Recently I was asked to review a new history textbook. While the prose was pretty good and the facts were basically the facts, the information surrounding the presidency of Barack Obama gave me pause. History will forever remember the initial response of the Republican brain trust immediately after Obama was acknowledged as the 44th president. Led by John Boehner and Mitch McConnell, Congressional Republicans pledged to obstruct any and every agenda item the new President would propose.

McConnell was quoted as stating: “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.” Initially, it was implied that such a statement was motivated by ideological differences. You know, the Republicans’ desire for limited government and the Democrats’ penchant to “tax and spend.”

Well, what the rest of us understood is that it was never about ideology. Oh, I must admit, it made sense, even for the casual political observer. No, the GOP opposition to Obama’s presidency was about race. There were ideological differences before, but our society never experienced political vitriol like that before.

I think it’s safe to say no one ever imagined they’d see an African American as the most powerful man in the most powerful nation on planet earth. Next year marks the anniversary of 400 years of Africans in America. Two hundred and forty-six of those years were spent in slavery. Another 100 spent under the confines of Jim Crow, what one might consider “slavery light.” So, it’s only been in the last 54 years that blacks had fairly unobstructed educational opportunities leading the black community, which consequently led to more economic success and stability then at any time during our 400-year history.

In 1994, Cornel West published Race Matters, where he posited that racial issues continued to influence American society and politics more than 100 years after emancipation. So it’s not such a far leap to assume the vile GOP opposition to Obama’s presidency would be influenced by the color of his skin. Why can’t this society accept that?

So, our children will read about all the magnificent events and accomplishments of American society. But one thing that seems destined to be ignored is the continued influence of race. Sadly, we live in a society that has yet to come to terms with slavery let alone its continued influence.

Too bad. Future generations deserve the truth.

See you soon.

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