It's out of flavor with the post-racial times, but I'm going to say it: I'm struck by the number of black people who are going to be working in the White House. I know these aren't cabinet-level jobs (excepting Holder) and maybe Valerie Jarrett will do an awful job. But I was taken aback watching a black woman lay out the agenda for the next president on Meet The Press a few weeks back. Maybe Holder is a complete bum, but look, I come out of the era of Rodney King, and from time to time will still play "Fuck The Police." Forgive me for having an emotional reaction to the top-cop in this country being a black man. I have been very hard on people who expect the mere sight of Obama as president to alter some things in the black community. Have I been too hard? I need to think more about how this makes me feel. On an emotional level, I'm sorry, it's fucking stunning.
Anyway, the latest is Melody Barnes. Here's some actual policy to cut through the cotton candy of a post you just read. I'm a damn teddy bear. Props to Matt for the link.
The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood 
Copyright © 2009 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. All rights reserved.
Dude, don't feel bad about it. Hell, I'm a southern, white cracker raised in a trailer park and I'm excited about it. It's a sign of how we're moving as a nation.
"Forgive me for having an emotional reaction to the top-cop in this country being a black man."
Shit --haven't thought about the symbolism of it. It seems Holder --March Rich's pardon aside-- is a very highly regarded guy. Good luck to him and to all us after the disgrace that Gonzales was.
Well unless Holder's views on the drug war have changed, I doubt it will particularly matter whether he's black or white (or purple, for that matter). Hopefully Obama will exercise specific control over those aspects of the AG's job and keep his promises to cease the medical marijuana raids, at least.
So are you happy, angry, frustrated or just unsure about all of this? Do you really think that Valerie Jarrett will do a horrible job? I cannot predict the future, but Ms. Jarrett has been an advisor and confidant to the Mr. and Mrs. Obama for a while now and look how far they have made it?...That says something about her skills aside from her impressive resume.
As for Holder, I think he will be fine. Barack Obama will be the President, he is the boss. He will be making critical decisions on all fronts.
Melody Barnes is impressive as well. I am just as happy to see a diverse cabinet as I am to see that these ppl are competent and highly qualified for these positions. That is what we need right now, to restore some confidence in the American ppl. Hopefully this administration will get the job done, it is an enormous task.
TNC,
Yes your reactions are a little wierd, but thats only because of the skepticism and (completely justified) hesitancy you displayed before.
Look, Condi Rice and Colin Powell were black. And Clinton had some black cabinet positions, too. But with Obama, I don't feel like there's necessarily a quota system. His appointees are there because he thought they were best for the job.
Sometimes you don't recognize the need until you feel the reaction. Sometimes the reaction tells you what you'd been suppressing all along. It is good to be brave and self-assured and to know who you are and never need external validation, but that is also a lot of work, that tending yourself and staying strong. If you've done that work all along, you might only find out how much work it was when you can stop doing some of it.
TNC,
It could be the insistence on belief in a new 'post-racial' era that's causing the confusion.
Jackie Robinson's entry into baseball did not end racism in baseball or the U.S, but it was an excellent first step...
Quoting den Beste? Just leave off the lapdancer. She's mine for an hour.
Screw the political correctness TNC, I also think this is super exciting, and I'm an Arab. Look, I'm a lawyer in Detroit who works on civil rights issues related to my community, and I occasionally meet with federal bureaucrats in their offices where they are mandated to have a framed photo of the president and the attorney general. I can't tell you how much it will mean to me, as a person of color, to see two diverse faces on framed prints hanging in every FBI and Homeland Security office in this country.
Why apologize Coates?
Just to add someone else:
Desiree Rogers - the new White House Social Secretary.
A Black Social Secretary.
ROFLMAO
I have always admitted that I'm more excited about Michelle becoming First Lady than I am about Barack becoming President.
A Black First Lady that has a Black Social Secretary.
I just have to smile on it.
I can't hate on the Sistas doing their thing.
