Have we made it?
Sunday, November 9, 2008 at 12:47PM
Here we are. After almost two years the country has decided that Sen. Barack Obama is the best man for the job and elected him President of the United States. The sight of Grant Park in Chicago was fantastic.A sea of humanity in ecstatic jubilation, tears falling, and smiles from ear to ear. Even my house erupted into jubilant noise as if the clock struck midnight moving from New Year’s Eve to the New Year. Yet, I sat silent feeling nothing. I must admit, I felt happy when I called and heard the joy coming from my mother’s voice, who had been an NAACP worker during the 1950’s in Memphis, TN. I know for her this was a great night fulfilling a personal dream for many Black people of that era.
However, my eye has sharpened since over the decades I have witnessed Black people elected into office only for things to remain the same or even get worse. Thus, the mere fact that a Black person has been elected into an office no longer brings immediate joy and satisfaction for me. I feel no since of pride or accomplishment. I have long lost the mentality of the “let us show them we are just as good as them.” This smacks of a slave mentality. We should be of the mind to rule ourselves, to become sovereign and no longer subject. Why should I feel a since of pride because a Black woman and her children will be running and playing in the white house?
The house white still belongs to “massa.” If there were a re-writing of the Constitution or an new constitution where Black people had a full voice in its construction and a Black family occupied the, lets call it the people’s house, then I would swell with pride knowing we had an equal share in the building of the nation's foundation.
But, as it stands the new president will be a Black face (mulatto face) fulfilling the requirements of the Office of the Presidency which has very little to do with the will of the people, but is becoming more and more obvious that it’s fulfilling the will of the banksters. And, this new president has shown his agreement with the lame duck president Dubya,in stripping the last vestiges of restraints of the Constitution. Oh, really? You say. Remember his vote on FISA, the Patriot Act, and the quick vote to provide 700 billion to the banksters. No money for the people. And I should feel jubilant?
A Black face, (because most white folk discount his Caucasian half) in the white house doing much of the same under the guise of change means little. So,I will wait and see if I can grow to feel proud. His election is not and should not be the source of pride alone. Pride should rise inthe fact that a man, especially a Black man will bend to the will of the people, not the banksters. Pride should rise in a Black president that rules on behalf ofand by the people. However,foremost and most importantlyit's incumbent on the people to educate themselves on their/our rightsand truly become a part of the process beyond voting.
Reader Comments (6)
Not only do I send the Spirit to help this brotha, more importantly, I send the Spirit to watch over him. These americans cannot be trusted
I was waiting to see what you thought of Barack winning. Look foward to future posts from you