Just 3 days away from what many are considering to be the biggest day in American history. Just days away from what many people (at least those around me) are treating as the second coming of the Messiah. Of course I'm talking about the Inauguration of soon to be President Barack Obama.
Now, before anyone flames for what I am about to write, hear me out a bit. Let me state something right here and now: I am NOT anti-Obama. I voted FOR Obama in the Texas Primary - the famous "Texas Two-Step" (or "infamous Texas Two-Step" depending on your point of view). I thought he was the better of the two choices we had within the Democratic Party.
Yet, here I sit at my computer, not at all jumping with overflowing joy at his upcoming acceptance of the Presidency on January 20. Why? That is a question I've been asking myself since the election ended. I think I have finally come up with an answer: I do not like all the racism involved - from BOTH sides of the aisle.
The racism against Obama becoming President is well noted. It is there, we must accept it and aim to change it in the common area of shared ideas that forums such as the Internet provide for us. But there is another form of racism that is not being spoken against, and that worries me.
Since we are celebrating the life Martin Luther King Jr the day before Obama becomes President of our great nation, it is highly appropriate that everyone take the time to go back and read (or reread) what I consider to be his greatest speech (in my view it is one of the most superb speeches ever given in history. So much so that I have a copy of it hanging in my classroom for all to see). Go ahead - take a few minutes to Google it and read it. I can wait a few moments while you do so......
You finished? Excellent. Now, go back to near the end of speech - where Dr. King Jr is saying what he dreams about. As you do so - you will read:
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
Read that again - and see the key words "Judged not" "By color of skin" "But by....content of their character." Dr. King Jr wanted all of us to see beyond the pigmentation of the epidermis to look inside what the heart of a person was. He was telling us he did not want us to base our decisions - good or bad - on what someone looked like on the outside. It is exactly this that has me concerned right now.
Every time I hear about the importance of the upcoming Inauguration, inevitably the reason has been given "It is because our first Black President is being sworn in." I heard throughout the election "Obama is the first Black Presidential candidate of a major party." "I'm voting for Obama because he is Black." I have been called racist when I tell people I am probably not going to watch the Inauguration Ceremony. (I have a teacher work day that day and need to get my room ready for my students the next day). I have been told I am a racist because I disagree with some of Obama's Cabinet choices. (Funny, I was called other names when I told people I voted for the man in the Primary too. )
"Not be judged by the color of their skin...." Are we so blind that each time we say "The first Black President" we are going against Dr. King Jr's dream? Each time we say this is a great event merely because we are seeing a "Black Man become President" we chip away more at Dr. King Jr's dream becoming a reality. To identify someone by the color of their skin is indeed racist is it not? Think about it for a moment. Ask yourself this: Barack Obama - a man who's ideas for this nation and his vision for this nation are strong and well grounded - is being celebrated because of his pigmentation - NOT because of the depth of his views.
It is time to stop identify someone by their color folks. As this Inauguration draws nearer, let us stop and remember the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr on Monday. A work that was shared by many people of all colors and both genders to make true equality a reality. Let us not lose sight of that vision. A vision that is hindered each time we say "The first Black........" or "The first Jew......" or "The first Latino............" or "That Muslim guy........". Let us remember that Dr. King Jr's dream for his children is reminiscent of the song so many of us learned in Sunday School: "Red and Yellow, Black and White, they are precious in His sight. Jesus Loves the Little Children of the World." Not because of their pigmentation, but because He created each of us. He looks at our hearts, not our skin. Let us do the same.
Mr. KEB
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
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Well, congratulations, Keith, you did it! You're a good writer, articulate at voicing those things you are passionate about. As a Canadian, my views of Obama are largely irrelevant. I like the public persona I've seen, and am distressed at the level of mania attached to him. It is sad that his distinction is of being the first black president, and I get your point. The fact is, it is a landmark for people of colour, a validation,if you will. I cannot for one minute blame them for their joy. What I grieve, as you do, is the necessity for that distinction. Colour is still a divider, and as long as large groups of people are disadvantaged or looked down on because of it, those who succeed are heroes. I don't think these differences should be ignored. I think they should be celebrated and embraced. But then, I believe God made us all in his image and that the variety of human characteristics both external and internal are all an expression of the even vaster variety of God's nature.
ReplyDeleteNow you'll have to go to my blog, although I don't post there often. I use Writer's Cafe more frequently...it's a facebook application.
And, if I can figure out how to be your first follower, I'll do so with glee.
Ruth C -- you know. The one who travelled to BC with you.