Bob's Marbles

Friday, August 29, 2008

Barack Obama: One Less Crutch
















It's been quite a while since my last entry. A lot has been happening; garnering my attention. One of which is this years race for the White House. The other is the dismal showing of the New York Yankees. But, that's for another posting.

With the
DNC Convention wrapping up, a thought hit me driving into work this morning. Actually, I won't claim it as my own. We'll qualify it as an extension (of an interview of Maya Angelou by Michelle Marsh). With the nomination of Barack Obama, the first black candidate to lead a major party ticket, I'm left pondering something completely unexpected. The possibility of an Obama presidency gives me a sense of pride and hope I thought I'd never see in my lifetime. It's the sort of anticipation you get when you've had this nagging problem and you've tried every possible solution. And then an idea, so bold, so ingenious, hits you that you don't dare claim it as your own. We've tried it "one way" for centuries and finally, is "this idea" finally stimulating the synapses of the collective American conscience? It makes me wonder if Barack Obama was "sent" for this time? Something we don't dare claim as our own? Who knows. But, one thing his presidency will mean for African Americans is that the one little gripe we've always had against this culture will be gone. That one little barrier, that exclusion in perpetuity will now be removed. But, the question is, what are we as African Americans going to do with this opportunity? One would think that with Obama's possible election to the highest office in the land, we might begin to think more broadly; seeing possibilities we hadn't dared to before. I'd even hope that we can see more for ourselves than that which has been placed on us by us and others. Do we listen to a little less Hip Hop with its misogynistic lyrics and buffoonery? Do we cease the destructive behavior? Do we begin to lift ourselves up at least in our own minds? Do we pass a better sense of self on to our children. Only time will tell. But, with Barack Obama in the White House, there will be one less crutch.

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