To Be Both Clean and Articulate

The Times has this little piece about prominent African Americans who are displeased that prominent European Americans (i.e. a certain senator from Delaware) express complete bewilderment and shock when they encounter a black person who conjugates the verb "to be" while speaking.

The article continues by forcefully arguing that there have been articulate African Americans prior to the advent of Barack Obama, and that indeed, even some of the past black presidential candidates, including Al Sharpton, could qualify as being "articulate." It concludes by stating that perhaps subtle bigotry and racial condescension exists in America, which is, of course, obviously absurd. After all, this is Black History Month, isn't it? How can bigotry exist when an entire MONTH is dedicated to black history?

The article is here.