Nearly 45 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  gave his famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech where he urged the world to judge each other by the ‘content of their character and not by the color of their skin.”  

The irony is that Sen. Barack Obama’s success is, in part, fulfilling Dr. King’s dream.  Obama’s supporters have cut across racial lines, and he has generated this ‘Kennedy-esque’ appeal that has blacks, whites and Hispanics feeling energized to get out to vote and donate to his campaign. 

Yet, the antics of the past few weeks, which have forced Obama and Clinton to agree not to ‘play the race card’ are ugly reminders that race is, will be and still a pertinent issue to this campaign.  Gender is too, but for the purposes of this discussion, the focus is on race and how the media needs to address it.  Here’s some advice to the media – and the candidates:

* Put all references to race in context.  Just as you would fact check how one of the candidates voted on a certain issue or what their platform stance is, do your homework on any criticism related to race.  Don’t just report that King needed President Lyndon Baines Johnson to pass legislation, show it. 

* Talk to the voters. Step out of the box to interview real people about their reaction to these race-related issues. Don’t just rely on the polls, pundits and spin doctors to put these statements or motivations into context.  Talk to African-American, Hispanic, and white voters directly to find out what they’re thinking and how they’re voting.  That may avoid some of the surprise factor when the words and voices of real people are actually quoted in these stories.  (Kudos to National Public Radio for allocating staff to covering the voters – and not just the candidates.)

* Go beyond the ‘gee-whiz’ factor that Sen. Obama – a black man - is so successful. Use your stories on your websites to include hyperlinks to the stories that have raised questions about his past as well as his opponents’ pasts. 

 * Get people of color on your campaign and do some sensitivity training to ensure that the reporters and producers on the campaign trail know when they are perpetuating stereotypes.  Move beyond the ‘articulate’, ‘well-spoken’ adjectives used to describe Sen. Obama and drill down to the substance – or lack of substance – of his comments – just like you’d do with any other candidate. 

* Find African-American and Hispanic political pundits to quote and put on the air – beyond rounding up the usual suspects.  CNN’s Roland Martin adds a fresh voice and face. Find others to liven up the dialogue.