Well we have a new president. I watched the inauguration at work and the rest of the festivities at home after work. My wife was crying most of the time and I was wondering how self-controlled that man was; I would be a total wreck especially when Roberts and Obama flubbed the swearing-in – don’t they rehearse?
I also could not believe the energy the first couple had throughout the day and into the night; they must take drugs or something. The whole affair was very well done.
At work I heard a variety of opinions about the inaugural but one especially caught my attention; it was about how Obama is being claimed by African-Americans as their very own. The person said she voted for the man because he was the best candidate but also because, to her, he was mostly white except for his skin. He was raised by his white mother and her white parents, his grandparents with his Kenyan father (the black factor) having hardly any role (but biological) in his entire life. How can this man call himself black?
I have touched on this subject before and Obama himself has spoken about his gratitude to his mother and grandparents for bringing him up the way that they did BUT he also knew the realities of race in the U.S.; your skin color determines who you are not the percentage of white or black blood.
Obama knew he had to run as a black man because he was viewed as a black man. At first he was having trouble convincing African-Americans that he was like them; he wasn’t. His father was actually from Africa and not an American of African decent. He grew up white and they knew it BUT in the end they embraced him and boy how they embraced him – did you see the inaugural?
I talked to my co-worker and asked if it mattered if she voted for the white Obama or the black Obama, especially when she saw the unifying effect he was having on the whole country. Yes, the blacks were ecstatic but they had a right to be; white America finally elected a man of color which means more may follow. More importantly, black youths have a role model; the highest role attainable by any man or woman – period! And even more importantly, we as a society may finally be leaving racism as a phenomenon of our past with no role in the present or future.
I feel much buoyed right now, full of hope but I have already heard words from the dark side. Our new Catholic Archbishop in Detroit made comments about the unacceptable pro-choice position of our new president while conservative media commentators already finding fault with the president in his very first day on the job. Well, some people will never change but let’s kick ass anyway!
WE ARE THE ONES WE WERE WAITING FOR
I also could not believe the energy the first couple had throughout the day and into the night; they must take drugs or something. The whole affair was very well done.
At work I heard a variety of opinions about the inaugural but one especially caught my attention; it was about how Obama is being claimed by African-Americans as their very own. The person said she voted for the man because he was the best candidate but also because, to her, he was mostly white except for his skin. He was raised by his white mother and her white parents, his grandparents with his Kenyan father (the black factor) having hardly any role (but biological) in his entire life. How can this man call himself black?
I have touched on this subject before and Obama himself has spoken about his gratitude to his mother and grandparents for bringing him up the way that they did BUT he also knew the realities of race in the U.S.; your skin color determines who you are not the percentage of white or black blood.
Obama knew he had to run as a black man because he was viewed as a black man. At first he was having trouble convincing African-Americans that he was like them; he wasn’t. His father was actually from Africa and not an American of African decent. He grew up white and they knew it BUT in the end they embraced him and boy how they embraced him – did you see the inaugural?
I talked to my co-worker and asked if it mattered if she voted for the white Obama or the black Obama, especially when she saw the unifying effect he was having on the whole country. Yes, the blacks were ecstatic but they had a right to be; white America finally elected a man of color which means more may follow. More importantly, black youths have a role model; the highest role attainable by any man or woman – period! And even more importantly, we as a society may finally be leaving racism as a phenomenon of our past with no role in the present or future.
I feel much buoyed right now, full of hope but I have already heard words from the dark side. Our new Catholic Archbishop in Detroit made comments about the unacceptable pro-choice position of our new president while conservative media commentators already finding fault with the president in his very first day on the job. Well, some people will never change but let’s kick ass anyway!
WE ARE THE ONES WE WERE WAITING FOR
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