Talking About Race

Recently, Attorney General Eric Holder encouraged Americans to begin a meaningful discussion about the subject of race. He even said that we had historically been cowards for failing to discuss the topic openly and candidly. I did a post on Holder’s comments, linking to other posts I have done on the same subject.

Those serious about engaging in the kind of race discussion Holder and I advocate might start with Korean-born playwright and director Young Jean Lee’s latest work, The Shipment (click here and here). Having dealt with race from an Asian perspective previously, Lee now tackles the subject from an African-American point of view. She provokes and offends with off-the-wall humor (assuming that’s possible).

If a group of blacks and whites saw The Shipment together, they’d have a lot to talk about — if they could bring themselves to do so. I don’t know whether Lee would encourage blacks and whites to engage in serious discussions about race as Holder did. I’m inclined to think she’d be more likely to ask, “Why waste your time?”

She might also say that such a discussion would end up being an exercise in political correctness, rather than a meaningful discussion; that it’s impossible to have such a discussion because of an unwillingness on the part of everyone to confront preconceived racial prejudices or notions; and that no discussion of race can begin until we concede that we see everything through the lens of race.

Whether you agree with Lee’s perspective or not, using Young Jean Lee and The Shipment as a jumping off point would begin an unforgettable, if not meaningful, discussion of the subject of race. And it would have an impact on how every participant dealt with the subject in the workplace.