WASHINGTON (AP) - Attorney General Eric Holder described the United States Wednesday as a nation of cowards on matters of race, saying most Americans avoid discussing unresolved racial issues.

In a speech to Justice Department employees marking Black History Month, Holder said the workplace is largely integrated but Americans still self-segregate on the weekends and in their private lives.

"Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards," said Holder, nation's first black attorney general.

Race issues continue to be a topic of political discussion, Holder said, but "we, as average Americans, simply do not talk enough with each other about race."

He urged people of all races to use Black History Month as a chance for frank talk about racial matters.

"It is an issue we have never been at ease with and, given our nation's history, this is in some ways understandable," Holder said. "If we are to make progress in this area, we must feel comfortable enough with one another and tolerant enough of each other to have frank conversations about the racial matters that continue to divide us."

He told Justice Department employees they have a special responsibility to advance racial understanding.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D96E53483&show_article=1

I'm interested what some of multi-racial background and people who mark "not-Caucasian", members have to say about this.

I love it, lets ratchet up the pathetic racsists, so they are too busy fighting with each other to pay attention to the continued popping of the American economy, which is designed to destroy our middle class.

We are cowards!!!!! Wont stand up for what is right, hide behind the corruption of Washington....If we were not cowards we would have took our country back by now!!!!!! But we play the party game and everyone loses...NO ONE TO BLAME BUT OURSELVES!!!!!!!!

We could blame parents, for not instilling a strong character. Few character flaws, and you grow up a cheater. Now you want to take something for nothing. Somebody comes along and says it is possible. Another character flaw makes you not learn, so you believe it is possible. To do that, it is explained, you need to take from others what you deserve... Finally, if you are a liar, you justify it to yourself that it is only fair, to take what's not yours, as long as you take "fairly".

I really don't know what this guy expects. I work/talk/dated all types of people of backgrounds, I really don't give a damn who/where/when/why, I talk to people not races.

When will Washington DC realize, that we are all individuals and I refuse to be catered into a group and have a group mentality, like i supposed to think and act the same way and act the same way as every other one who look similar to me.

I think, it's Washington DC and their politicians needs to sit down and talk and figure out what the hell to do, instead of grouping people around for their own liking and tell us what to do.

Oh, he just wants to stir up some hate, and sure way of doing this is to proclaim somebody as racist. Divide and conquer.

i'm just puzzled why he made this comment, introducing the subject for some headline grabbing and provocative reactions right now.

his opinion is his own, and may even be a very valid observation.and, i am supportive of ongoing growth in minority equality.

but, i think it is a distraction for an obama cabinet head to divert attention away from obama's main mission currently : rescuing the economy.

He is addressing all Americans who have bought into the "that is just the way it is" philosophy and continue to carry on the prejudice by accepting it.

You can witness this in the south to this day. People actually still believe that other people have a "place" and need to stay in it in the south. Whites in the south have now decided that they will exert the only segregation still allowed them and that is their neighborhoods. Blacks keep in their own neighborhoods for the most part and after dark the rules revert back about 50 years. Don't be caught in the wrong part of town after dark, you might get hurt.

The amount of racism that still exists in this country is astouding.

Holden wants people to talk to each other frankly and without having the stygma in their minds. He believes that if they talked then they could start seeing each other as equal and then move forward instead of staying stuck.

I listened to his speech in it's entirety.

I think he is right. How many of us have friends that we entertain in our homes that belong to other races? Publicly and in the work place most people interact with a variety of people but when they go home at night?

If you listened he was not stirring up hate or pointing fingers at any one group and making accusations of racism.

He was simply pointing out that privately many American do not have the courage to reach out to each other. Why? Are afraid of the unknown?
Is it simply easier to maintain and us and them mindset? Do we secretly cling to old prejudices? The answer might be yes to all those questions at least in part for each of us and that makes us cowards.

I can see it now, in the future every white person must have a black person, asian person, latin person and middle eastern person at dinner every night of the week or the NAACP will sue you. O_O

damnitscloudy, I dont understand this victim mentality. You dont have to be anybodys freind, if you dont want to hang out with black people thats fine with us.

for what it's worth....Obama is of a mixed heritage..like most of us are

everyone should be proud of all of their heritages and if someone doesn't like it....that's their problem

Holder didn't say white people are cowards.

Holder said American's are cowards.

If you are white and feel these remarks were addressed solely or even mostly to white people you have some real issues.

Feel guilty much?

Should you?

I felt he was addressing all Americans.

Did you?

Oh and just one more thing...

Paranoia may destroy ya!

White people are blamed for everything in this age, i can't go out and say "I'M PROUD TO BE WHITE MWAHAHAHHAHA" without getting shot O_O

an example of fear is a famous dept store i know of. after the election....obama shirts (about a brother in office) was worn when ANY logo or saying is against policy. my best friend was in the corporated meeting and asked why. he wouldn't be allowed to wear a mccain shirt if he won. a hispanic worker asked if he could wear a tshirt with a mexican flag on it. both were told no because it's against policies...but in the obama case...they just didn't want trouble.

make sense???? if it's against policy....it's against policy for all

Bet this guy thinks just like some posters here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WX3tCGRpJp0

I would like to think the time of prejudice and racism has ended when President Obama became President. When Jesse Jackson showed us a tear and said in his mind "Finally we are a people of one".

Let us believe it is a new beginning for a better hope for all people regardless of where they come from can make a difference to a country that started out with a great idealogy that "we the people" can make a difference.

May we put aside our differences and work on a future for our children so peace can endure not for only us here in this country, but for the whole world.

We are proud to be "American" and Americans are black, white, yellow, cream latte, off gray, off black, dark and light brown, reddish white, sickly white, goodyear black, and even greenish tainted white.

When should we start putting aside this difference of color?

Now!

Thank you for taking the time to read this

(smiless)

where is white history month?

or american indian history month?

or jewish history month?


what makes black people need a black history month anyhow??

greek history month??

anyone??
is this in december i forgot