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Catalina Byrd presents...
The Byrd's Nest: "In the Months and Years to Come..."
On Friday January 30, 2009 former Lt. Gov. Michael Steele was elected the new Chairman of the RNC. A historical moment for the GOP and for our nation, though not as celebrated as the electing and swearing of Pres. Barack Obama. I’ve heard the television personalities take the position that the reason that Mr. Steele was not given more attention is because he is a member of the Republican Party. I can’t help but wonder if after watching this be marketed as a chance to make black history twice in 2009, was this just some kind of political penis envy at work? Or does the Republican Party not want to be left behind as history turns the page on race in America? Assuming that we’ve really done that right? We are not only supposedly “post-partisan” but also “post-race” right? Please forgive me if I believe neither.
In the face of this GOP nomination I can not help but notice the irony that it was Pres. Obama that drew inspiration from Pres. Lincoln despite his being a Republican president. It is easy to assume (and be wrong might I add) that a black person appeals with Lincoln whether Republican or not because he is who signed the Emancipation Proclamation, but Pres. Obama didn’t choose to extenuate those facts. Pres. Lincoln was a very thoughtful person that often wrote to organize and compose more concisely his thoughts in an attempt to act in the most disciplined and deliberate fashion possible. In his personal notes Pres. Lincoln wrote not only of the moral issue of slavery but also the manner in which one becomes enslaved, and this was not limited to physically. Lincoln wrote:
“You say A. is white and B. is black. It is color, then; the lighter, having the right to enslave the darker? Take care. By this rule you are to be slave to the first man you meet, with fairer skin than your own. You do not mean color exactly? – You mean the whites are intellectually the superiors of the blacks, and therefore have the right to enslave them? Take care again. By this rule, you are to be a slave to the first man you meet, with an intellect superior to your own. But say you, it is a question of interest; and if you can make it your interest, you have the right to enslave another. Very well. And if he can make it his interest, he has the right to enslave you.”
If asked to take a moment and think of 3 black elected officials that were not beneficial to people and did not perform the duties of their office satisfactorily, we all can, no matter what city or state in the United States that you reside in (and most especially in Baltimore, MD). Now ask yourself what determined their worthiness to you – was it their race before their party or vice versa? Had Pres. Obama been running the same exact campaign for the White House as an Independent or Republican would all of you (asking black voters) have still voted for him? If the Republican candidate had been a middle-aged well spoken black man as well (it’s not like he’s the only one amongst us) would you have still been as encouraged to “change”? Or in a vain attempt to be loyal to a race or a party did you just become the slave to the first man that you met that looked like you with a superior intellect? In modern times what if his superiority came from his ability to assimilate or be accepted by mainstream America? In all fairness there are a number of white politicians that proved to be failures to the integrity of office as well, but their odds improve by the number of chances they get in comparison in this argument.
Pres. Obama has been cautious and calculated in his words and actions both before and after his nomination. Never negating the fact that his election would be that of a historical landmark, he never was the black candidate; he was a man that had a vision for America that just happened to be black. More inspired than superior, his was a campaign in the interest of an idea on how America should be. There are others with interests invested in their own idea of America, and if on the surface race no longer appears to be an issue – than that is an indication that it is an important than it has ever been. Where there is smoke there is fire and the fact that America is “going black” as a friend calls this phenomenon is the symptom of a greater paradigm shift in the fabric of our nation that has yet to be revealed.
For decades the black community for the most part has lacked faith or feeling of value in the American political system, a demographic that fewer than 70% of participate in regular elections came out in large numbers. Motivated and feeling as if they took part in Pres. Obama’s victory many will vote again, but there will never be another campaign as enchanting as that of Pres. Obama. Less than two weeks later the Republican Party nominates Michael and now the leaders of the two largest political parties in the United States are headed by black men. As a race we’ve been granted a seat at both tables in an eclipse of history, but whether we be the food or the utensils used is still up to us. We are about to see a lot more color all across the board for the next few years, we’ve shown that we can be motivated to participate, those disenfranchised found something to believe in within the system, and we are most vulnerable. Now more than ever is it imperative to let go of party and race allegiances. I am in no way trying to suggest that you ignore the fact that you are a black person, but do ignore whether or not the candidates you are offered over the next few years are.
While Democrats can take credit for getting elected the nation’s 44th President, they will in days ahead have a hard time remaining the party of the modern black American. With groups like the Hip Hop Republicans and the election of Michael Steele as RNC Chairman, it will be harder for black American’s to condemn the Republican Party as well. If ever there was a time to be careful and cautious as the example set by our President than for black voters that time is now. As I have stated time and time again, research your options, pick your candidates based on their body of work and not by their political affiliation or race, and that goes for everyone not just black voters. Just at this time I felt it extremely important to speak directly to the black voters not only in Baltimore but around the country. If we are not – we risk a second era of enslavement, that which will imprison us mentally; the slaves of the next black option that we encounter as a result of the interests of partisan political machines struggling in the face of increased Independent and alternate party voter registration to survive.
In the months and years to come, we will see great black leaders and bad ones as we always have. The hand that we play in both their successes and their failures will be what determines our impact on this period in history, and whether or not it is a positive impact lays in the decisions that we make as individuals in the months and years ahead.
For more info: On this and ALL things POLITICAL you can email me at brothahassan@yahoo.com or visit me at http://giordano.weebly.com. You may email Ms. Byrd at catalina.byrd@gmail.com.
Comments
Miss i been thinking some of the same things that u stated and yeah i feel good about one as well nice insight right here
Great article!
I found this article to be completely refreshing and very sage advice. America and the Black politician has reached a new era, we must develop our frames of mind to enter it.
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