Now that Barack Obama is the first African American President-Elect, how do I really feel? I’m the same age as President Obama, African American, and married with kids. I assume we share many of the same experiences as a child of the ’60s, and 70”s, a teenage young adult college graduate of the ’80s, a career-minded 30 something of the ’90s, and now a discerning 40 something of the 2000s.
The life I have lived can be told by many yet experienced by few outside of my race. My mother, father, aunts, uncles, and elderly cousins have shared their experiences growing up in the Jim Crow era. I’ve listened to the struggles of their times and the struggling experiences/ times of my grandparents and their grandparent. I didn’t understand the depth of those struggles until I was in my late 30’s. My personal efforts were certainly different than theirs. Yet, from their generation to mine, we have been told that we have come along way. To this day, I am still amazed at the earlier struggles that came before me, and I admire their fight for rights and equality.
Barack Obama being elected President of the United States is the most significant statement that I have ever experienced. His appointment bellows through the bowels of us all, especially as African Americans. It sends a very positive message to our kids, young adults, and discerning adults who lived through the early part of the African American/minority movement. As a young child of the ’60s, I have memories, some good and some not so good. Although I didn’t experience the harsh discrimination of my family before me, I have experienced a fraction of discrimination. I thank God for the people of civil rights conviction that came before me, and I also thank God for the blessing of knowing and believing that someday, in my lifetime, we would have a president that is different from the status quo. The moment I heard Barack Obama’s speech at the 2004 Democratic convention, I felt that this could possibly be the one.
This is a great start to the continued development of minority self-esteem. We can now imagine ourselves as president of the United States of America. We can now look at a picture of the president and visualize the possibilities. We can and should now look to empower ourselves and restart ourselves. Let’s hoist this energy and positive movement towards dismantling the negative stereotypes that precede us and that exist today. Let’s bring an uplifting spirit to those minorities who say that they can’t. Let’s now hold people accountable! Let’s not buy into the “I didn’t have a father,” “I didn’t have a mother,” I didn’t have a traditional family,” etc., story/excuse. Our new President-elect didn’t have these things, and yet he achieved! Let’s now go beyond our walls and believe we can achieve greatness. Let’s act with confidence and move out of poverty and welfare. Let’s finally take action and say farewell to government subsidies. Let’s clean-up our streets, and build jobs in our neighborhoods, and employ our people. Let’s go beyond street cred and excel in school, and look towards being a college graduate and beyond. Let’s then pass it forward by coming back to volunteer and being that role model needed in our community. Let’s be accountable and be of service and value to one another. Let’s invest our time and efforts to be great!
I caution everyone who reads this, as many of us are caught up in the moment. Celebrate and be happy for President-Elect Barack Obama, but please do not for a minute believe that the playing field is even. There is still racism, a lack of tolerance and double standards still exist. We have come a long way, but the road has not ended; however, it is very encouraging. There is still work to be done, and now is the time to enact change. Let’s leverage this energy within our inner cities, our poverty-stricken areas, and throughout our household. Let’s become better fathers, better mothers, better friends, better neighbors, and better citizens. As a people, a change has come, and a change is needed, and a change we must continue to be. Thank God for the people of today, that they as a whole, black, white, and others have elected an African American to the office of the President of the United States of America. Thus a new start and a new beginning to greatness are upon us!
Let's make a choice now to be different and to make a difference in someone's life!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Yes we can!!!!
Now that Barack Obama is the first African American President-Elect, how do I really feel? I’m the same age as President Obama, African American, and married with kids. I assume we share many of the same experiences as a child of the ’60s, and 70”s, a teenage young adult college graduate of the ’80s, a career-minded 30 something of the ’90s, and now a discerning 40 something of the 2000s.
The life I have lived can be told by many yet experienced by few outside of my race. My mother, father, aunts, uncles, and elderly cousins have shared their experiences growing up in the Jim Crow era. I’ve listened to the struggles of their times and the struggling experiences/ times of my grandparents and their grandparent. I didn’t understand the depth of those struggles until I was in my late 30’s. My personal efforts were certainly different than theirs. Yet, from their generation to mine, we have been told that we have come along way. To this day, I am still amazed at the earlier struggles that came before me, and I admire their fight for rights and equality.
Barack Obama being elected President of the United States is the most significant statement that I have ever experienced. His appointment bellows through the bowels of us all, especially as African Americans. It sends a very positive message to our kids, young adults, and discerning adults who lived through the early part of the African American/minority movement. As a young child of the ’60s, I have memories, some good and some not so good. Although I didn’t experience the harsh discrimination of my family before me, I have experienced a fraction of discrimination. I thank God for the people of civil rights conviction that came before me, and I also thank God for the blessing of knowing and believing that someday, in my lifetime, we would have a president that is different from the status quo. The moment I heard Barack Obama’s speech at the 2004 Democratic convention, I felt that this could possibly be the one.
This is a great start to the continued development of minority self-esteem. We can now imagine ourselves as president of the United States of America. We can now look at a picture of the president and visualize the possibilities. We can and should now look to empower ourselves and restart ourselves. Let’s hoist this energy and positive movement towards dismantling the negative stereotypes that precede us and that exist today. Let’s bring an uplifting spirit to those minorities who say that they can’t. Let’s now hold people accountable! Let’s not buy into the “I didn’t have a father,” “I didn’t have a mother,” I didn’t have a traditional family,” etc., story/excuse. Our new President-elect didn’t have these things, and yet he achieved! Let’s now go beyond our walls and believe we can achieve greatness. Let’s act with confidence and move out of poverty and welfare. Let’s finally take action and say farewell to government subsidies. Let’s clean-up our streets, and build jobs in our neighborhoods, and employ our people. Let’s go beyond street cred and excel in school, and look towards being a college graduate and beyond. Let’s then pass it forward by coming back to volunteer and being that role model needed in our community. Let’s be accountable and be of service and value to one another. Let’s invest our time and efforts to be great!
I caution everyone who reads this, as many of us are caught up in the moment. Celebrate and be happy for President-Elect Barack Obama, but please do not for a minute believe that the playing field is even. There is still racism, a lack of tolerance and double standards still exist. We have come a long way, but the road has not ended; however, it is very encouraging. There is still work to be done, and now is the time to enact change. Let’s leverage this energy within our inner cities, our poverty-stricken areas, and throughout our household. Let’s become better fathers, better mothers, better friends, better neighbors, and better citizens. As a people, a change has come, and a change is needed, and a change we must continue to be. Thank God for the people of today, that they as a whole, black, white, and others have elected an African American to the office of the President of the United States of America. Thus a new start and a new beginning to greatness are upon us!
Let's make a choice now to be different and to make a difference in someone's life!
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