The Rev. Robert Sathuri, pastor of Emmanuel United Methodist Church, Polo, Ill., gives lunch to a man living under the expressway in downtown Houston during a 2005 mission event. A UMNS photo by Linda Rhodes

By M. Garlinda Burton

The issue of race and politics is not new, but the 2008 campaign has revealed nuances we haven't seen before. For one thing, Senator Obama is not an old guard "black leader." He's speaking to a new, younger, more diverse group of people for whom identity politics--especially racial identity--is not their number one concern.

The message is: If you work hard, save your money and play by the rules, you can make it in this country regardless of race, class or gender. Who doesn't want that?

The reality, though, is that there are still marked discrepancies between the living conditions of most people of color and those of most white people in the United States, particularly among the working class and the poor. Most poor people are single women heading households. Yet, we're still not talking enough or doing enough about the poor. Yes, I want a fat pension fund, too, but as a Christian voter I am also called to make sure that those on the bottom rung of society are cared for first.

Quality education, affordable health care and child care, safe living conditions, having enough quality food to eat, a living wage—all of these concerns have particular urgency for poor women and children of color in the United States. These are the people who are still invisible and largely ignored in the political debates and campaigning. None of the candidates has yet demonstrated adequate knowledge of and concerns about these women and children, who are disproportionately families of color.

Hope and optimism, homeland security and lower taxes may play well on "Main Street," but for poor families, that hope must come in tangible forms, such as accessible health care for those most at risk, and homeland security that begins with safety from getting shot in your own school or community.

If our church is serious about taking on the ills of poverty by working in partnership with the poor as a mission focus over the coming four years, we must challenge the nation and its new Presidential administration to do the same.

M. Garlinda Burton is General Secretary of the United Methodist General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, based in Chicago, Ill.

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