I realize we're supposed to bring the funny in these posts (please see the min-pin discussion below), but I want to pause and honor what has just happened. We live in a nation that once considered black people property, a nation whose revered constitution once recognized them each officially as 3/5 of a person. Tonight, for the first time in history, one of the two major political parties has named a black man its presumptive nominee for the highest office in the country. My father went to a segregated elementary school in Arksansas, and this year he can vote for a black man for President of the United States of America. I'm pretty sure that's the definition of progress. This is only a moment, though. If January 20 brings us President Obama, it's a whole new world.
5 comments:
hmmm...you're right. Not funny. Do better, Thnx, RH.
This is indeed a momentous occasion! I LOVE your new blog ladies! Well done. Not to sound too anal retentive (although this is totally going to sound this way), but I think it is important to point out that Obama is biracial. He is both black and white. I think in this country it is interesting, and even I do it all the time, that when someone is a combination of white and something else, the vast majority label them as that something else. I think this is momentous because the vast majority of Americans would consider Obama black. But I think part of Obama's struggle as a biracial person is that white's consider him black and I'm sure there is a percentage of people of color who consider him white or can't relate to him and don't think he is part of "their culture." It will be really interesting to see how he deals with these issues. Anyway, it will be a very exciting election indeed. GO OBAMA!!!!!
You're absolutely right, Kristen. I have commented on this myself in the past and am obviously guilty of it as well.
I am guilty as well. I do it all the time - I actually think it is natural for most people. It seems as if the vast majority of mainstream media has framed Obama's race as African American and I am really surprised that more of them have not brought up the issue of his "biracialness" - being the ones that are supposed to raise the issues. I did hear one really interesting piece on NPR that talked about how the black community was slow to warm to Obama because they didn't see him as one of them. At the beginning of the primary, the vast majority of his supporters were college educated white people and Hillary had the "black vote." But I think a lot of grassroots work changed that. Anyway, regardless of the race definition, this is an incredibly historic moment and I echo everything that you said in your post about this truly being groundbreaking. And it makes me so proud to think that our generation had a lot to do with ensuring that he was the nominee.
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