The Many Faces of Bias
By Julianne Malveaux

If 2002 did nothing else, it provided those who teach African American studies with scores of "teachable moments" about race, class, gender, history and intersectionality. The year-end flap about Sen. Trent Lott's hankering back to the good old days of segregation could easily take up hours of conversation, with a dissection of his BET interview — the Pascagoula, Miss., "apology" and embrace of affirmative action.

It was amusing and amazing to listen to the coded signals that Lott continued to send until the end, and alarming to think that the Republican Party or Democrats, for that matter, can sidestep the issue of race by using Lott as a sacrificial lamb. And it will be interesting to see if Lott's newfound racial sensitivity results in any amended actions on his part. Will he, indeed, tour the South with Georgia Congressman John Lewis? Will he continue to support Judge Charles W. Pickering Sr. for an appointment to the federal appeals court?

Another story had nearly as much intensity as the Lott story, and it will probably stay in headlines longer. Martha Burk, president of the National Council of Women's Organizations, set off a firestorm when she wrote Hootie Johnson, president of the Augusta National Golf Club, asking that he consider admitting women to the all-male golf club. Since the Augusta National Golf Club had reluctantly admitted African Americans and other minorities, Burk must have expected the resistance she got when she wrote Hootie in a letter she says was private. Hootie, predictably, made the letter public, dug his heels in, and said that he would not be forced to do anything, anytime.

My reactions to the story were as predictable as anyone's. As a feminist, I support Martha Burk's position and admire her moxie in taking on Augusta. All-male private clubs, especially those subsidized by tax dollars, are places where commerce takes place, commerce that women are excluded from. When Fortune 500 CEOs and their staff members rub elbows and cut deals, women who might legitimately want a piece of the action or just a place at the table are excluded, and miss networking and other business opportunities.