There’s nothing a few brewskeys can’t fix, right? Lets hope so because that’s the game plan to ease any residual tension between President Obama, Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Sergeant James Crowley. The players of the recent racial profiling scuffle will gather at the White House tomorrow.
First a quick recap: Last week, Gates, a leading African-American scholar, was arrested for disorderly conduct outside his home by Crowley, a white police office who was responding to a call on suspected burglary. Gates flipped out. Crowley reacted. You’re probably saying, “I’ve head this story before.” But here’s the rub: Gates is a friend of the president.
Now, some thought Obama’s response was an overreaction, and others may find clinking beer bottles a soft way of dealing with such a serious matter. And while the truth likely lies somewhere in the middle, I’m not that interested. What I am interested in however, is this idea of three grown men of different races coming together to casually and calmly discuss one of our nations historically most confounding and troubling issues: racism.
And what likely would have caused an even greater divide in the past now appears as a learning opportunity. CNN reports Gates referring to the experience as, “a teaching moment to improve racial relations in America.” Surely its been one already. And hopefully it will help push the door open wider, so sensitive situations often met with silence or anger, can be handled with civil and thoughtful exchange.
But more importantly, ABC got the scoop on the drink order. Obama wants a Budweiser (another reason to love the man) Crowley prefers Blue Moon and Gates likes Red Stripe or Beck’s, but the White House doesn’t stock foreign beer. Apparently there’s even more to discuss than we thought.
Photo courtesy of Commons Wikimedia.