Obama's Speech on Race

           Obama’s speech on race truly illuminates the entity of the United States today. He combines many different aspects of the U.S in order to convey a message to all Americans that through unity, hope, and change, America will become more prosperous with less racism.

            In the opening lines of Obama’s speech on race, he compared the historical context of the U.S constitution to the ‘status quo’ of American society today. He said that the U.S constitution at the time of its’ creation was unfinished, and imperfect, just like our nation is today; plagued with economic racism and racial inequalities. “The document they produced was eventually signed but ultimately unfinished. It was stained by this nation's original sin of slavery, a question that divided the colonies and brought the convention to a stalemate until the founders chose to allow the slave trade to continue for at least 20 more years, and to leave any final resolution to future generations...This was one of the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this presidential campaign — to continue the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America.” (Obama, Barack. Transcript: Barack Obama's Speech on Race).  He then adds to the notion that we the people should continue working for a better American society based on historical events that shape our modern society.

            Obama lays out a number of logical points that explains the mechanism of racism in America today. He articulates that people from all races face hardships and inequality, and also understands that frustration coming from all races including white Americans, is a valid one. He then adds to the notion that as Americans we all have the same problems and through unity, we will improve our society.

            Lastly, Obama also talks about his own personal experiences and briefly mentions his book Dreams From My Father. He talks about his early experiences at Trinity church, in which he became a Christian. Trinity church as described by Obama was a mix of different emotion and different people just like our American society today. He created a feeling of mutual understanding and a common ground for every one. In addition, in the last paragraph, he strengthens his notion of unity by telling the audience of a personal anecdote.

National Public Radio "Barack Obama's Speech on Race"