Is America Really Ready?

Obama is the Democratic nominee for President of the United States. There has been much made about the first African-American candidate of a major party for this highest office in the land. A significant accomplishment without doubt. But the question remains: Is America ready to rise above its racism, fear and hate mongering to elect a Black Man President?

As much as I personally want the Obama/Biden ticket to win in November, my gut tells me that America has not yet matured to the point that it can see past the color of a person's skin and look to the content of their character. If you take the time to read the comments to articles posted on foxnews.com or aol.com, you will find the vast majority of them filled with vile, racist, reprehensible content. These Americans feel free to speak openly on the internet because they cannot be identified and held responsible for their remarks. They work with you. Live next to you. Play on your league teams. You would never think that these "friends" would feel the way that they do about African Americans. 

I hope that I am wrong. 

Was Pastor Wright Right?

Much has been made about the "incendiary" language that Sen. Obama's former pastor Jeremiah Wright used during some of his sermons. His condemnation of America's policies abroad and the racist history of this country are not without merit. What's even more telling is the way that America is reacting to Sen. Obama even though he has unequivocally rejected those things that he felt were inconsistent with his own thoughts and beliefs. It is clear to me that many of those Americans that want to hang Rev. Wrights words around the neck of Obama like so many nooses that have been used to lynch Black men and women in this country merely needed an "excuse" to justify why they could not vote for an African American for president. Where was the outrage when Ronald Reagan declared that "...AIDS was God's punishment" or when Pat Robertson stated that Katrina was God's retribution for the sin in New Orleans. Republicans are not held to task for visiting Bob Jones University that had a long policy of forbidding interracial dating. The same party that continues to embrace the legacy of Jesse Helms and Strom Thurmond, both had a history of being open racist and staunch segregationist.

What America really doesn't like is the fact that Barak Obama refused to turn his back on a man and a church that has served the Black community in ways that far outweigh the impact of some misguided words. The fact that this man will not bow down to those that have no intention of supporting him regardless of what he says or does makes him "uppity" in a country where Black men should know their place. In my opinion, the backlash that is directed at Mr. Obama gives legitimacy to many of the sentiments that were expressed by Pastor Wright. America refuses to come to grips with it's racism and will continue to suffer the consequences.

After Obama

My friends over 40 consistently remark, "I never thought I would see something like this during my lifetime!" I feel every word. Growing up in the South and living in a "de facto" segregated community, the idea of the majority population ever taking a Black man seriously enough to consider him for the highest office in the land was about as realistic as a klansman joining the Nation of Islam. Dare we believe that this could really happen? We know that there will be every dirty political trick in the book thrown at the campaign. There will be those that will attempt to appeal the deepest, darkest racial fears that still find refuge in far too many American hearts. But even that might not be enough to stand in the way of a movement that is long overdue.

What if he wins?

There will be those that will feel that this will signal the end to racism in America. They would be wrong. There will be others that will erroneously think that an Obama Administration will solve all the problems that poor and minority communities face around this nation. President Obama will still be but one part of the government of the same United States that once considered people of African decent 3/5ths of a person. He would make progress, but the struggle will continue.

What if he looses?

America will have lost an opportunity to make a giant step forward. Fear will prevail over hope. This country is at a crossroads. If it chooses to hang on to it's racist past, it will risk the spawning of a different kind of movement. Just as the initial rejection of the non-violent movement lead by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., helped to move disaffected Black people to Malcolm X or the Black Panthers, a rejection of a movement of Hope and Change could lead some to loose faith that this country will ever change through electoral politics.