Looking for leadership

In the past couple days, people have been calling Barack's speech on race "courageous." Why? Because a politician spoke to the masses in an intelligent way that showed the complexity of an issue. This courage may cost him the election, but it is the future of this country.__Everyday in New Orleans, I watch how the issues of race come to the forefront of almost every discussion. I have watched as race has divided the city and destroyed trust.__But it is not just race that keeps 12,000 New Orleanian's homeless all night. It is not just race that gives people the excuse to demolish a housing projects.__A lot of the disenfranchisement has to do with class. And until we find a way of allowing the people who are one paycheck away, to have adequate healthcare, education and housing, we will always be shocked when we hear the truth – when a politician is actually honest on television. Too many remain apathetic about the status quo and want to avoid the issues that will tip the scale.__When disaster strikes, there have been some politicians who have not pandered, and instead led. In 1995 in Kobe, Japan, a horrific earthquake displaced thousands of people. Not worried about what was politically advantageous or correct, the leaders of Kobe made decisions that were not popular.__They were not re-elected two years later, but now, Kobe is considered the model for a successful way of a city responding to disaster. While they explained complexities that not everyone wanted to deal with at the moment, they were very clear about their decisions and why.__One step towards a more equitable society, is a government that does not make broken promises. Once we are honest with what our government can not do, and our politicians are honest with us, we can strive for more accountable decisions that bring equality to a much larger group of people. This is the realist direction we need to be taking.__Nathan Rothstein is the co-founder and Executive Director of the New Orleans Young Urban Rebuilding Professionals Initiative (www.nolayurp.org). The organization works to create a support network to connect, retain and attract young people from diverse backgrounds for a sustainable New Orleans.