by Jeff Hitchcock

As the nation settles in for the Obama presidency optimism runs high that race relations will improve, but within anti-racist circles a number of people have cautioned that racism is still with us. Simple proclamations of post-racial America aside, there is a lot of work to do.

Wouldn't it be nice if there were more people to do it? Now that the national climate is changing, how can the white anti-racist community develop a broader anti-racist consciousness among Americans at large? In particular, how can we actively engage other white Americans in the necessary work for racial justice?

Two sociologists, it turns out, have given the matter some thought. White people with close friendships with people of color do not necessarily hold anti-racist beliefs. The majority remain locked in an uncritical, colorblind framework. Conversely, white anti-racists do not necessarily attribute their anti-racist perspectives to direct contact and relationships with people of color.

It's not just simply contact, the researchers point out. Simple interracial exposure is not enough. Other equally strong influences include the experience of other oppressions, faith communities, anti-racist groups, and written/spoken critiques of the dominant (colorblind) racial ideology.

The education, training, and dialogue programs of the past decades have been essential to the growth and development of the white anti-racist community. Efforts to expose white people to an anti-racist perspective may have proven vital to shifting the national consciousness. The time is fruitful for renewed efforts.

Source: O'Brien, Eileen and Korgen, Kathleen Odell. "It's the message, not the messenger: The declining significance of Black-White contact in a 'colorblind' society." Sociological Inquiry, Vol. 77, No. 3, August 2007, 356-382.

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The stories about threats to Obama and post-election violence have been less frequent. One late-breaking story in that vein features an undercover visit to David Duke's recent conference. This week a Louisiana man was beaten for wearing an Obama t-shirt. KKK graffiti has appeared in Maine. Anti-Obama fliers appeared in North Carolina, and two municipal employees in North Carolina were suspended over racist email.

Employees of a catering firm serving Comcast have sued against racist practices. The father of Elliott Spitzer has 1.3 million bias suit judgment weighed against him. A Canadian corporation received permission to begin destructive mining on ground sacred to the Western Shoshone Nation in Nevada.

Prominent white supremacist intellectuals have started a club. Others call for the return of militias. Bad talk led to racist attack in Long Island (Article 1, Article 2). Bush wants rule change permitting more immigration raids. In California, immigrants with professional backgrounds work in low level jobs.

In what seems exceedingly poor judgment, a white teacher bound two black seventh grade students in a lesson on slavery. A US Airways pilot refuses to fly with Sikh passengers on board.

When a 19-year-old with white supremacist ties won a committee position with the Palm Beach county Republican Party, party officials said "No." Using a technicality, they refused to seat Derek Black. Black cried foul and threatened a suit, and even brought David Duke in for support. It's not a first time predicament for Republicans. In the end, their decision held.

Minority impact statements emerging as policy tool. Maybe the Vancouver Olympic Committee should have done one. People in Maine don't accept racist graffiti. Long Islanders protest racism. Paris, Texas, holds community meetings aided by the US Department of Justice, in the wake of a racialized killing (Article 1, Article 2). St.Cloud, Minnesota, officials invited to anti-racism training. In Alberta, Canada, a local school system takes a day to look at oppression.

Non-black doctors prefer white patients. European names make people "appear" more European. Non-Muslim Westerners display bias against Muslims. Silence may convey prejudice. People are racist in the virtual world, too. Black and white racial statuses in the US are mediated by class. People on the street color impressions of the neighborhood.

ADWEEK magazine ran an article about how radio ratings shortchange Hispanic outlets, and also a lengthy report about the whiteness of the advertising industry. The latter led MultiCultClassics to point out that ADWEEK has no non-white employees on its own design and editorial staff. In other news, a Canadian college student association cancelled a fundraiser for cystic fibrosis, mistakenly believing the disease only impacted white men (Article 1, Article 2). Bulimia, too, is more than a white person's disease.

A white Rutgers student sees no reason for white guilt. A white male McGill University student makes flat jokes about "white guys" A Michigan State student tackles clubs with racial/cultural themes, while a racist student publication at MSU ceases publication. Half of all hate crimes on campus involve race. Ohio State students receive racist emails. The person sending them is fired. Brown University student-led program on campus security and race flounders after some success. African American faculty perceives unfair treatment in higher education. Pasadena City College professor questions French race relations. Chapman University law professor to speak about whiteness and Middle-Easterners. Peggy McIntosh receives campus coverage of her talk at Bryn Mawr.

Southern Poverty Law Center sponsors high school program to "mix it up."At a California elementary school, protestors clash over Thanksgiving. University of Utah students protest use of Indian mascot and lukewarm support for Indian students.

The 2009 UN World Conference Against Racism continues to draw fire. Obama's example makes Brazil take a look at itself. In Australia a man too racist for the anti-immigration party goes his own way. Race relations in Australia's Northern Territory called into question. International students in Australia face discrimination. Two Indian students in Australia were recently attacked. Income inequality is increasing in South Africa except among whites. Are white South African teens being kidnapped and taught to hate blacks? Optimism for South African race relations declines. Facebook boots Italian Nazis. Obama's example continues to influence France.

United Kingdom uses Anti-Social Behaviour Order to ban racist man from supermarket for 99 years. KKK graffiti shows up in Bucks, England. Two English soccer fans are charged with racist chanting. In a separate incident two English teenage girls face trial for the same reason--racist taunts. Scotland takes pride in its race relations.

A documentary about the survivors of the Tulsa Race Riot.

Video game, ICED, now updated, teaches about immigration.

A short lesson on Eurocentric world maps.

A newspaper editor looks at Winston-Salem's recent racial past.

UNLV professor discusses the hidden costs of integration.

80-year-old telegram documents Alaska's racist past.

North Carolina continues to honor racist in US Capitol.

A 1914 tragedy brought black and white together in Missouri.

White readers meet black authors: December is National Buy a Book By a Black Author and Give it to Somebody Not Black Month.

Barbi Bitch Slaps Bratz. Law suits, corporate profits, can you get any whiter than this?

Needed: White people for play about race riot.

White Parisian woman turns black in new film.

Review of two recent books by David R. Roediger and Tim Wise, respectively.

Racism is over.

It's enough to make your head swim. The White Anti-Racist (Have your cake and eat it too) blog sets up non-white Advisory Board.

A doula looks at race and birth amidst personal experiences.

Surrounded by white people, a black woman finds her faith in the power to beat racism renewed.

Horace Seldon has inspired many a white anti-racist.

The family of Amy Biehl works with their daughter's killers.

What 'race matters' means to white folks.

For white Americans, a chance to atone.

White evangelicals take stock.

Eleven o' clock on Sunday morning.

"Considering reconciliation," by Jessie. racismreview.com, December 6, 2008.

"Does Barrack Obama's victory herald a post-racial America?," by AndrewGrant-Thomas. RaceWire, December 5, 2008.

"Changes in attitudes toward race change slowly despite Obama," by Tomas R. Jimenez. The Mecury News, December 2, 2008.

"Enough of 'barbituate' Left cynicism, Obama is a victory over white supremacy," by Tim Wise. AlterNet, November 26, 2008.

"In search of post-racial America," by Tim Wise. Red Room, November 25, 2008.

"Who wakes up and says, 'I wish I could be oppressed too?," by Dori. A Truly Elegant Mess, November 22, 2008.