As to where the continuing racism exists in America, please either ask or answer the question as to why President Obama did not nominate an African American for the Supreme Court. Will someone please ask that question? Why did he choose Judge Sotomayor?

President Obama is the First African American president of the United States. Why in the world then wouldn’t he choose an African American? That is part of what he was elected to do. One wonders whether he feels that Justice Thomas, who is a Republican and shares almost no political philosophy with the larger African American community, is token Black enough? Does he feel that it isn’t the African Americans’ turn yet? Could he find no African American qualified for the banc? Obviously, none of these answers satisfies. What was his thinking?

By nominating a Latino rather than an African American, Obama as an individual and as a Democrat has once more delayed and denied the empowerment of the African Americans who in large measure elected him, relied upon him and had placed their hopes and aspirations with him and the Democrats. Democrats had promised, again and again, a place at the table for African Americans, and again that promise was ignored. Is ‘Next time’ a satisfactory answer?

African Americans have been waiting for a place at the table for 200 or 300 years. Latinos for maybe 25. Latinos are not a disparaged or discriminated against minority. Latinos have never been lynched, or told to sit on the back of the bus. They do not descend from slaves. They just came to America voluntarily and appear to be doing well. They seem to get many of the highway and other jobs from the stimulus package. I never see an African American working on the road. I can’t think of anything that African Americans have gotten from the stimulus package.

Why did the First African American President of the United States not nominate an African American? The question is not posed by anyone, not Jesse Jackson, not Rangel, not Rush, not what’s-his-name. Not anyone.

I want an answer to that question. I think it was a very calculated decision, very cynical, and the only answer I can come up with is very disconcerting.

President Obama seems to be simply isolating Caucasians. He is confident that he will not lose Blacks who elected and trust in him. But he ignored the aspirations and hopes of African Americans by side stepping them once again and no one is calling him on it.

President Obama apparently picked Judge Sotomayor because of her ruling in the Ricci case. He seems to approve of her summary dismissal of the White firefighters. He seems to have picked her because he wants a Latino justice on the court to isolate Caucasians and she was the best tool he had in his shed for that purpose. African American empowerment did not enter into his decision. Frankly, I’m not sure Obama even considers himself an African American. I’m not sure he gives a darn about African Americans.

I live in a predominantly, but certainly not exclusively, Caucasian community. I work in a very integrated environment. With few exceptions and none that I have witnessed in decades, Caucasians do not exhibit bigotry in their lives, words or actions. As I see it, the source of continuing racism is from those that seek to profit by it, use the term as blackmail, and keep it alive for political and journalistic purposes.