Obamas Taking Rogers to DC
Hassan -- those creepy pics of the President are actually mandatory? Really? Ugh.
eduardo is right about the improvement on Gonzalez, and Mukasey hasn't been much better.
Mr. Holder looks likes a very well-prepared and well-qualified candidate. He has certainly checked all the blocks to get to this point.
As for his views on the drug war, 1) as someone who has spent a good chunk of his career in DC, his views are probably quite nuanced and intricate, and easy to over-simplify and misrepresent, so he deserves some trust on credit, and 2) don't matter because Mr. Obama has shown that he knows how to take charge without being a despot, and he will set the agenda.
It's fucking awesome, man. There are no words that exist that could adequately describe what I feel...Damn!
T.
I think what you feel is what I feel. The fact is that after so many years of visual pictures illustrating African-Americans as crooks, prostitutes, and drug-dealers, the reality is that we have a phlethora of highly educated, high-class, black (and white) people who know how to run things--and run them well. Its exciting, and I think many people of all colors feel confident that we are in good hands. And they are in hands that are white and black--they are the best (black and white) of America, which has no color.
Give yourself a break. It IS awesome. As a non-WASP, I was teary for a week.
And if Valerie Jarrett does a lousy job? So what!?
White men have been the masters of mediocrity for long enough.
Sorry, TNC. My thoughts are a bit less pure than yours:
"Washington's Ten best Dressed"
http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/shopping/5424.html
Speaking for the White-Women-Born-During-the-Eisenhower-Administration contingent, I have to say: hell yes. It's ridiculously exciting and it sometimes brings tears to my eyes when I see all the new faces coming into this administration that are not from the same old, pale, male mold. It is a powerful, visceral thrill to see so much of America that's been missing from the top for so long finally represented there.
And my middle-aged eyesight, perhaps combined with an emotional tear or two, caused me to totally misread the caption for Melody Barnes as "Center for American Negroes." Yeesh.
vrob125 Color is very important to this country, we are a colorful nation and that is why we are great. The Latino community also has a growing number of Americans that are highly educated.
Have I been too hard? I need to think more about how this makes me feel. On an emotional level, I'm sorry, it's fucking stunning.
As a white man who grew up in the south during the 1960's at the country club rather than the trailer park, I've never been more proud of my country than I am now. The emotion you should feel, at least in part, Ta-Nehisi, is profound pride. That's what I feel. A lot of these people might turn out to be a lot of things, but they are there and we will see -- like in any administration. So far, however, I haven't seen a clinker yet. I actually believe that hope for the first time I can remember is a viable emotion.
"Maybe Holder is a complete bum"
Suffice it to say that Holder is not, and will not be, a complete bum.
No apologies necessary for having a heart. Congratulations to all of us!
Valerie Jarrett, the one on Meet the Press, is actually Iranian.
It makes perfect sense that we're dazzled, rather than just impressed.
We haven't gotten to look up over and over and over and see world-class excellence with world-class power and see it looking like the new White House staff. We've been sure that ability that big was waiting for its chance, but that's not the same as seeing it on the job.
We're coming out a pretty bad cave into some pretty bright sunlight here.
It's completely legitimate to blink occasionally at how gorgeous it all is.
MTP,
I strongly recommend a minute or two of Wikipedia learning about Valerie Jarrett. You've got her story wrong.
OH... scratch that. Valerie was born in Iran, but her family is African American. Her family tree actually is filled the best and brightest of humanity. No wonder she is scary smart.
Yea.....I guess. Oh Allen, most of those highly educated "Latinos" are white. With the exception of Alberto Gonzalez it is still rare to see a non- white Latino in power. The white Latinos love to be considered "people of color" when they live in the United States because of the benefits that come with being considered a protected minority, such as, preference in college admissions and government contracts. While at the same time they can freely crap on the brown and black Latin Americans immigrants since they are all considered Latino by the United States government. That is why when you turn on Spanish Language television everyone is white. Having lived in Latin America for the last 10 years I would say those brown and black people have more of a chance being excepted into Anglo society than into white Latin American society.
