Talking About Race

After a presidential contest that made talking about race unavoidable, we’re beginning confirmation hearings on a Supreme Court nominee that will also include much talk about race. Does Judge Sotomayor use race to favor minorities? Or, put another way, does she allow her own minority status to produce too much “empathy” for minority groups?

As I’ve noted in my posts on Sotomayor, there’s nothing in her judicial opinions on labor and employment issues that supports a claim of bias on her part. The basis for these concerns comes from her speeches and groups of which she’s been a member. In any event, over the next few days, we’ll hear a lot about the issue of race.

An article in the Columbus Dispatch calls attention to conversations about race that have occurred for decades. These conversations have been instituted by an 83-year-old African-American mother/activist, Alice Saunders, in Lancaster, Ohio. Though these conversations were tough at times and undoubtedly caused discomfort, Mrs. Saunders believes that they’ve gone a long way toward solving racial problems. Lancaster civic leaders now agree with her.

Sometimes, we think that issues involving race can only be solved by Presidents, Supreme Court justices and other big time officials who talk about race. As Mrs. Saunders demonstrates, the truth is that issues involving race and other significant societal and workplace issues can be addressed most effectively by the conversations of ordinary citizens and workers. With our rapidly occurring demographic changes, we need these conversations more than ever.