Everybody knows that the price of power is silence about certain issues. For most women to gain power in the United States they must not make sexist men feel uncomfortable. For a person of color to succeed in a national election, he or she must serve the illusion that our nation is “post-racial”. It is understandable that any candidate like Obama, hoping to break the color barrier for the first time, would claim his mere election proves that the U.S. is no longer racist. It seems to me that the murder of Treyvon Martin cries out for more. There will never be a better time for the President to help Americans realize that being uncomfortable about race is not a bad thing. In fact, talking together about our racist history might be the beginning of actually healing that three hundred year old wound. Unfortunately, any leader who speaks the truth about gender or race in the United States instantly loses credibility as a real leader. They are seen as either opportunists (like Sharpton and Jackson) or revered figureheads (like MLK), neither of which gets to sit at the head of the table. So, it might be a mistake after all. I’m terrible at understanding the dirty reality of politics. I just know this president has already shattered a symbolic wall, this might be a chance for our highest leader to remind us that we have yet to dismantle the real thing.