Once again racism has become a major American issue. But, as a television news commentator said on Sunday, as long as there are a variety of ethnicities in America there will be racism. This is not a commentary of an ideal situation, but, unfortunately it is true. Unfortunately also, the brunt of racism and bigotry in this country is that practiced by some White people against Blacks. Sadly, some occurrences in modern America make it seem at times that the country is caught in the segregated folds of past years.

The new row over racism is ironically between that icon of the civil rights movement, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the emerging ultra-conservative movement known as the Tea Party, a combination of individuals and organizations that, undoubtedly, have one thing in common – aggressive opposition to Barack Obama, and everything on his presidential agenda.

Last week, the row between the NAACP and the Tea Party federation was triggered when the NAACP passed a resolution accusing Tea Party activists of tolerating racists in the movement. Very few American Blacks would find a problem with the NAACP’s resolution. Except for few Black members, the Tea Party movement is largely a White-members only organization, that has used racial slurs, including the N-word and blatant racist images to criticize President Obama and Black members of Congress. Just before Congress passed the controversial Healthcare Reform Law, Black Congressional representatives were verbally abused as they walked pass Tea Party demonstrators. There were reports of one Black Congressman who was spat on. However, one cannot recall a word of apology by members of the movement.

NAACP President, Ben Jealous in an interview over the weekend was correct when he said, “If the Tea Party wants to be respected and wants to be part of the mainstream in this country, they have to take responsibility."

An example of the blatant irresponsibility of some Tea Party members was the ridiculous action of Tea Party Express leader Mark Williams who posted a ‘letter’ to former President Abraham Lincoln (who freed slaves in the 17th century) on an Internet blog accusing the NAACP of racism because the word ‘colored’ is included in the NAACP’s title.

In the blog, Williams also degraded Blacks by stating: “We [National Association for the Advancement of] Colored People have taken a vote and decided that we don’t cotton to that whole emancipation thing. Freedom means having to work for real, think for ourselves, and take consequences along with the rewards. That is just far too much to ask of us [National Association for the Advancement of] Colored People and we demand that it stop!”

The other leaders of the Tea Party must be applauded for expelling Williams over this act of stupidity.

In response to the NAACP’s resolution, some Tea Party activists in turn accused the NAACP of racism, claiming that “an organization that has lost legitimacy through its own racism is trying to call another racist."

Whatever the perception of the Tea Party is regarding racism, it does not suit the NACCP to pursue a fight with them. America certainly does not want to return to the sorry days when the NAACP struggled with a dangerous racist foe – the Ku-Klux Klan. It isn’t a secret that some utterances and actions of groups opposed to President Obama is reminiscent of the days of the KKK, but, hopefully, America has longed progressed past those days.

Now that racism is an open issue between the Tea Party and The NAACP, Ben Jealous and the organization’s other leaders must take the higher road of working with Tea Party leaders interested in the progress of all Americans and ensure that racism is not tolerated in the Tea Party. A new role for the NAACP is that of ‘watch-dogs’ of the Tea Party.

It’s an unfortunate irony that instead of alleviating issues of racism, the fact that the country has a Black president has heightened racial tension. Right or wrong, some criticisms against President Obama by white people are interpreted as racist. This is something that needs to be removed from the American society. All Obama’s predecessors had their full share of criticism and, of course, there were no accusations of racism.

It is the responsibility of the NAACP, the Tea Party movement, and other relevant organizations in the country, to criticize or applaud the president and his administration based on the nature of their policies and performance without implying racial innuendos. One of the worst things that could occur in modern America would be for racial divides to widen because a coalition of Americans – Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, Asians – elected a president, who happens to be Black.