Sunday, January 18, 2009

Thoughts On A Black Man Becoming President of The USA

As Obama's inauguration draws near and it all begins to sink in, one really must ask the question, how far America has come when it comes to the topic of race and race relations? The answer you get depends on who you ask. For the younger generation it is very believable that Obama is the president elect, for the older generation it is unbelievable.

The whole thing is more like a dream though we all know it is reality. Since we are all products of our environment people see it differently. In the African American community, different generations have different views. The older generation who went through so many negative experiences caused by racism, feel a certain way and it is understandable that they feel the way they do. The younger generation didn't go through what the older generation did, so it is understandable that they feel the way they do too. Many times, the older generation sees the younger as people who don't take advantage of opportunities their generation fought so hard for but could only dream about. The younger generation who didn't fight for it don't see what the big deal is because America of today is what they've always known and that is their reality.

I can't speak for any other communities in America however, I believe it is always good to try something new, including a new type of president to reflect the people being governed. Hopefully, a Latino president will be a reality in time too. As a matter of fact it would be nice if the presidency and other high profile leadership positions could be rotated among people with excellent leadership skills from each continent represented in the USA. LOL, I already know that could never happen. Anyway, reality is, change is here and going nowhere. A sign of the times? Absolutely. It also reinforces the saying that the only thing that's constant is change.

The article written by George Wallace's daughter, Peggy Wallace Kennedy is a must read. It makes one really think about how things have changed and yet some things stay the same, at least in some people's minds anyway...

The article is available via the link below.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/03/wallace.kennedy.obama/index.html

Enjoy!


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