Wednesday, October 22, 2008

History (Can Be) in the Making

I'd be a fool if I didn't put aside at this moment all other interests, desires and thoughts to speak on what I believe is the most important moment in history in my lifetime and yours. I am talking about "The Dream" finally being fulfilled and realized with this year's presidential election and the man simply known as Barack Obama. This man believes that he can be elected to the highest office: the President of the United States of America. I want to touch on an aspect of this historic event that I haven't heard anyone come out and talk about. Everyone is talking around this issue except maybe Whoopi Goldberg on "The View." Actually there are three issues: "Racism", "Prejudice" and "Fairness".

No matter what anyone says, Racism plays a great role in why some folks do not want to see Barack Obama succeed in his race to the White House. Here's a question? Why in all these years, when there has never been a person of color or mixed heritage running for president until now, but only "White males", why have black people in America gone to the polls and placed votes for these white males, never once questioning their responsibility to elect a president out of the choices that they have been given...and why have us black people (all of us) never questioned why we are voting for these white males when black men of equal intelligence and experience were not even given a chance to run for president? But as soon as a qualified black man decides to run for president, white people are digging in the dirt, trying to find any objection or reason (however small) as to why a black man should not be voted for, especially by white people.

I see a double standard in that, which brings me to the second point: prejudice. When we talk about prejudice and history, who has been the bully and who has been the victim? That is a very easy question to answer, if you answer it honestly. My thoughts here are not meant to divide, because black people have always gone along with what the white man says must be and we haven't complained. But why? Why haven't we complained about the prejudices that have been so boldly leveled against the black people on this earth?

Are Americans being fair? In general, are white Americans being fair to black people and Barack Obama? I'm not going to go into detail here. There is no need to. Any intelligent person who watches the news reports and reads about the loops white America wants Barack Obama to jump through daily, knows how unfair life is for black America. While John McCain, Sarah Palin and other white politicians can get away with murder literally and still have the audacity to expect votes from the black man and we go along with it because we have never up until now had another choice, I can clearly say that I know those days are over. We now have our eyes open wide and we now have a candidate who represents not only us, but white America as well. And we will go to the polls to vote for Barack Obama. All I ask is that you, White America, do the same thing for this candidate that we have been doing for your candidate for all these years.

Yes, this is history in the making and as the dream was promised for all Americans, we finally have a chance to put aside race, prejudice and unfairness to elect the right man for the job. It's as simple as that.

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