One day away from the inauguration of America’s first publicly black President there has been much ado about race. They said it didn’t matter, then they took it back and said it did. When Obama’s Pastor was yelling truths that people think but rarely say, he was blacker than the print on the newspapers that announced his victory. Then something magical happened. It was election night. As Jeezy’s “My President is Black” rang from clubs, cars, and homes around the US (maybe even world. Who knows how far Jeezy has touched) the news was buzzing in an attempt to be specific on Obama’s race.
They whispered: “He’s not REALLY black”. “His mother was white, and he was raised by his white grandmother”. “He didn’t even know his father” On and on they went.
Why did it matter? There was such a focus on this election not being about race that it was the only thing we could focus on. Hilary Clinton (who I supported as well) was encouraged and revered as the first woman to possibly lead this great country of ours, yet the mere mention of Barack’s melanin level sent those who are easily scared running into the hills.
Well, I could go on, but we all saw it. There’s no need for me to keep rewinding that VHS (remember those?) The main question I have is, are we now post-racial? Some say the election of a Black man to the highest office in the free world is the realization of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream. They say that the majority in this country looked past race to elect a man who by his own words defines himself as black. His wife is definitely black, and his children go way beyond the “1 drop rule”. So is that it? All the ills and wrongs that have penetrated our society due to slavery and racism are now erased? If so, then he really is the “Magic Negro” and we have truly arrived with the political wave of this charming black man’s hand.
I don’t know. I’m not so quick to jump on that bandwagon. Living in the south all my life has brainwashed me. As I watched the beautiful speeches that President-Elect Barack Obama sent out into the world, I also watched the hate-filled anger that the opposing team threw his way. It was hard to forget he was black with the names and words being used by Middle Americans who were suddenly afraid to go out at night. I heard “Muslim” said with such disdain and disgust you would have thought that poor Mohammed himself had shown his wrath at ever trailer park on this side of the Mason/Dixon line.
For me, I figured if they could use race then so can I. If you can point out how black he is, then so can I. I can be extremely proud of his blackness as you are disgusted by it. I can be caught up on his race just as much as you are. Despite how they tried to Tiger Woods him, I will never forget his own words: (I’m paraphrasing here) “I’m proud to be a black man, the world regards me as such.” That’s right. When he walks down the street, (well pre-presidency) he was seen and treated as a black man. So are we post-racial? I’m not. Is the good Dr’s dream fulfilled? To a certain extent. How far have we come? I don’t know, but we’ve got a long way yet. I’m just hoping that at least now, the road won’t be as bumpy.
Let me say that I voted for Barack because he was qualified and because he was black. There is a list of things I don’t agree with him on, but the list was even longer for the other candidates. I truly believe that he will be a great leader for our country as long as we aren’t fair-weather fans. He’ll do stuff to piss us off and his to-do list won’t come close to being done. With that said, there’s so much more to being a leader than completing a laundry list of things. He will bring our global reputation back into good standing, and hopefully, he’ll inspire some people to greatness and others into thinking they’ll get a free pass. All in all, it’s a good look for this country, and infinitely better than these past eight years have been.
Cheers and Happy Dr. Martin Luther King day and Obama day!
JG*
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