It finally happened! The jubilation was incomprehensible and the energy beyond words. As a black woman, I never thought I would live to see a black man become the president of the US. It is a new day in America. With Barack Obama’s win, America made history by voting in a colorblind manner. His election as the 1st African-American and 44th president has electrified the nation with a new sense of optimism and hope. By winning states that had previously voted Republican, his win has redrawn the political map. Change has indeed come to America and the nation has taken a giant step toward the creation of a more perfect union. His election to the presidency of the US is significant because it demonstrates that personality, preparation and persistence can propel anyone to achieve their personal goals.
His win inspired me to desire to know more about the man who is now the president elect with such a short political career. Who is Barack Obama and what transformed this man from his humble beginnings to become the president? Obama’s journey is a testament to success through fate, hard work and the making of good choices. His optimism is a reflection of his personality and the decisions his parents made would ultimately provide the ideal background for a presidential candidate in the year 2008. He is the product of an African father and an American mother. This makes him part of two races but void of the slave legacy. He’s biracial but in America he is called “black” thanks to the “one drop rule” instituted during slavery, where a person with any black ancestry, regardless of how remote, is labeled as black. Though some biracial people feel being part of two races has negatively affected them, Obama’s being biracial is an asset because to many people he is not defined by race. His looks and features allow him to blend in with many ethnicities and nationalities in the US and around the world. He inherited both biblical and Muslim names, Barack and Hussein, a combination which implies camaraderie between the sometimes opposing Christian and Muslim religions. At age two his parents separated and subsequently divorced, with his father seeing him only once more before he died. He didn’t grow up understanding what African or America’s “black” culture was because he was not exposed to these concepts. He was raised by his mother and grandparents who are all white, making him no different than a white boy with a tan. His mother remarried and worked in diverse countries, which led him to be raised in dissimilar parts of the world, making him “worldly” and thus open to different perspectives, experiences and cultures. Like many in America today, he has been through having an absent parent, his parents’ divorce, living with a step-parent, in a house headed by a woman and with his grandparents. Emotionally he has walked the path and knows the pain many people are going through in today’s America because he has experienced it himself.
His personality, sculpted by his experiences, makes him a relatable figure. He has a methodical approach and an inclusive spirit that puts many people ease with him. His upbringing and education enable him to efficiently interact with people of any race or class. He followed in his father’s footsteps in his decision to attend Harvard, one of the most prestigious law schools in the country, making him an Ivy Leaguer. He was selected as the president of the Harvard Law Review because other students believed he would be fair. He served in public interest capacities, even though he was swimming in law school debts he would have loved to have paid off. Unlike many African American men who conveniently choose to believe that they can’t have a nuclear family because they were not raised in one, he chose to create and live the family life he didn’t have while growing up. Again, contrasting others in his shoes who would have selected a “fair skinned eye candy doormat trophy wife” to fit the mantra that “the wife must be lighter than the husband” image often projected in the black media or that he should have “married up” into an old money country club Caucasian family that a Harvard-educated Caucasian wife could provide to advance his social and career goals, he married an educated, dark skinned, and intelligent woman from humble beginnings who is his equal but obviously didn’t come with a dowry. If Obama had done it differently he may not have been viewed as positively by many in both the Caucasian and African American communities. He is an educated, intelligent, good-looking black married man with two children living in a nuclear family, a model that is fast disappearing in America today. Obama’s profile shatters the negative stereotypes of black men, which in many cases are justified. Obama is a nuclear family man who does not appear to have extramarital affair skeletons in his closet. This leads me to believe there are still some good black men left out there. He seems squeaky clean, although such accusations tarnished the images of some who paved the way for him. Obama has played the hand he was dealt remarkably well and made lemonade out of his lemons. I wish others learn from him.
His campaign for the presidency was non-threatening to any race. By his nature he seems organized and self-contained. He likes to control events; events don’t control him. Like a seasoned entertainer, he has the ability to project himself brilliantly. He doesn’t do identity or victim politics or anything else. Obama is a genuine intellectual who is comfortable in his own skin. He’s a regular guy who is not burdened with being a Washingtonian because he hasn’t been there for very long. He is charming and can be tough, which is what he needs to be to get things done. He embodies what America is: a melting pot of races and a place where success can be achieved by striving for one’s personal best. Before Obama’s win, how did the rest of the world see America lately? Some might say as a big bully. This is not too far-fetched. The Iraq war is perceived by many to be part of America’s expansionism. The Foreign Minister of Russia said in an interview, “We want the US to be first among equals. We don’t want to be a rival superpower but we want America to consult with, ask and hear us.” Obama is the needed redemptive figure in American politics, the soothing balm to a hurting nation and the repairer of America’s damaged image to the rest of the world. He is aware of the weight on his shoulders as the soon-to-be leader of the free world.
