A little over forty years ago a black man told America, he had a dream. He had a dream that one day blacks and whites would live together peacefully and that all men are created equally. It was the famous speech of Martin Luther King Jr. that started a nationwide movement for not only African Americans but all people. Yes, we know the speech “I Have A Dream”, was given a long time ago and yes people assumed things were better and that we're living together peacefully, but are we, really?
The election of 2008 introduced and elected its first African American President and yes history was made, but history came mixed reactions. What I noticed and watched over the course of this election was the reaction of the people I’ve known for years. People I thought were color blind, and open to, every man having equal rights. The right to be anything they wanted to be, but hold on, evidently there’s a condition someone forgot to mention; equal as long as you're not seeking to run this country, as chief executive.
On November 5, 2008 Senator Barack Obama was elected the first African American President of the United States and people cheered and believe it or not, others cried. I’m sure some cried because their Republican party lost but really, how many cried because of the color of this man’s skin. During this election I was astonished at people and their open conversations about hanging this man, wishing death on his family and not voting for him because of his race. I realized those people have not come as far as we had wished or thought they had; they are a disgrace to this nation, but thank goodness they are not a representation of this nation in its entirety and they did not become the main focus in this event.
I realized something more important as I watched my sons that night in November. I saw the look on their face that signified that they finally realized a black man can be anything he wanted to be, there wasn’t one position being held out of his reach and the reach of all minorites. Even if that included being the leader of a country that some people care more about keeping you under their feet rather than lifting you up and encouraging you to help make this country a place to once again have pride to be an American.
The election of 2008 introduced and elected its first African American President and yes history was made, but history came mixed reactions. What I noticed and watched over the course of this election was the reaction of the people I’ve known for years. People I thought were color blind, and open to, every man having equal rights. The right to be anything they wanted to be, but hold on, evidently there’s a condition someone forgot to mention; equal as long as you're not seeking to run this country, as chief executive.
On November 5, 2008 Senator Barack Obama was elected the first African American President of the United States and people cheered and believe it or not, others cried. I’m sure some cried because their Republican party lost but really, how many cried because of the color of this man’s skin. During this election I was astonished at people and their open conversations about hanging this man, wishing death on his family and not voting for him because of his race. I realized those people have not come as far as we had wished or thought they had; they are a disgrace to this nation, but thank goodness they are not a representation of this nation in its entirety and they did not become the main focus in this event.I realized something more important as I watched my sons that night in November. I saw the look on their face that signified that they finally realized a black man can be anything he wanted to be, there wasn’t one position being held out of his reach and the reach of all minorites. Even if that included being the leader of a country that some people care more about keeping you under their feet rather than lifting you up and encouraging you to help make this country a place to once again have pride to be an American.
No comments:
Post a Comment