so I am furious again

One of my students this summer commented that it is hard to know how to deal with members of underrepresented groups because on the one hand they want to be treated like everybody else, and on the other hand they want respect for who they are and their unique experiences.

I think that's very well put, because I think from his perspective, that's exactly it.

What I try to teach my white students is to come up with a practical solution to that dilemma, for themselves. They need to figure out how to act to both ends of the spectrum, at the same time.

And so does the rest of society.

I am not saying it's easy. But who said life was going to be easy?

Right now Barack Obama is being criticized for injecting race into the presidential campaign, and for playing the race card from the bottom of the deck. Things are fine as long as we pretend no one has color, right?

In a hierarchical society, pretending that race, gender, sexual orientation, or class does not matter always benefits those on top. The experiences connected with being oppressed are silenced. That's how it works.

In a political campaign an African American candidate interested in winning cannot talk about race, or how race comes into the race. He cannot speak the truth because the truth would upset the white majority, and he would loose.

One lesson I try to give my white students is that you can show respect by shutting up and listen when members of underrepresented groups speak of their experiences.

That's easy.

As a society we need to do the same, and fast. What we have now is a situation where the first African American candidate for president cannot talk about his race. It' s a disgrace.