The right-wing mocks him as “The Messiah” while Democrats far-and-wide
treat him like one. Conservatives question the legitimacy of Barack Obama,
claiming a large segment of this nation is ignorant to what this Junior Senator
from Illinois really represents. Meanwhile, liberals stand in unison, basking
in the glow of his ascension, waiting to benefit from this unfathomable run
that’s expected to end with a black man finally becoming the President of the United States of America.
And foolishly, too many African-Americans
are joining the parade, treating this likelihood as if it’s a job finished.
Instead of a job that’s just getting started.
If African-Americans truly want to
assist Obama, helping him get elected is just the beginning. If we fail to
educate ourselves about what his job really entails, if we refuse to make the
sacrifices necessary to help America prosper – if far too many of us continue
to perpetuate ignorance, a flagrant naiveté to what’s really going on, and
choose instead to lean on excuses that continue to hinder our growth as individuals
and as a community – an Obama Presidency
will be in vain. Particularly for the majority of African-Americans who
vigorously support him.
It’s
time for us to wake up!
Obama is not being helped by African-Americans who rushed to blame President Bush for his lethargic actions
following Hurricane Katrina – but refused to blame a Black, Democratic Mayor
and a Democratic city council for reportedly squandering millions of Federal
dollars leading up to that catastrophe. No one else is helping Obama,
either, when they’re running out into the streets hissing that neither McCain
nor Republicans care about African-Americans in this country.
Obama isn’t helped when entertainers
are screaming his name one minute, then playing their songs with the “N” word,
Bitches and Hoes on the airwaves the next. Or when Josh Howard of the Dallas
Mavs refuses to respect the National Anthem, but screams “Obama” immediately
after. And he certainly isn’t helped when none of these individuals can provide
a speck of evidence to support their emotional, unsubstantiated claims –
knowing Obama does not need to alienate the millions of voters from White America he’ll
need to win this election.
It’s time for Black folks to really
understand what’s going on. And why we’re continuously victimized.
Let’s face facts: Obama is going up
against a Senator in John
McCain who’s been on Capitol Hill for the last 26 years. Senator McCain is 72 years
of age. The near consensus assumption is if he captured the Presidency he could
be in office until he’s 80 years old.
Against anyone else, it’s fair to
assume people in the black community thought this election would’ve been a
landslide. In the books long ago. Handed to the younger lion with unrivaled
eloquence and poise. But not this election.
The inclination is to assume Racism
is the reason. But here’s the question:
Is it against Obama? Or the rest of
us he’ll presumably support along the way?
How many people know Obama is Pro-Choice and McCain is not? That Obama
wants to shore up Social
Security and leave it out of private hands, while McCain feels
different? That Obama wants more of a centralized healthcare program while McCain
feels healthcare should be kept in the free market?
How many Black Americans have the slightest
clue what it will mean for them?
If we’re going to be honest, we’ve got
folks in our community who have no idea that more than 40-million Americans
don’t have healthcare. Or that Social Security, in its present state, could run
out in 30 years. Or that our Federal
deficit is nearing $11-Trillion – and counting!!!
And that this recent $700-billion
bailout over the subprime mortgage crisis wasn’t caused solely by greedy, scandalous
crooks on Wall Street – but some Americans who were a bit greedy, themselves.
Yes! Some of whom were African-Americans.
All
of these individuals will probably cost taxpayers more money. Likely tarnishing
any success Obama had hoped to achieve by avoiding tax increases for 95 percent
of American Families.
A typical argument oozing out of the
Black community, once these facts are pointed out, is predictable: The same
questions could be asked of White America. So why are Blacks being scrutinized
for not knowing answers?
The answer is simple: White America
is the majority in this country. Black America, having given way to the Hispanic
community, is not even the majority minority anymore.
So if White America was struggling
to listen to you before, what makes you think you’ll be empowered for them to
listen to Black America now.
Especially if Obama captures the
Presidency.
Understand something, I see two
things resulting almost immediately from an Obama Presidency:
One involves White America saying,
“See, we are not a Racist country, after all! At least not anymore.”
The other being, “See, Obama is cool, calm and collected. He
never displays anger. Why can’t African-Americans be just like that?”
It’s time for Black America to ask
ourselves not only what our response will be, but whether it’s legitimate
anymore.
How much substance can our arguments
contain when so much of our youth can’t speak the English language? When they think wearing
their pants below their backside is acceptable? Or when one of our shining stars,
Bill Cosby, is
ostracized by our very own for imploring us to “Come On, People,” and telling
us the truth about our commitment to parenting and education, or lack thereof –
while the rest of the world witnesses our negative reaction towards him, in
disgust, because we’ve put our flagrant crabs-in-the-basket mentality on full
display yet again.
We
love Barack and Michelle
Obama, but maybe it’s time we realize why we adore them so much.
Maybe it’s time we understand it is not just their blackness, but what their specific,
particular blackness represents and emanates. Not just for their family, but
what our families are suppose to be.
They love one another. Cherish one
another. Take care of one another. Watch out for one another.
They’re educated, so their intelligence
is never questioned.
They’re spiritual, so God is on
their side.
They’re accomplished, so they’ll
never starve.
They’ve been fruitful, and
they’ve multiplied.
Most of all, they never forgot who they
were along the way, which means they represent us.
So in the end, we must believe this
much: They did so, if for no other reason than to remind us who we are. Who we
are meant to be. And sadly, what we’re not living up to.
If we truly want an Obama Presidency
to mean something, let it mean that we’re about to embark upon something far
greater than ourselves. That we’re moving forward.
Remember, our ancestors wanted that for us more than anything
else. Even as we remember them along the way.