Support KPFK – Make a pledge at 818-985-5735, or online at www.kpfk.org.

• Listen to the entire program

The Obama administration is making moves toward reversing the US boycott of the UN Conference on Racism. Under President Bush, the US refused to attend meetings on the basis of language that apparently singled out Israel for its treatment of Palestinians. Also controversial at the conference is a move to call for reparations for slavery. President Barack Obama’s election to the nation’s highest office is a profound step against the racism that has plagued the US from its inception as a country. But, argues commentator and anti-racist activist Tim Wise, the achievements of individuals does not automatically negate the experiences of millions of people of color who experience institutional and other forms of racism on a daily basis. In fact, argues Wise, Obama’s presidency has provided an excuse for white folks to proclaim that racism is dead. Wise is the author of several books including White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son, and Speaking Treason Fluently: Anti-racist Reflections From an Angry White Male. His brand new book, out for just a couple of weeks, is called Between Barack and a Hard Place: Racism and White Denial in the Age of Obama. Tim Wise spoke in January 2009 at the All Saints Church in Pasadena about the topic of this new book.