Obama Weighs in on Gates

The New York Times is running an article entitled, "Obama Wades into a Volatile Race Issue." The article states, "In response to a question at his prime-time news conference about the arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr., the black Harvard professor, in his own home over the weekend, Mr. Obama declared that the Cambridge, Mass., police had 'acted stupidly.'”

The article further adds, "Mr. Obama’s response was his most animated performance of the hourlong news conference, and represented an extraordinary plunge by a president into a local law-enforcement dispute."

1.Why do you think that racism exists in the first place?

2. Do you think that there is still a problem of racism in the United States? Do you have evidence to back up your opinion? Is the fact that Barack Obama is President enough evidence? Explain!

3. Do you think that the President should have said anything about the Cambridge Police Department's handling of the Henry L. Gates situation? Why or why not?

4. Why do you think that President Obama mentions Latinos every time he mentions the problems that have plagued African Americans? In what ways is the U.S. experience of Latinos similar to the U.S. experience of African Americans? In what ways is the experience different?

5. If you could say one thing to the world in an effort to eliminate all forms of racism what would you say? Why do you think this would have a chance of eliminating racism?