Well, if you're comments are in bad taste, I don't want to have good taste...As a Latina who was honored to receive a Ford Foundation fellowship a couple of years ago, I've been waiting for this moment--for some of the exceptionally talented people I've met at conferences over the years, in so many fields of endeavor, to be given the opportunity to strut as experts and leaders. Barack's appointments point up the social component of meritocracy few are willing to acknowledge, that to know some of the best and brightest, you have to have access to the circles they run in. Occasionally someone like Condi, for various reasons, can get in under the old boys' club/college legacies radar, but many, many people haven't been able. How many of us have not gone into public service thinking we'd never break those barriers, no matter how high up the ladder we climbed? Hopefully this too will be changing.
Stunning indeed.
Of course we remaining second class citizens won't likely be seeing any of our brothers and sisters representing our hopes and aspirations in high level positions (oh, yes, as always - not openly, at least).
I can be kicked out of my apartment today because of my sexual orientation here in Nebraska. That is of course only one of the myriad legal protections against discrimination we lack. I can only dream and work for the formal guarantees against race discrimination that others enjoy.
Of course many pro-Obama Californians taught us not to be so uppity this month, and put us firmly in our place.
I can only hope that someday we too will be judged by the content of our character, rather than be condemned for the yearning of our hearts.
Bad title! I initially thought TNC meant that it was totally bad taste for Obama to appoint as many black people as he had.
TNC, as always, the honesty sets you apart. Thank you.
Oops!
In my post above, I forgot about Janet Napalitano.
I did say OPENLY though in that post.
Not to speak of the Secty of State....
Imagine having to hide you were black.
Re: the Obamas and their appointees: I'm counting on the truism that non-whites have to be twice as qualified as whites to reach the same professional level. So far, so good.
Stunning, indeed. I was watching the news of the appointments this morning, and had the exact same feeling--not as an African-American, but as a woman. Seeing all these wonderful, talented, smart women being given high-level jobs--I was in tears. Condi Rice and Christine Todd Whitman didn't make me feel this way, because they were ideological or patronage picks. These women are being picked for being the best.
It's a beautiful day.
WifeRat was distraught all day about the appointment of Larry Summers, but this is much more significant.
the reality of obama and his administration is just the beginning of a tidal wave of new realities that is going to hit the globe in the months and years to come. This is not an emotional argument, but it is an emotional issue. I dont think anyone is really keeping account of what this is doing to people emotionally and really how it will translate in their daily lives. the weight of the racial ceiling is far heavier than any of us ever knew...
What I am looking forward to is a new "Welcome new citizens" movie starring Obama. My wife just got her citizenship in October (with enough time to register to vote!) and the Bush video was just awful. Plus they wanted everyone to sing "Proud to be an American"! Goofiest thing I've ever seen in my life (especially in a room full of people with different accents). My recommendation is to replace it with the scene in Rocky 4 with James Brown when Apollo is about to fight Drago.
I want to be on the record as the first white guy to complain that my lot in life has been harmed by all these minority appointments.
Yay! There seems to be so many reasons to celebrate Valerie Jarret! She's born in Shiraz Iran! Yaaay, she has had more encounters with foreign countries than GWB had when he got "elected". T-NC, i've said it many times, and i'll say it again! Now is the time for celebration, because there won't be much time for that later. Finally a cabinet that actually looks like america! A myriad of people of different ethnicities and points of view. To borrow from the Economist:
"ah glorious, glorious competence. How we've missed you"
It's starting to look like a real life version of the Justice League.
It's out of flavor with the post-racial times
Post-racial?
Coates?
no such thing.
T - The reason we are all excited is that we finally have a president and staff that values brains, global undertanding and competence. Plus the Obama team represents the realities of the diveristy and the challenges of America today. We are more reliant than ever on a global economy and global understanding. What happens in a small village in China or Mexico ends up being important to the well being of people in New York, or Chicago, or Ohio. It is finally nice to see people of stature and competence that deserve to run this great nation. I can breathe again.
Great to see we've gotten to the point where people are judged, NOT by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
And I'm pretty sure that was a black man standing behind him at today's press conference--Dep. Director of OMB.
