Former Democratic vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro recently chose to try to drive a wedge among voters on the issue of race and gender.
"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position," Ferraro, a supporter of Hillary Clinton, told a California newspaper. "And if he was a woman, he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is."
With a woman and a black man vying for the first time for the Democratic presidential nomination this year, women of color are increasingly being asked whether they are voting their race or their gender — as if we could divide them. The truth is, race and gender are intertwined for black women, and both are determinants in their economic, social, political and educational status.
The intersection of race and gender also has created a third burden for black women: the way the majority of society marginalizes black men. A stunning example of this third burden is evident in the labor market. In February, the white unemployment rate was 4.3%, while the black jobless rate was 8.3%. For those older than 20, 6.5% of African-American women were unemployed, compared with 7.9% of African-American men. The fact that black men take a greater economic hit than others in this economy is a burden to black women because we have futures that are intertwined.
African-American women often are the mothers, daughters, sisters and wives of the African-American men who have extremely disparate outcomes in our society — more likely to be arrested, less likely to work, more likely to be marginalized, less likely to attend college. The status of African-American men affects the quality of life for African-American women.
So, Obama is "lucky to be who he is" in this campaign? This is the same luck that results in too many African-American men being pulled over by police simply because of their skin color. The same luck that finds large numbers of black males wallowing in poverty, drugs and hopelessness.
Luck? For many African-American women, this election is not simply about gender or race. It is about the many economic, social and educational barriers they face, along with their men, and who will be the best candidate — female or male, black or white — who will finally begin to address their many burdens.
Julianne Malveaux, president of Bennett College for Women, was guest editor of the National Urban League's State of Black America report released this month.
Posted at 12:14 AM/ET, March 14, 2008 in Election 2008 - Forum, Forum commentary, Lifestyle issues - Forum, Malveaux, Politics - Forum, Politics, Government - Forum, Race Issues/Civil rights - Forum | Permalink
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http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/03/the-lucky-world.html
"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position," Ferraro, a supporter of Hillary Clinton, told a California newspaper. "And if he was a woman, he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is."
With a woman and a black man vying for the first time for the Democratic presidential nomination this year, women of color are increasingly being asked whether they are voting their race or their gender — as if we could divide them. The truth is, race and gender are intertwined for black women, and both are determinants in their economic, social, political and educational status.
The intersection of race and gender also has created a third burden for black women: the way the majority of society marginalizes black men. A stunning example of this third burden is evident in the labor market. In February, the white unemployment rate was 4.3%, while the black jobless rate was 8.3%. For those older than 20, 6.5% of African-American women were unemployed, compared with 7.9% of African-American men. The fact that black men take a greater economic hit than others in this economy is a burden to black women because we have futures that are intertwined.
African-American women often are the mothers, daughters, sisters and wives of the African-American men who have extremely disparate outcomes in our society — more likely to be arrested, less likely to work, more likely to be marginalized, less likely to attend college. The status of African-American men affects the quality of life for African-American women.
So, Obama is "lucky to be who he is" in this campaign? This is the same luck that results in too many African-American men being pulled over by police simply because of their skin color. The same luck that finds large numbers of black males wallowing in poverty, drugs and hopelessness.
Luck? For many African-American women, this election is not simply about gender or race. It is about the many economic, social and educational barriers they face, along with their men, and who will be the best candidate — female or male, black or white — who will finally begin to address their many burdens.
Julianne Malveaux, president of Bennett College for Women, was guest editor of the National Urban League's State of Black America report released this month.
Posted at 12:14 AM/ET, March 14, 2008 in Election 2008 - Forum, Forum commentary, Lifestyle issues - Forum, Malveaux, Politics - Forum, Politics, Government - Forum, Race Issues/Civil rights - Forum | Permalink
USA TODAY welcomes your views and encourages lively -- but civil -- discussions. Comments are unedited, but submissions reported as abusive may be removed. By posting a comment, you affirm that you are 13 years of age or older.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/03/the-lucky-world.html
@ the brutality.
