Editorial: Barbara Deane speaks out about bias and presidential leadership

Dear Readers,

I must speak up about the bias that seems out of control in our U.S. presidential campaign. Why? Because I believe it holds important implications for the future of our multicultural society.

I applauded Senator John McCain when he stopped and countered the biased comments of a woman attending one of his rallies. She said she couldn't trust Barack Obama because he was an Arab. McCain immediately responded that this wasn't true.

But what if McCain had said, "No, this is not true. Barack Obama is an AMERICAN; only BORN-IN-AMERICA CITIZENS can run for the presidency. He is bi-racial - as many more Americans are today - which means that his parents come from two different races or ethnicities. Obama professes to be a Christian, as do I. He also happens to be someone with whom I have differences." Instead, McCain said that Obama was "a decent family man, a citizen." The woman's bias? Only minimally countered.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, however, countered another bias at a deeper level. To the comment that accused Barack Obama of being a Muslim, General Powell said, "Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is [a Muslim]? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no. That's not America. Is something wrong with some 7-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president?"

The Obama campaign is not without fault in letting biased comments go by either. When rumors surfaced that Obama was a Muslim, the campaign denied it, but did not take the next step of challenging the underlying bias of being a Muslim. The Los Angeles Times wrote in an editorial "...Presidential candidates of both parties have a duty to denounce not only the smear against Obama but the bigotry that underlies it." [Los Angeles Times, 12/3/07]. "...Calling someone a Muslim is now a slur in American politics," cited an article in the UK Guardian [October 20, 2008].

What if Obama had said, perhaps more truthfully at the beginning, "I am not a Muslim, but I was exposed to Islam growing up as a child in Indonesia for four years, a Muslim country. And I believe my grandfather on my father's side was a Muslim (he did say some of this to a group of women in Okaloosa, Iowa).

What I'd like my fellow Americans to remember is that today many Americans profess Islam as their faith. We all enjoy the benefit of freedom of religion in the United States, the right to practice our faith without bias, hate, or threat. I would ask of you that you extend the same respect and courtesy to your fellow Americans that are of the Islamic faith, as you do to your fellow Americans who are Catholic, Jewish, Baptist, Pentecostal, Presbyterian or United Methodist.

So what's the big deal here?

In my view, one of the greatest challenges facing the next president of the United States will be his ability to effectively govern our multicultural society.

Why is this a big deal? Because rallying the populace to support a new direction for the country will be difficult when many Americans fear those who look and act differently from themselves. These differences are increasing, not decreasing. And, unfortunately, the campaign has dredged up a plethora of biases that for the most part have gone undisputed.

The next president must act quickly to bring Americans together. He must find positive and creative ways to address the seeds of hate, suspicion and division sown during the campaign. His rhetoric must inspire ALL Americans to replace our fears of each other with curiosity about each other. He must call on ALL Americans to look beyond our diverse backgrounds and cultures to the many common values, goals and aspirations we all share. We all seek the benefits of a free, democratic society, whether our names are Obama, Santos, Nguyen, or Smith.

Will the next President of the United States have the ability to lead Americans beyond the "us and them" parochial mentalities to a view of ourselves as "we together"? Coming together as one nation is imperative if we are to solve the many challenges before us. Becoming a cohesive multicultural society will be the source of our strength and resolve to once again be a beacon of hope to the world.

Barbara Deane, Editor-in-Chief, DiversityCentral.com
Email: Barbara@diversitycentral.com

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