doesnt it show our lack of progress when so few blacks have been honored thusly to date? and how about the situations in which they received those honors?

Thomas was clearly a token move to replace Marshall and a conservative pawn at that; then he got an embarassing pass on the whole pre-Clinton sexual harassment stuff that REALLY made it clear. I dont see too many black folks walking around screaming and shouting for him.

I dunno a damn thing about Nascar but I can tell you that racism in sports, the greatest possible example of a meritocracy in America is still rampant on every level, in every sport and also in the media/culture surrounding it. If you want examples I'd be more than happy to provide a whole bunch.

As for the Oscars, I will just briefly restate what has been said a million times. Denzel should have won the award for a ton of other flicks, the foremost of which being X. Not that he wasnt good in Training Day, dude made the film without a doubt, but he pretty much got a token oscar to quiet people crying about minorities in film and TV. Berry was great in Monster's Ball, but the very fact that is the first black actress win the award and Denzel is only the 2nd (people also think Pottier got a political oscar since it was not for one of his best performances) says something. To me, more than even overt discrimination, it says that good roles arent there for black actors and isnt that the fulcrum of the very complaints they are trying to silence?

I dunno, I do think some things are getting better but behind a lot of supposed signs of progress are piles of horse shit.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.