The Struggle Is Over

You know, I’ve been black my whole life, and for the life of me, I can’t think of one occasion when, in the company of other black people, the conversation turned to lamentations of the fact that we had never before had a black president.  Nobody I know or saw, ever wailed in church, “Oh, Lawd! When we gon’ put a black man in the White House?”  I never walked by a group of kids at a bus stop and overheard, “You know, if we had a black president, I could get a job!”  I don’t believe anybody ever went to the landlord with the excuse that the rent was going to be late because there has never been a black man elected president.  And I never saw a news story with marchers marching and chanting “What time is it?  Time for a black president.”  In fact, I can’t think of one conversation with friends, acquaintances or co-workers where the subject came up at all.   At least, not until after Barack Obama announced his candidacy.  Sure, we often discussed the problems we faced, job discrimination, the condition of our inner cities, the influx of drugs into our communities, the quality of our children’s education, the dynamics of often hostile police interaction, lack of affordable, quality health care access, and all the other examples of injustice that plague our unique segment of society in such disparate numbers.  But, not once, did I hear it suggested that any of these problems could be erased if we only had a black president.  In fact, a case can be made that having a black president ensures that the opposite is true.

Now that America has elected Barack Obama, “the struggle” is officially over.  We are all equal; if you’ve got problems, they’re your fault.  The feel-good liberals who voted to disprove the validity of our shared racial history will have no further patience for complaint.  “Whaddaya mean?  Ya got a black president!”  Expect to hear variations of that refrain a lot in the next four years.

Those black Americans who held their tongues and made no demands of candidate Obama, understanding that a too-cozy public relationship with them could queer his chances with all those not-so-enlightened, not-quite-bigots who would see a more-than-arm’s-distance relationship as a threat, now face the reality that as president, nothing is likely to change.  Those same uncomfortable-with-too-much-blackness factions of society are not suddenly going to take kindly to President Obama “representing,” know what I mean?  He’s still going to have to diss a brother or two on a semi-regular basis in order to appease nervous, possibly mythical, “Joe America” types; and funneling large sums of money and resources to address the problems of black Americans doesn’t appease the myth, or reality, of old Joe at all.

“He ain’t runnin’ for the president of black America, he’s running for the president of all America.”  Yep, heard that.  Did you?  Because now, if you’re black, you’re just another American, except when those “possibly mythical Joe America” types on the police force, or school board, or hospital staff, “forget” and treat you like a black guy.  After all, when it comes to racial equality, “Joe” has done his part.  He voted for the “Dream That Never Was.”

Who’re you gonna complain to, then?

The president?

Whaddaya mean?

He’s black.

A Thank You Note To PUMA

First of all, like I said in an earlier post, buck up, guys, it’s not the end of the world!  And, contrary to what anybody says, PUMA is a HUGE success.  Or, it can be.  Sure, the naysayers in the mainstream media, the blogger bullies, and the disappointed Republicans who didn’t know we were alive until they got desperate and now want to blame us, are minimizing us, our numbers and our impact.   What makes it easy to discount us and our numbers is the same thing that makes us unique and powerful; PUMA is a true grassroots movement.  Unlike those well-organized “Astroturfing Tools of Axelrod”, we have no corporate funds to buy ad time, and pr firms to bump up our “presence” in the media, no political sponsorship giving us decades old, well researched membership lists to exploit, just like-minded people, united in principle, dedicated to effecting change.  That’s power, baby, and it blows that “GOP sponsored, ratfucking operation” nonsense straight to hell.  We’ve got what Howard Dean exploited and turned into Democracy for America, even though he did have his Dean for America base to build on.  But we’ve got a PUMA base to build on, now, too.  If we want to.  If not, hey, it was a helluva ride, and before we do anything rash, it might be prudent to sit back and wait to see how this thing shakes out.  I’ve got a feeling we might be desperately needed in the very near future.

