Clinton Speaks at Shorenstein Center

By IMTIYAZ H. DELAWALA

Special to the Crimson

WASHINGTON—Former President Bill Clinton urged the media to address issues of racial disparity and divisions in the United States in order to set an example for a more interdependent global society during a speech at a Kennedy School of Government luncheon yesterday.

The speech, part of the Shorenstein Center’s conference on race and the media, was Clinton’s first in Washington since leaving office in January, and was attended by more than 300 members of the local and national media, as well as former members of the Clinton administration.

“I am glad, I think, to be back,” Clinton joked to the gathering, volunteering to take a question from longtime White House reporter Helen Thomas.

“I do that because I know no one cares what my answers are,” Clinton added.

After the morning panels featuring prominent local and national journalists and Harvard scholars who deal with issues of race and the press, Clinton spoke more broadly about race relations in a global context, stressing the global nature of the modern world.

“When we think about the state of race relations in America today, we have to look back to our past, look at our diversity and understand where we are going in the context of an increasingly interdependent world,” Clinton said.

Clinton provided an overview of international relations ‘game theory,’ saying that different societies cannot follow zero sum policies—where only one side wins while another side faces negative consequences.

But while Clinton stressed the global context of race relations, he said changes must first be made in the United States for any improvements to be made on a larger scale.

“Our ability to build a future for our children and lead the world to a greater peace and prosperity, freedom and security, consists in large measure in our capacity to find these solutions around the world—which is impossible, unless we continue to set a better example at home,” Clinton said.

He praised the progress that has been made in the United States to improve race relations since the days before the civil rights movement.

“America is recognized around the world as a successful, multiracial democracy. In a world torn by ethnic, racial, religious and tribal strife, that is a precious asset,” Clinton said.

But Clinton said that problems clearly still exist, with disparities in education, health and economic well-being between different races in the country.

He said that the media in the United States offers an effective way to present a clearer picture of race-related issues to the United States.

“This is one of those problems—for which there is no single simple answer—that you in the media have to keep front and center in the hearts and minds of the American people,” Clinton said. “We have to be able to count on you not to be silent about the things that matter.”

But Clinton warned that stories should not be done on a superficial level, and must instead seek to “think in a more integrated way” in order to explain problems involving race.

“When we talk about political issues that have a racial component, are they going to be treated exclusively as racial, or as also economic, or health or education related?” Clinton questioned. “Are we willing to probe the deeper recesses of our consciousness continually to try to get at the root of this?”

Clinton himself initiated a year-long dialogue on race during his final year in office, creating a government office to “keep the nation focused on closing the opportunity gap” between races, while convening corporate and religious leaders to pledge to renew diversity in their workplaces.

After praising his administration’s efforts to bridge differences between the races, he stressed that government had to do more to level opportunities between races, through efforts to ban racial profiling, as well as a re-examination of mandatory sentencing policies.

Clinton called on the media to provide more coverage of drawbacks to the mandatory sentencing policy in order to convince reluctant politicians to act on the issue.

“It is inconceivable that we will do what we ought, unless you help people understand and deal with the facts in a calm and honest and open way,” Clinton said.

Clinton also encouraged members of the media to increase diversity within their own field, a topic that was discussed at length in the morning panels.

“This is an area where the media can not only have an impact by reporting on what others are doing, but also by setting a good example,” Clinton said.

But while the government and media can continue to make different efforts, Clinton said that racial divisions would not be easily reconciled.

“The only way we can continue to make progress is not to look for a simple line or a simple speech, but to recognize that this is a lifelong process,” Clinton said.

—Staff writer Imtiyaz H. Delwala can be reached at delawala@fas.harvard.edu.