Students, notable academics, and members of the public and private sector were on hand at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Faculty of Law building on Monday June 24, to attend the inaugural UWI/George Willie Lecture which featured world renowned Harvard Law Professor and mentor to President Obama, Professor Charles Ogletree.
 
 
The lecture, which addressed “The Search for a Post Racial Society in the Age of President Obama ” is the first in a series of lectures held under the patronage of Jamaican born accounting mogul, George Willie, to foster generations of high achievers by exposing students and professionals to the insights of some of the world’s most influential minds. In his welcome address Professor Archibald McDonald, Deputy Principal of the UWI said the series is meant inspire persons to “Think Critically, aspire to excellence and always be ready to challenge the status quo.”
 
Speaking on the relevance of the lecture’s subject matter to the business community, Willie remarked “The world has changed, boards of corporations, shareholders and employers seek diversity.  Diversity is a business issue, it is all about economics, and so what Prof. Ogletree speaks about must be looked at within the context of what it means for business.” Willie expounded, “24% of the GDP of the United States is in the hands of non-whites, how are we going to serve a changing population if we do not recognize that (minorities) must be part of this landscape. If the UWI can be that catalyst (in this situation) then I will use whatever power that is within me to make a difference. This is what the lecture series is all about.”
 
In his provocative address, Prof. Ogletree posited that while many have credited Obama’s election with the inception of a post racial society, this thinking is inaccurate, “People think we are in a post racial society and we’re not” said Ogletree “We have one black man in the White House but we have a million black men in prison, we are not post racial. People say they don’t see race but we see it every day. We experience (racial attitudes) in the parking lot, in the elevator, in the department store. Race still matters”.
 
The lecture’s Discussant, Jamaican Ambassador to the U.S. Stephen Vasciannie commented “This lecture is related to the Mona School of Business and Management and I believe that business schools have to be sensitive to their social environments, learning business can’t just be abstract, they must be very aware of the context in which they operate and that is what Prof. Ogletree’s lecture has expressed.”
 
Ogletree focused on the idea that throughout history racial breakthroughs have been made by those who opened doors for others, and suggested that the only way to achieve a post racial society is to continue to break barriers for future generations. “You have to lift as you climb, it makes no difference if you can be successful unless others can follow behind”  said the Jesse Clemenko Professor, who cited the achievements of Thurgood Marshall, Nelson Mandela and Marcus Garvey as some of those who have paved the way for other generations of African Americans. The renowned lawyer also noted the Obamas as persons who have paved the way for blacks and other minorities by lifting up those around them, and challenged the audience to think forward to the next black President.