Post Election Day (Part 1)

Today is Nov. 10th. exactly 6 days after the biggest election in recent history. America and the rest of the world witnessed and recognized Barack Obama as our next president of the United States. Never will I forget the exact time, place and emotions I felt as the smoke cleared and our nations leader, our commander and chief... Was for the first time ever in history... A black man. My heart and my eyes welled with such a pride that I have never fathomed to have felt in any other night of my own existence. All I could think about was that I wished my great- grandmother could've fought 4 more years to see this monumental moment. She would have been 100 years old if God didn't call her home Oct. 31st, 2004. You see, I mentioned her because she experienced the some of the darkest times in the nations history. She had a first hand account of the segregation, the horrors of intolerance, the reality of being hated jst because you were darker than the next person. She was around back when being a "nigga" wasn't a word to rhyme with Jigga, or even a nice thing to be. She also saw the nation as it slowly but surely grew together throughout those dark times in our history. The only thing that could've topped it all off was to see what MLK and Malcolm could have never forseen. The same thing that brought Jesse Jackson and Oprah to tears. I'm still utterly awestruck, it's kinda surreal you know... Kinda like you are anticipating for yourself to finally wake up but it just won't happen.
The next morning I get a text message from my big homie Tommy (who is also black) and he asks me:
"Now that Obama has been elected, have we overcome?"
The question had me thinking. I mean truly pondering how I'd answer the question. I simply answered him with a simple yet pain-stakingly clear answer of:
"No"
I felt pretty shitty after the answer but I answered it as honestly as I could. I'm sure I've pissed a couple people off and I'll get the ole "Uncle Tom" tag but you gotta seriously take a look at it. Overcome is a broad term. I think we have realized King's dream of defeating segregation and racial discrimination while peacefully coexisting with all other races but some of our brothers and sisters have fallen by the way side. Caught up in the fast paced life in the streets, consumed by materialism and have nothing else better to do but to hate on or shoot up the next guy. There isn't an invisible force holding us back for the past twenty years... it's been our own fault. The same freedoms our ancestors fought and died for we take advantage of. Have you forgotten that they used to kill slaves that learned to read and now it's hard to get some kids to pick up a damn book? For years some of us threw our right to vote away when before the amendment was passed we weren't able to vote because we were considered property and 1/3 human!! Some of us rather make excuses on why they can't make it in life over actually putting in the work to see the fruits of their own labor. It seems as if whenever we turn on the news it's always a brotha that has killed one of his own kind over some petty bullshit, a few dollars or a minor disagreement... You can't help but to sit back and think if they put in that much effort to shooting each other up, how come they can't come together and build something positive and constructive. To me, while that still occurs we haven't quite made it to that mountain top yet . We have made progress by leaps and bounds but we have to get those that have wandered off back on track. Show them the right way in stead of giving them a check and telling them "Have at it!!" A team is only as good as it's weakest link.
I love the fact that Obama is our next president, that's who I voted for and I think he's a great leader for our nation and for all races alike but that doesn't mean we (as in blacks) have overcome. The truth is that Obama is only one man and can only take responsiblity for his own actions. He can show us the direction but that doesn't mean everyone will follow. He has removed all obstacles, there are no more excuses to be made. He beat 400 years of degradation, hate, and fear and turned it into inspiration and hope for the future, That's why President Obama means so much to me. I already knew that I was capable of anything no matter what race I was my pops taught me that... I just wanted everyone else to see. I understand that not everyone was fortunate to have that proper influence but he serves that purpose on and world scale. I'm not in the position to show people that truth and neither is my father... but he is. Now it's up to us as individuals to take responsibility for our own actions and show those that are on the path to failure that there is an alternative and that they can succeed in life. Remember... It takes a nation
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