some whites to feel powerless, aggrieved and victimized.

In the long run, I’m an optimist. But a post-racial future will not just appear. There is urgent work to do.

...But we need to go beyond speeches and symbols. Law enforcement should subject white racist organizations to the same surveillance and scrutiny as groups devoted to jihad. Governments at all levels should enforce fair housing and employment laws as vigorously as they enforce the Patriot Act. Police departments and court systems must be compelled to administer justice equally — with African Americans, too, considered innocent until proven guilty.

Our society will end racism when it stops being racist. Not a minute sooner."

THE WASHINGTON POST: America will only end racism when it stops being racist

EARLIER:

guns & roses.  

growing pains.  

black. 

white.