Race and gender in a post-election U.S.

November 17, 2008 by Amara Collins 

As Barack Obama, the country’s first black president, begins his transition to power, old and outdated ideologies are mingling with fresh, new philosophies

“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer. It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states. We are, and always will be, the United States of America.”

Barack Obama, President-elect

As Barack Obama, the country’s first black president, begins his transition to power, old and outdated ideologies are mingling with fresh, new philosophies our country has never encountered: 

Change. It has been the single most powerful word used in this election. 

Society has come a long way in the U.S. and is radically different from the country that in the previous century was still reeling from the aftershocks of segregation.

America has taken great leaps in overcoming racial discrimination on individual, organizational, structural and societal levels, as Peter Kim, a UNLV women’s studies professor and expert in racial identity formation pointed out.

“There has been a natural progression over time where the younger generations, X and Y, have been educated and encouraged in multiculturalism,” Kim said. 

He added that the opportunity for youth to be exposed to people of color has helped propel America forward, noting that there have previously been black candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination such as the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

Obama is the fifth black candidate to run for the Democratic presidential ticket.

Clearly race was an issue in the 2008 presidential election. The much-debated  theory of the Bradley Effect was one of the concepts media outlets such as CNN thought would play a role.

Tom Bradley, a former Los Angeles city mayor, ran for president in 1982. Exit polls showed Bradley leading by a large margin, yet he was beat out by his Republican opponent George Deukmejian.

Voters in 1982 said they would vote for Bradley when polled because they did not want to appear prejudiced, but did not follow through when they cast their ballots.

Democratic politician and UNLV professor Dina Titus weighed in on the subject, saying, “I do believe that the country is very different today from when the Bradley Factor played out in the Los Angeles mayor’s race some 25 years ago.”

“One thing no one is talking about is the Reverse Bradley Effect,” Kim said.

According to Kim, the Reverse Bradley Effect occurs when blacks say they are not going to vote for a candidate because they share the same race but decide to anyway.

UNLV senior Brandon Collinsworth said he voted for Obama because of the issues and the fact that they share a biracial background did not influence his decision.

However, he did agree that this election has given blacks something to be proud of and hopes Obama acts as a catalyst in fostering understanding between mainstream white and black America.

“Personally I already know our [African-American] history, but I think this will help others better understand our past.” Collinsworth said.

Angela Buysse, a junior at UNLV, thinks Obama’s success has been a huge step for all minorities and looks forward to one day seeing the country’s first female president.

“Having a female president would be great because even though Obama is African-American he is still a man, and in the past we’ve had only males hold the presidency,” she said.

Kim calls attention to the commonality that all minorities share in being the outsider. 

“Historically there has been a black and white paradigm due to slavery, so other minority groups are trying to find their place and voice in the narrative of American history,” Kim said.

Whether or not race will be an issue as Obama fills his cabinet and advising positions remains to be seen, although so far it does not seem to be playing a role in his decision-making. 

Notable picks in the Obama administration include Rahm Emanuel who has been named chief of staff, Valerie Jarrett as the senior adviser and assistant to the president for intergovernmental relations and public liaison and Ron Klain as chief of staff to the vice president.

Hillary Clinton and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson are both being targeted for top executive positions in the Obama administration, according to the Obama transition team. 

Whatever form this new administration morphs into, students should continue to stay involved. 

“Young people have a vested interest in American politics and even though we may not see structural or societal change in race relations in this lifetime it’s important to continue to take an active role,” Kim said.