Piqued in Boston?

I watched the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day special on Greater Boston and it seemed to reinforced yesterday's thoughts. Yes, this observance of America's greatest civil rights leader is oriented around black people. However, it was clear by the representation of the panel speakers that civil rights and racial equality is still relegated to black people. A dialogue about the progress toward equality was entirely focused on the struggle of black people. While it's true that they still face extreme discrimination in this rather segregated city, it should never be viewed in a vacuum. As always, they like to tack on Latinos into the mix, but Asian and Pacific Islander seemed to be an after-thought...that "minority" group that seemed to be well-off in this racially divided city.

There was hope. They mentioned Asians when they were talking about rallying behind a person of color for political office. Of course, they were implying that all people of color should support a black person for candicacy...something that's rather transparent on their end. I probably wouldn't object to it, because individuals, such as Andrea Cabral, the first black Country Sheriff, are prime examples of successful penetration in Boston politics. However, there's still this unspoken practice of sweeping Asians and Pacific Islanders aside when it comes to the underdog candicacy...that they can't properly represent communities of color. Of course, this is translated not only in government and politics, but also in human services and the corporate boardrooms.

If these panelists really did want to be strategic and play on people's biases, then why not pick an Asian candidate as a strong figure to endorse? That person would still be a person of color, but would also be coined as the model minority or "white people's teacher's pet". The pertinent question would be whether or not white people would find an Asian person more viable than a black person in political office...not to mention the more important question of whether people of color are convinced. In any case, I can always tell you that Asians and Pacific Islanders lose in Boston. We represent 4% of the state's population, but over 10% in some of the populous sections surrounding Boston. We get educated here and we all eventually leave for higher grounds, because we're drowning in people's ignorance. Hmm..it sounds like a lost cause for us if we'll always be on the sidelines.