A lot of us have the blues right now, that’s to be expected.  But the truth is, there’s so much to be admired about all of you who call yourself PUMA, and those of you who sympathize with what PUMA stands for, that it’s hard to know where to start.  You guys forced the DeaNC to at least pretend to live up to it’s principles.  With no money, no headquarters, no nothing, really, but integrity, spirit, devotion and hard work, you took a contingent of real Americans to the freaking Democratic National Convention and were heard!  Ignored, but heard.  All things considered, that’s pretty amazing for a loose-knit coalition of people scattered across the country, connected only by the internet and faith.  There isn’t really even one central PUMA…anything, other than the absolutely unshakable belief that democracy should be central to the Democratic party, and the willingness to play David to the DeaNC’s Goliath, if need be.

Just because it’s the right thing to do.

I am so grateful to all of you, you are what America should be.  So, have a long hot soak and a glass of wine, watch a DVD, get some rest, and chill.  This movie just started.

Thank you.

I’m proud to know you all.

The Reality Of Victory

The election of a black man as President of the United States of America makes a profound statement.  For many, of all races, the mere possibility of such a thing happening was the sole motivating factor in their decision to vote for Barack Obama.  And, as I monitor the news tonight, the historic impact is proving to be the predominant theme.  Boyd Reed, on TPM, writes that he allowed his 5 year old son, Alexander, to actually cast his a vote for his (Alexander’s) future:

And so it came to pass that Alexander Reed, age 5, read the voting screen, found the right candidate, touched his name, and actually cast a vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

edit

So, no, I didn’t vote for Barack Obama.  I voted for a boy who now has every reason to believe he, too, can grow up to be anything he wants…even President.

(emphasis Boyd’s)

AP’s headline: “Obama Sweeps To Victory As First Black President” seems to sum it up pretty neatly.  Yet deep within it’s recap of election events is buried this, more illuminating truth:

Obama sought election as one of the youngest presidents, and one of the least experienced in national political affairs.

That wasn’t what set the Illinois senator apart, though — neither from his rivals nor from the other men who had served as president since the nation’s founding more than two centuries ago. A black man, he confronted a previously unbreakable barrier as he campaigned on twin themes of change and hope in uncertain times.

What does that say to precious little Alexander Reed?  Is his proud, black father really content to give his son the message that he can grow up to be president, even if he’s not really qualified, just because he’s black?  While black and white Americans pat themselves on the back for their accomplishment, maybe we should all take a minute to ask, “what have we really won?”  At what cost?  While we’re being regaled with stories of black people, like Lisa Boone, weeping with joy in celebration…

In the park crowd was Lisa Boone, 42, of Chicago, who said she burst into tears earlier in the day pondering what an Obama victory would mean.

Boone said she is distantly related to Emmett Till, a 14-year-old black Chicagoan who was abducted and killed in Mississippi in 1955, purportedly for whistling at a white woman. Boone said her great-grandfather was the brother of Till’s uncle.

“I was thinking of all the things done to Emmett and injustices to black people,” she said. “This is amazing, simply amazing.”

…and of descendants of slaves living to see history-in-the-making…

Gertrude Baines’ 114-year-old fingers wrapped lightly over the ballpoint pen as she bubbled in No. 18 on her ballot Tuesday. Her mouth curled up in a smile. A laugh escaped. The deed was done.

A daughter of former slaves, Baines had just voted for a black man to be president of the United States. “What’s his name? I can’t say it,” she said shyly afterward. Those who helped her fill out the absentee ballot at a convalescent facility west of USC chimed in: “Barack Obama.”

…are we really sending the right message to our children?  To the world?

“It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.”

Considering the tactics employed by the Obama campaign and the DeaNC in this election, can we avoid being accused of parental hypocrisy when we try to teach our young people the principles of fair play?  Are these tactics only okay when used by, and on behalf of, black people, just because we’re black?  As Americans, we’re going to have to ask ourselves some tough questions about the true meaning of victory as it relates to racial reality.

Today, we celebrate.

Tomorrow, we get back to work.