Holder: Subtle Racism Is Greater Threat Than 'Outbursts Of Bigotry'
hide captionAttorney General Eric Holder.
Attorney General Eric Holder.
During separate commencement addresses, Attorney General Eric Holder and first lady Michelle Obama delivered a similar message: On this 60th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which desegregated schools, we should acknowledge that progress has been made, but in many ways systematic racism still exists, albeit in a more subtle way that is just as sinister.
The Kansas City Star reports that Obama spoke at the graduating ceremony for five Topeka high schools Friday night. According to the paper, Obama said schools, for example, are still segregated and "too often, those schools aren't equal, especially ones attended by students of color, which too often lag behind with crumbling classrooms and less experienced teachers."
The paper adds:
" 'Too many folks are still stopped on the street because of the color of their skin, or they're made to feel unwelcome because of where they're from, or they're bullied because of who they love.'
"The Brown decision, she said, isn't about the past. It's about the future.
"She called on students to battle deep-seated prejudices that persist years after the civil rights movement swept across the country.
" 'Graduates, it's up to all of you to lead the way and drag my generation and your grandparents' generation along with you,' she said."
Holder spoke at Morgan State University. Referring to the Donald Sterling fiasco, Holder said that the past few weeks have given us a perfect example of clear, "outbursts of bigotry."
Read the rest here:
Holder: Subtle Racism Is Greater Threat Than 'Outbursts Of Bigotry'