A Carlsbad Church is confronting the issue of race with a series of community forums, the first of which was held yesterday.  The Reverend Madison Shockley was quoted in the North County Times as saying, “I hope certainly that every person will have a better grasp of what race is and isn’t and have some understanding of how to overturn the lasting impact of race and racism in our lives and society at large.”  The issue of race has inserted itself into our current presidential election, reaching and apex after the words of Barack Obama’s former pastor became some of the most overplayed 30 second soundbites on the 24 hour news cycle.  Incidentally, the GOP’s efforts to use the outspoken Reverend Wright against Barack Obama and the democratic party have failed somewhat miserably, with three democrats being elected into the house in districts that were once thought to be Republican strongholds.

Perhaps though, most significant is the speech on race that Senator Obama gave in light of the hoopla surrounding the Reverend Wright’s well publicized remarks about his views on America. In his speech in Philadelphia given in March, Obama suggested the need to hold a real conversation about race.  The Reverend Madison Shockley seems to agree, saying in the North County Times, “We haven’t had a race riot like we had in Los Angeles, but the feelings we have about immigration that do cross over in race are every bit as intense as what preceded the uprising in Los Angeles.  No matter what you think of Senator Obama’s policies he has certainly allowed this nation to confront and discuss concerns, fears and misgivings surrounding the smoldering pot of racism still very much alive in the U.S. today.  One can only turn to the reason given by a West Virginian woman as to why she did not vote for Barack Obama in the recent primary election.  “Because he is a different race and we have always had confrontations with that race.” That mentality alone drove Daily Show host Jon Stewart to lift a (fake) thumb jug of Jim Beam to his mouth in order to drink away the absurdness and ignorance of such a comment.  I for one don’t want people electing their commanders in chief on the basis of the color of their skin, especially considering that the future president relies on the votes of people like this.  That notion alone might drive me to drink.