Many say as far as ego and arrogance are concerned, both McCain and Obama in many ways are similar. However, one is young, vibrant and idealistic while the other is older, seasoned and battle-tested. Though this was the largest age difference between two candidates for president, it was not just a competition of the strength of youth versus the wisdom of age. Obama was the one with the steady head and hand who displayed that he understood what was occurring in the nation and the world, and had the confidence to turn around the current depressing tide. The opportunity created by the perfect storm of the negative economic situation currently being experienced, formed by the eight years of the Bush administration, created the opportunity for the ideal rescue personified by Barack Obama. Many Americans were in an “anything but this economic mess” mode and Obama’s idea of change propelled him to the White House. He probably would not have gotten elected any other way, so he knew his role was that of damage control and reconstruction.
Barack Obama is not a lone warrior. He benefited from the fruits of the labor of those who helped him win this election -- African American leaders of the past such as Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Shirley Chisholm, Jesse Jackson, Alan Keyes, Carol Moseley Braun, Al Sharpton and all the others who came before him. Some of them promoted a visible African American candidacy for the president as early as 36 years ago. He was the new kid on the block. He is not from some well-known or politically significant African American family such as the King family. Initially, I thought he needed more experience, that he needed to be more seasoned; however, he was sufficiently prepared. He attended Ivy League schools, he’s a trained lawyer, he’s well traveled, and he did public interest work. He is as qualified as anyone else for the position. He is definitely not an affirmative action president. I once said when he decided to run that I hope he made the decision by himself after being isolated because it seemed he was being pushed to run by others. While that may be true, I believe others recognized his servant leadership spirit and encouraged him to run. It is said that he realizes how much people are hurting and he has a sense of responsibility, often worrying about disappointing people. These are the traits of a good leader. Ultimately, there is no set amount of training for the presidency. It is a job which requires on-the-job training and he won’t do it alone; he’s already assembling his team. He did the right thing, running when he did, because one doesn’t necessarily get another chance at such a great opportunity and one can see that through the long campaign that he has become presidential.
Right now an overwhelming majority feels good about Barack Obama’s win but people need to feel good about themselves as well, yet with the health, employment, energy, economic, credit and education crises occurring, how is that possible? How can the thousands of black men, potential Barack Obamas sitting in jails because they chose to go the wrong route or unemployed people facing foreclosure, feel good about themselves and what lies ahead? The answer is hard work, hard work and more hard work for each and every one. Obama has set the standard. No one, minorities included, has any excuse for not attaining their personal best now. His story shows that any goal is achievable if one is ready to do what it takes. Get a good education, work hard, be focused and stay the course. Even his errors on the path to the presidency show that mistakes can be made and recovered from without derailing one’s destiny. His audacity of hope and the faith to work towards a goal are remarkable. Now that he has won, as he has said, “the road to America’s recovery is long and the climb is very steep.” No one should expect miracles because things cannot change overnight, in one year or even in one term. There will be set-backs and false starts and he won’t be able to solve every problem. He will be challenged in many ways and from different directions because of the catastrophes occurring, but as a collective repair force, Americans are up to the task.
America is the mecca for democracy, freedom, and individualism, and Obama’s journey, is a great testament to the fact that there are no barriers and anything is possible. The world is fascinated with and charmed by Obama’s spirit because of the new, reinvigorated America he represents. The choice of Barack Hussein Obama as president, a man with what is perceived by many to be a Muslim middle name, is amazingly forgiving of the US in a post 9/11 world. He is the best America has to offer in terms of inclusiveness, diversity and democracy. Yes, Obama can do much by executive order and he will be backed by a stronger Democratic majority in Congress, but Republicans need not fear him, even with his appointing Rahm “the bulldog” Emanuel as his Chief of Staff because he said, “I will listen, especially when we disagree.” What else can one ask for in a leader? This is a time for construction and reconstruction. This is a time to remember the immortal words of John F. Kennedy: “Ask not what your country can do for you but ask what you can do for your country.” Barack Obama is a man and president-elect whose heart and mind are in the right place. He has good judgment and this is the time to work together for the common good of America and restore its waning glory. What did I learn from Barak Obama’s story of and his recent election? I learnt that personality, preparation and persistence are equalizers that level life’s playing field and can make the American dream become a reality.
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