All these smart, successful, highly educated black women coming out of the woodwork...it's like they've been there all along, just waiting to be invited in.
I live in Britain, and it's hard to imagine this happening here. I'm really proud it's happening in my country.
I am a white 49 year old white woman who grew up in n wisconsin and did not see a black person except on television until I was 18 and went to the city for the first time. I am overjoyed that Barack is elected President.
I have been having weird reactions at surprising moments. When Hassan says "I occasionally meet with federal bureaucrats in their offices where they are mandated to have a framed photo of the president and the attorney general" I burst into tears. This is so weird. And good. A part of my heart has been dragged down by the firmament of black suppression and I did not know it.
This from someone who grew up with not rabid but ignorant racist parents and grandparents that I loved, who only recently has begun to see the individual first and the color of their skin second even tho she has had no waking desire to be so blind. There is freedom for me in all this. Thanks for your writing TNC.
I'm with you TNC. The coolest thing is that they are being picked because they're the best for the job, not just because Barack wants to color it up.
And I am overjoyed to see so many black women in the mix.
There's been a bit of a pep in my step at the thought of many of America's key representatives to the world being black women: Valerie Jarrett, Michelle Obama, and Susan Rice at the UN. I feel like my stock is on the rise and it makes me want to aim even higher myself.
I'm white, and I have no particular emotion when seeing the color of the people in these posts.
I do think its worth pointing out that on the day when people of color reach the very highest offices, the rascism that prevented their rise has not just died, but been dead for some time. Any pride should (I think) be at the state of race relations in the country at the present time and in the past few years, not at what they are about to become.
That's what "post-racial" means, right?
When I see all the individual human beings (black/white, mixed, dark, light - whatever particular DNA mixture may run in their veins and compose their muscles, I'm avidly pro-post-label), coming to work in the Obama Administration, I think it's the way it should be and long overdo. My emotions are akin to finally paying off a massive credit card bill that never should have been permitted to accrue. And that said - I don't want to give too much focus to the stupidity of the past. Along those lines, my thought are now that it is healthier to not make a huge deal about people's color or racial background but rather, to just focus on their experience, their plans to tackle problems - and then, in a decade or two we can reflect back in wonder and pride. I feel like the more we focus and obsess on it all, the more it is positioned as "unique" - some rare special moment that may never happen again; the truth is - it will. And it should have happened a long time ago, so let's now get on with it and de-emphasize the idea that it is a novelty. People are not novelties, they are human beings. Really, the point is these are human beings of talent and their race is irrelevant. If anything, I get angry it has taken so long for all people to get over such a dopey, idiotic concept as racial bigotry. Really - think about it, the shade of an organ (skin is an organ) has been used to deny humans a chance to utilize their talent for the greater good. How utterly counter-productive. Leave it to humans to dehumanize. How much time have we lost in resolving problems by holding ourselves back because of the way we humans look? Let's get on with life and leave the labels behind. Like every human I despise people looking at me and assuming a list of qualities I may have or may not have. For the record, I am a male who ancestors originated in Europe, and was not only raised in but self-tutored in anti-racism, anti-sexism and vigorously living in a way that consciously counteracts pre-judgement of others based on skin, gender, age, mobility, sexual preference - and not a liberal. Oh - and also born when Eisenhower was President. And all that said, of course Ta-Nehisi, in these days my heart is open to the possibility that we are moving ahead.
No reason to be apologetic TNC, I'm a middle aged white man from Iowa and I'm practically giddy. Even the most partisan supporters of BHO are only just beginning to realize what a sea change this is for America.
Whoda thunk it? After eight years of Bush, BRAINS are finally back in vogue again. And even better than that, they're trumping the color of one's skin.
To Janine Tulchin - big assumption thinking Barry has brains. He has no experience and will be a complete failure as President. You think Bush has no brains? Then why is Barry keeping most of Bush's war appointees. Poor deluded liberals like yourself are pitiful. You prolly live richly in the suburbs without a care in the world. So easy to be a rich snob of a lib.