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The Democratic National Convention: Referendum on "The Dream" -- Day 1 (407 hits)

Michelle Obama and Ted Kennedy were inspirational last evening. But the continued commentary remarks about ho the voters "don't know Barack Obama or Michelle Obama" are red herrings. Black people in this country have embarced the very same values of the mainstream since emancipation. Whether we are struggling for equal education, fair housing, justice in the courts, the freedom to worship, good jobs and upward mobility, we constantly hear the refrain, "we don't know what they really believe, or what their values are." These are code words for latent racism.

The reality is that while more Blacks are employed in places where we were once shut out, and more are attending Harvard and Yale and Princeton, and more Blacks are being elected in non-Black majority cties and states -- we go home to segregated family hopes and dreams; we worship separately on Sunday; and we "dream" from a different perspective. The difference is a legacy of deprivation and a legacy of privilege.

All of this discomfort is primarily because most white voters haven't reached the point where we "live in a nation where we will not be judged by the color of our skin, but by the content of our character." So, the Obama's must be elitist, they must be "different" -- they must be inspected more closely, all of their friends and distant associates must be vetted more thoroughly.

Supporting Obama is not transcending race. It is an attempt to usher in a "post-racist" society. This does not mean we become color blind. It means we bcome more accepting of othes who arrive at the same destinaton from a different origin. That is the success of the American experiment -- not melting the color or culture out of all of us.

Posted By: Roger E Madison Jr
Tuesday, August 26th 2008 at 11:43PM
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Clark, I hear you on that one.
Wednesday, August 27th 2008 at 12:09AM
Kenneth X

I agree with you. The distinction between legacy of deprivation an d that of privilege is a profound one. If racism went away, while we were sleeping tonight, would we be prepared for equality? It reminds me of a story a friend told mea bout he and his cronies hanging out in the sixties, talking about what it would be like if "our people' took over the country. They looked around the room and quickly realized that they didn't even know how to turn the water electricity on. The whole country would be dark and without water.

We must be way more aggressive in the education of our children and many adults. We have got to come into the 21st century and use computers for more than amusement. There is a vast world of information and opportunity that is available to us through technology.

We have to put our priorities in order. We don't have to lose our "blackness" to gain respect and our independence, but all races must realize our interdependence. Too long has the arrogance of racism and all the other "isms" deprived everyone of the genius that is within all people when they are allowed to develop fully. Our country is seeing the effects of brain drain. It is showing-up as our world ranking keeps dropping in productivity, health, infant mortality rate, etc. But, even if whites folks don’t wake-up, we must.

Wednesday, August 27th 2008 at 12:14AM
Barbara Dixon

This is a "referendum on the dream" for a couple of reasons. The first is exactly what you have confirmed. We must not let the red herrings deceive us into acting like this issue needs to be addressed. Out of the other side of the mouths of the critics is a description of him as a celebrity, a rock star, an elitist, presumptiously presidential. So, this is a knife that cuts both ways if any attempt is made to respond. We must respond by getting him elected. The referendum must succeed.

The second reason this is a referendum on the dream" is more subtle. Oprah made a reference to the question from the Autobiography of Jane Pittman, "Is he the one?" When we look around at the significance of this presidential bid, we have to ask, "If not Barack, then who?" "If not now, then when?"

When I take a panoramic view around the Black political landscape, there isn't a close second candidate that would be "the next Black presidental candidate." We all know the story of success for African Americans. We don't get second chances. The only way for us to achieve any leverage is that we have to succeed the first time out of the box. So, those of us who support Obama must not leave a single vote behind in November. This referendum won't come back around again in my lifetime. I was there when Martin Luther King Jr. made the great breakthrough in the 60's. I was there when Malcolm challenged us to stand up for our humanity by any means necessary. When those two great leaders were removed from the scene, there was a void that has yet to be filled. Only "the dream" remained. And now, Barack Obama is the symbolic flfillment of the dream. His success will ignite new dreams for our children, and our grandchildren. His failure may relegate them to wait another 40, 50, or more years for the next opportunity. So, tereal work will begin when this convention is over. Failure is not an option.
Wednesday, August 27th 2008 at 12:33AM
Roger E Madison Jr