A Race-Based Omission in a Story about Faith
By Dan Gilgoff, God & Country
Responding to my story about President Obama opening public events with local folks reciting prayers, a number of readers and bloggers note that I mention the racial identities of two nonwhite invocation givers but decline to do so for a third—named Ryan Culp—whom they correctly conclude is white. One reader writes:
When the Baptist minister and the administrator for the Tohono O'odham Nation are mentioned, their races are centrally used to identify them.
I want to suggest and argue if and when race is truly germane to a story, it should be included across the board for all sources/people included in the piece.
Diversity is the norm of the day, especially since so-called minorities—people of color—as a group are now the majority in this nation and this world. It's time to stop assuming and assigning Caucasian as the default race of a person.
Hear, hear. I provided religious descriptions of the invocation givers—and racial descriptions for two of them—to give readers meaningful thumbnail portraits of those being called on by the Obama White House to deliver prayers. In doing so, I treated Culp's Caucasian identity as the presumed "default race" for readers. Apologies.
- Read more by Dan Gilgoff.
- Read more about religion.
Tools: 
Share
|
| Comments (4) | Print
Reader Comments
Lakota Sioux Want Independence
Seems this was brewing at the end of December but I first heard of it yesterday on BlogTalkRadio. The indians seem to have forgotten that they lost the war. Do they want another one? THIS WAS NOT THEIR LAND! It's God's land. He gave it to us just like he gave Canaan to us. As far as treaties are concerned, the indians made treaties to stay on the reservation but always broke them by their war parties which killed, stole and kidnapped young girls. Another thing, they did this while getting food, guns and ammunition from the Interior Department and used those guns on Custer!
But I'm ahead of the barstards! I know who my enemies are. Blacks, Mexicans and Indians! I have just finished reading General George Armstrong Custer's book. An hispanic told me Custer was on the wrong side. That side is MY SIDE. So this hispanic is my enemy! Now I'm not a fool. I don't believe my enemies, not one word. I believe my white heroes like Custer.
Indians, Blacks and Mexicans should shut up and be happy doing their menial jobs. If we had taken God's word we would have killed all of you like God told us to kill all the Canaanites. If our ancestors had done their jobs and obeyed God the first time, we wouldn't have had trouble with the indians the second time around. AND NOW A THIRD TIME AROUND!
Black, Mexican and Indian activists should be whipped. If they continue, the noose would be good for them. Do indians still fear being hung? Maybe we should scalp them too. Do they still believe they will not go to the happy hunting ground if they are scalped?
Since when
Since when is people of color the majority in this country? Some of you people really need to get a grip!
Huh?
How about a name? Doesn't that identify them? Telling me someone is the administrator for the Tohono O'odham Nation is fine it tell me his race, but it also tells me his religion which is the most important part. Telling me someone is black minister tells me something, but very little. Leave off the black and tell me his name and what church he is a minister at. You told me a lot more about Culp without telling me his race.
advertisement
