hopefully by now everyone knows a little bit about the arrest of harvard professor henry louis gates, jr. if not, here’s an article.  but be sure to read more than one, because the subtle differences in word choice and style can make for completely different narratives.  in fact, even choosing an article to link here is difficult because i wonder if there can possibly be an unbiased way to present this fascinating story.

some time ago my coworker scott and i were talking about the absurdity of certain people declaring the united states as a post-racial society now that we’ve accomplished bringing a minority into the white house.  and yes, we’ve come a long way since the civil rights movement in the 60′s, but we have many generations to go before we can even attempt to pretend that we are racially on a level playing field.  i’m completely taken by this story because of the new facets that unravel everyday.  the fact that this happened to the leading professor in the nation on african-american studies. the fact that gates pulled the “race card,” justifiably. the fact that crowley had even taught a class on racial profiling.  and that this was an obscure little story until obama commented on it as an afterthought to a press conference.  it reminds me of communications and ethnic studies classes from college—dissecting the dozens of narratives that make up one story, from gates’ background as a distinguished scholar and father to half-white children to crowley’s upbringing in a wholesome family where law enforcement runs in the blood.

i’m not posting this because i have any coherent point or answer. it’s just been occupying my mind a lot. i am glad this happened, because it has opened dialogue on a national scale on the topic of racial profiling, and revealed just how deep our prejudices are.  as i read these stories and scholars’ responses to it, my feelings are all over the place, from anger to sympathy to pity, on both sides. to be sure i think what happened to gates was wrong. for sure race had something to do with the arrest. but i also think crowley has been demonized by the media and find it unfair that generations of unresolved racial issues are being heaped on him.

something to think about.