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Turning The Page
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(photo: courtesy of Office of Senator Barack Obama)
Over the next five months Barack Obama will be running for President against a Republican Party who has made a field day of “swift-boating” Democrat nominees since Reagan vs. Carter in 1980; but more importantly, Obama will be running a campaign for racial progress within his own community.
The toughest one for Obama by far is the fight to move beyond racial barriers that serve to divide us as a people. As an African American and a Republican, I have noticed that a change in the leadership of the African-American community is taking place. The only problem is no one seems to be noticing. The stage of this conflict is the grandest one of all, the Presidency of the United States.
The civil rights / political leaders of the African American community are from the old school of pitched rhetoric versus the institutions of the United States. Leaders such as the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and yes, even Jeremiah Wright, have achieved gains for the African American community by emphasizing the differences between the races and extracting concessions from corporate and government institutions on their behalf. In trying to move beyond racial divisions, Obama has left himself open to attack from the old guard that has made its living by playing the race card for their personal benefit.
In this election, every person of every color is experiencing an economic recession not seen in over 30 years. Only a policy of inclusiveness, that helps everyone succeed, will provide healthcare for all, end an unpopular war, and ease financial pressures on families across America. Obama represents a change in direction in race relations that has taken 40 years to occur. The only problem is that this change scares people like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Jeremiah Wright and a lot of white folks too. The page is turning but are we really ready for change…only time will tell.
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