Reply #44: I am sure that many others have defined it before, but.....

[Lisa0825]

I think most whites (myself included) don't read about racism on a regular basis. Sure, there is the occasional article, and there was history or sociology class way back in high school and college, but what do we hear/read on a regular basis? Hearing it again, and on a regular basis is important.

For me, and for the people I spoke to after the speech, it was a moment that affected us. That doesn't minimize what others have said before, but maybe this time it reached people who either hadn't been reached before, or who had just focused on their own lives, and had let it slip beyond their attention.

Every voice counts.

And in my opinion, the way Dean delivered the message resonated better than others I can recall (but I wasn't fortunate enough to experience the speeches of the great activists of the civil rights movement... only recordings, which were incredibly moving. I think it makes a bigger impact to hear someone speak in person about something you feel passionate about)... but everytime that message is presented, someone new hears it. At least that's a little progress.