Obama’s First Year to Bring Open, Frank Dialogue About Racial and Ethnic Diversity

An increase in open and frank dialogue about racial and ethnic diversity will begin as Barack Obama’s presidential administration gets underway in the coming year, predicts a University of Alabama rhetorical studies expert.

“The historic election of the nation’s first African-American president – along with his selection of a culturally diverse cabinet including Bill Richardson (Latino), Eric Holder (African-American), and Eric Shinseki (Japanese-American) – will bring race and ethnicity as a socio-political subject to the fore of the American public’s consciousness,” says Dr. Jason Edward Black, assistant professor of communication studies in the UA College of Communication and Information Sciences.

Black says that executive programs, such as President Clinton’s 1997 “One America in the Twenty-First Century: The President’s Initiative on Race” will likely be a part of the Obama administration’s efforts to foster dialogue about sensitive issues related to cultural diversity. “The Clinton Administration, recognizing the importance of remaining open and honest about America’s past, present and future, organized an advisory board to address cultural tensions and the ways to overcome them. President-Elect Obama may very well support a similar initiative as the nation’s polity continues to diversify,” he says.

Black contends that an “Initiative on Race” at the executive level would filter down to local communities, perhaps augmenting school curriculum to reflect discussions of diversity and magnifying the ways that public organizations and private businesses address diversity in the workplace through training and forum-like discussions about the challenges of living in what experts deem the world’s first truly multi-racial democracy.

“We have already seen interest in, or at least talk of, diversity peak in the wake of Obama’s election. Now is an historic time in the White House, which in turn can become an optimal moment to address cultural diversity openly, respectfully and responsibly to ensure a prosperous future for the nation,” Black says.