Color Blindness, No Provision for this ailment in the Health Care Reform Bill

“Here is what I know, here is what you know, here is what the hundreds of people here and out in the street know,” Rose said. “If Dr. Cason were black and 80 percent of the school children in his district were white, and he arbitrarily decided not to allow white children to watch a white president’s ‘back to school’ speech,’ and whites came here tonight in the numbers that blacks have come to protest, he would resign, or be fired. And we are here to demand no less.”http://www.valdostadailytimes.com/homepage/local_story_258000146.html

Dear Mr. President,

We just can not seem to move around the racial boulder. I read that quote from Valdosta Daily Times today and feel like I've been doled out a riddle. (hate riddles) I know, you know, hundreds of people know, I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

I have to break it down into parts. If Dr. Carson were black with lots of white children under his care,( got it! )and he did not show the white children (not black) a white president's speech! Can you imagine that?! "Don't cha know!" as My Grandma Esther would say. The white parents would be irate.

Is it that we have before us a white Dr. Cason with lots of black children under his care not showing them a black president's speech and all the black parents are irate? I think I unraveled this one.

Here's the deal, how in pete's name are we going to move on if we can't stop the labeling? You've created one interesting section of history. A Black/white man in office, an historic event. Why? because you are black. But you are white also, so it's not one hundred percent black, but you are black enough to make an historic mark.

Dr. Cason made a decision to not show your speech. Do they really think it was because you are black? I think it had everything to do with timing. The timing of your speech was in poor taste, Mr. President. The beginning of the school year is a frenetic time. Did anyone on your staff consider this and likewise consider the doldrums of winter? I'm telling you, you need more wisdom surrounding you.

Your inauguration for some of us felt like we were watching a huge family reunion in a local park, everyone hugging and carrying on like they hadn't seen their Aunt Elma or Uncle Elmer in years! Everyone at the reunion was talking about a black president. "Us White folks" were inside the park but outside the family gathering and did I mention black family gathering. The inauguration of the president of the United States didn't feel like a shared event.

I thought about this for a long time and realized that the lack of a "shared event feel" might be what the blacks always battle. Your inauguration just might have been what I needed to head me in a more sensitive direction.

Just make sure, Mr. President, that you don't get caught up in labeling. Your color has nothing to do with your brain. Your color is just what your skin looks like.
In your health care reform can I make a suggestion...make sure there is no provision for treating color blindness.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Burkholder