Now a week removed from the inauguration of Barack Obama, I am encouraged by the hope engendered by our 44th President on both sides of the political middle where most of the people I know reside. It has been two months since I last posted something on this blog and in that time, I have listened to what many people have said and observed about President Obama and for the most part, it's been hopeful, encouraging and optimistic.
Those on the right, I among them, still take umbrage with some of the more socialist fringes of his agenda, yet for the past two months and now officially, for the last week, President Obama seems to be governing more from the center, than from the leftist flank guarded by the likes of Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Claire McCaskill and Barbara Boxer. Admittedly, there are 1,453 days left in his first term and he's yet to tackle the really divisive issues that concerned me in the first place. But for now, I too am viewing the glass as half full and am hopeful for the reconciliation that's possible from President Obama.
If nothing else, my one hope is that his presence in the White House will finally foster the notion that we will all be judged not for our pigmentation, but for our implementation of smart ideas, great concepts and productive actions that make our country, and potentially the world, a better place. During the campaign and after the election, I heard many people talk about the end of racism. Finally, the end of stereotyping by color and as Dr. King so eloquently dreamed, the beginning of a time when men would be judged by the content of their character, rather than the color of their skin. If Barack Obama's election achieved nothing more than that, it would be monumental. The problem is, no matter which direction the negativity is flowing, racism is not simply a switch that can be turned off.
For many, the election of Barack Obama is a proclamation that race no longer holds any barrier for those yearning to achieve. It is a sentinel to every young African-American leading the way to higher self-esteem, greater self-worth and the belief that yes, anything is possible no matter what color your skin. In many ways, I think Obama's election is a philosophical passing of the torch from the generation of Dr. King, Jesse Jackson, Andrew Young and John Lewis who chose to stand and fight and use their race to rail on the establishment for the limits it imposed upon them. President Obama's election signals a new age where those limits and barriers have been removed, or destroyed, doesn't it? After all, if an African-American can be elected President of the United States, is there really any other position that cannot be attained?
In my mind, the question that still remains is what effect will the older generation have on the younger one moving forward? For our country to truly move forward to where race is no longer an issue, the separatist tenets of racial inequality have to be laid on the altar of forgiveness, contrition and understanding and then forgotten. Yes, there has been hatred and betrayal and fighting and mistrust. But there have also been moments of love, friendship, brotherhood and common ground. We are a dysfunctional marriage trying to be put back together. The question is, can we all get past it?
For many, I fear racism is a burden they will be unwilling or unable to lay down. For some, their entire identity is consumed by propagating the separation between black and white. Black and brown. Black and black. To agree that separation has now been abolished and that true equality is at hand is to suggest a diminished usefulness for organizations like the NAACP, the United Negro College Fund, Affirmative Action and the Black Miss America pageant. It's been so long coming, that even in the face of last week's inauguration, many simply can't imagine a country where truly, we are all judged on the merit of our actions, the content of our character and the difference we make in the lives around us.
That is how I will judge our new President. It too is how I would ask that he judge me.
As I type this, lawyers in New York are threatening a class action lawsuit against the major New York ad agencies because, according to them, there aren't enough African-Americans in the ranks of advertising and marketing. No real discussion as to background, portfolio, experience, education, or ability. Simply, that not enough African-Americans have been given an opportunity. Likewise, I heard a discussion last week before the inauguration lamenting the lack of black journalists in the White House Press Corps. Considering African-Americans make up roughly 12-15% of the population and of that only a fraction study journalism and of that group a smaller fraction ever go to work for a major newspaper and of that tiny universe of senior writers, that only a handful ever make it to the White House Press Corps, is it really surprising that the numbers are what they are? Look at professional sports. You could make the same assertion about white people in the NFL and NBA. Like those coaches, maybe those hiring in ad agencies and the Press Corps are simply putting the team on the floor that gives them the best chance to win. Racist? I don't think so. Besides, what does it say when the one thing being considered for whether someone is qualified to perform a job is their color?
Is racism over as some have suggested? No, but I certainly like the direction we're heading. Let's give it a little time and see what happens. In 1,453 days, we'll find out whether people laud Barack Obama's achievements as those of a great president, or simply those of our nation's first African-American president and then we'll know.
For all of our sake, I hope he's as transcendent as advertised.
