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Being Barack Obama….Part 1
Published by Ashley on Friday, May 30, 2008 at 4:39 pm.Posted by Ashley Slayton for BET’s You(th) Vote
Yesterday I was in a barbershop in Nashville, Tenn., don’t ask me why, when I learned a story I thought I’d share with you all. J.T. (the barber) was shaving a customer and was telling us a story about one of his clients. He said the customer had an elderly father (ninety-seven to be exact) and that the father was very caught up with the current elections.
The man said his father never thought he’d live long enough to see the day where a black man would be able to run for president in this country and that he hoped he lived long enough to see him in the White House.
I was touched. The story reminded me how much the elderly are often overlooked as being politically active people, and I realized that this election means as much to the old as it does to the young.
It’s inspired people to change politics from something that they talk about, to something that they live. People aren’t just discussing issues at home or in a classroom anymore. To put it as one guy said to me, “It brings out conversation from people you wouldn’t expect.”
You can get a conversation started about Obama and his blackness, or the drawn out democratic race, or universal health care, in the grocery store, at the gas pump, on a flight, in the club, and even at the local barbershop. And this truth hit me when I first walked into the shop and noticed that the television was on CNN.
Obama’s knocking down barriers. It’s as if he’s saying to America, “You can be successful. You can have a high-power career. You can achieve your goals. And you can do it as a black person.” And he’s been struggling to spread that message of inspiration to voters, but who ever said being Obama was easy?
So that’s my awe-inspiring moment since this election has started. What’s yours?
–Ashley
Well I am not near 97 but I didnt think I would see a black man(half black but close enough) in the white house in my life time either. Black people can do anything they put ther minds too I tell my 12 year old that everyday but it is hard when just the other day in Longview Texas they(Feds) arrested 39 black men for violent and drug related crimes, the local news and paper ran it everyday since tuesday. It is a time for change and we need a positive black man to encourage our youth to not take the short route. Stay in school stay focus and one day you could be the President of the United States of America, Go Obama we need you.
I’m gonna play devils advocate…..
Lets be real. Obama is not black. He is mixed. and on top of that the part of him that is black is not even American black but Kenyan black. I think that Afro americans are soo afraid subconsciously that tehy will never see a American Black man in office that they will cling to anything that resembles one
For example before Barack dropped out of the sky black people were all over Bill Clinton’s jock and ready to vote for Hillary just to get Bill back in the White House. Now some thing closer to the real thing has come along and now everyone is ready to crown him. When will we stop settling.
PS. there have been some rumblings around that in Chicago he was “shucking and jivin for massa” so what makes you think he wont do the same in “The Big House”
Obama 08!!!
Wow, I didn’t expect that from Evan…
Aside from the point a sec – Ash you are the coolest, I can’t wait to read more. Keep posting them on Facebook because it is alot easier to find…
Okay… I do think that this election has encouraged us all to investigate more, whether it is because of Obama’s blackness or not. In previous years MTV and BET constantly tried to get us to vote and most of us weren’t really hearing it(I know PVAMU wasn’t moving mountains to vote for Kerry or Bush), but back then it was just more of the same rich white guys that came out of the last package. So maybe the excitement is because we are actually seeing a change in the way everything has been run since the beginning of America.
Lets just think outside the box for a second, I am excited about the election, but is it really because of a black man and a white woman or could it simply be because they are not two white men?
Okay ERAW…come on! (I wasn’t expecting that either Gabby, lol.) Barack Obama could be purple or yellow or green and he would still be making a difference. I have to agree with Gabriella. I don’t think it’s because he’s a black man. I think it’s because he’s different. Who cares if he’s only half black? When we do start questioning the %50 that is Kenyan we tread into that controversial area people find when they try to define what black is. I for one don’t think black is that easily limited to percents. And I don’t think that American minorities are clinging to him because of his skin. Clinton AND Obama have both managed to gain mass followers/voters and that’s because they’re offering something new. It’s not just the message, it’s what they represent and that’s change.
As far as the “shucking and jivin,” there are plenty of politicians doing that already and it has nothing to do with their skin. I say give him a chance. Who really wants to endure another four years from Bush’s stooge?
I am extremwly proud to be black Obama is awesome and is going to make an awesome president, but can someone tell me who BOB JOHNSON think he is you make a nominee pick someone would have done this same thing if Hillary was the nominee. He seems a bit Uncle Tom to me.
Black, chinese,white, mexican just as long as it is not a republican in the white house for 4 more years. Come on if we all searched our family tree I think we would all be a little mixed up with something. After while the way these teenagers are dating you wont know what race a person is. But right now I am voting for a Kenya Caucasion who just happens to look Black
We as a people need to evaluate any political candidate through color-blind lenses. I have heard way too many people proclaim that they were going to vote for Obama solely because he is black. This is the wrong route to take when choosing the leader of our country.
We need to look at the substance and accomplishments of our potential presidents. What has Obama accomplished? He was able to get elected to state government by having his opponents disqualified; he got elected to the Senate because the Republican was envelpoed by a sex scandal (a sex scandal with his own wife no less) because he liked kinky stuff**; and he has managed to fool enough people to get the presidential nomination.
Obama has not introduced any legislation whatsoever (McCain did co-author the hideous McCain-Feingold, bipartisan piece of legislation). He has subsisted solely on the fact that he is part-black (which protects him from any criticism because to criticize him would be “racist”) , he speaks eloquently and he is charismatic. Those are not qualifications to be president.
Now, I am not totally thrilled by McCain because there are several things with which I do not agree. However, I personally believe that anyone who wants to our Commander-In-Chief should have military experience or have worked with the military in some capacity. Then and only then can one truly understand the risks of war when sending our men and women into harm’s way.
Obama has stated that McCain “voted with George W. Bush 90% of the time.” For one, Bush doesn’t vote on legislation, only the Congress does. Secondly, at least McCain voted on legislation whereas Obama recorded 143 “Present” votes this year and has not even shown up for a plethora of other votes. Go to his website and you will see his voting record there. Just this year he has only voted in approximately 20% of the votes.
And what’s with Obama attacking Bush? Bush isn’t running for office! McCain will not be four more years of Bush so please stop with the silly mantra.
Use your heads: vote for a candidate based on their ideas, not because they are a certain color.
** This actually should’ve qualified him for the position since “it was all about sex.” (You all do remember that line that was used in Clinton’s defense after hooking up with the fat, white intern?)
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