race relations in the news

earlier this month, i wrote for the first time in a while about race and race relations in the u.s. shortly after that, race stories were seemingly all over the news:

the cambridge police arrest of harvard professor henry louis gates. imo, gates unnecessarily escalated the situation. but was it really necessary to arrest him, especially after it became clear that he was lawfully in his own home? shouldn't the officer walk away in that situation?

president obama stirred the pot with off-the-cuff comments on the subject. i had mixed feelings on this. i'm glad that he was willing to address directly the issue of race and race relations, but publicly 'taking a side' before investigating the episode seemed an uncharacteristic (and unfortunate) misstep. likewise, the fact that he was surprised by the swift, intense reaction was... well, surprising. he's the president of the united states, and he said that the police acted stupidly - he didn't think anyone would have a reaction to that?

conversely, i was grieved at the tone of some of the critics of gates and obama. is it really possible that we don't understand how a black man could get angry about being confronted by a police demanding proof that he belonged in his own home, or that someone might come to the conclusion that the police also overreacted by arresting a senior citizen whom they had confirmed was the homeowner? should we not hear gates' and obama's responses in the historical-sociological context of how blacks have been treated in this country?

of course, the gates episode was a single (if paradigmatic) incident. but the cnn story citing studies that reveal how a person's race could affect the medical treatment they receive took into account a broader data set. the results are both sobering and provocative. where is our outrage over this as a nation -- or as the people of God?

on a different note, i was pleasantly surprised to learn that california has apologized to its chinese american community for racist laws dating back to the gold rush of the mid-1800s. some of these were in force for nearly 100 years, prohibiting the chinese from owning property (including land), marrying whites, working in the public sector, and testifying against whites in court. the time magazine article on the subject points out that this is only the latest government act of contrition with regard to race relations, as there seems to be an outpouring of official remorse from governments around the globe.

yes, the acts are largely symbolic. but symbols mean things. acknowledging the injustices of the past may not fix everything, but that could be said of any apology. an apology, in and of itself, is not 'doing justice' -- but it is often an important step in restoring a broken relationship. and if recent events reveal anything, it's that even accounting for the progress that's been made in the u.s., the relationship between the races could use some more restoring.

the LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain;
a banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow,
and refined, aged wine.
and on this mountain he will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples,
even the veil which is stretched over all nations.
he will swallow up death for all time,
and the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces,
and he will remove the reproach of his people from all the earth;
for the LORD has spoken.
isaiah 25:6-8