Trayvon Martin case: Will it be 'forgotten,' as Colin Powell says? - Yahoo! News

I just wanted to comment on a few things, specifically two thoughts/sentences in this article.  The first was: "Racism is no longer as obvious as water cannons and seats at the back of the bus. Many times, it is still there, only subtler. Many times, it is perceived where none exists."  And my question is obvious for whom?  A good job was done qualifying that sentence by pointing out how subtle racism is and how many times it doesn't exist.  But even that takes on a measure of sophistication that, from the work I do with my consultant business (and extensive writing over the years) Isms & Issues, I feel does not exist.

The second sentence was a little more disturbing.  That sentence was: "While Americans might honestly differ on whether they believe race played a factor, race was not allowed to become a vehicle for further hate and lawlessness."  One of the most interesting dynamics and sad ironies in this country is the assumption that bringing race into a conversation will somehow relegate the conversation, analysis or conclusion to a miserable point of no return; that it would serve no "useful" purpose but to put a bigger wedge between people and keep them from talking honestly with each other or working out differences.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  In my work, the dialectic is set by "talking" about it, but at the same time, making sure that you create a safe and comfortable environment to discuss these issues.  Yes, that is not always easy, but it's not always attempted either.  And most important, one of the ways that racism perpetuates itself is by not bringing race into the conversation.  Why?  Well, if you remove race from the conversation, in most situations it's whites (who are the "dominant" power in our society) who determine that race will not be a "factor." What do you have left?  You have "white" cultural values, which in and of themselves have a racial bias.  That is what is so subtle and clever in this dynamic/merry-go-round.  By removing race from the conversation, you are really saying that values other than white cultural values have less worth in terms of how one sees the world.  And that perpetuates the very dynamic people say they want to change.  What is wrong with elevating black cultural values to the same playing field?  Are they less legitimate than white cultural values IF we claim to be an egalitarian society?

Trayvon Martin case: Will it be 'forgotten,' as Colin Powell says? - Yahoo! News