Barack Obama. The name alone conjures up many emotions, both good and bad. Depending on whom you talk to, people either love the man; or if their political allegiance lies somewhere else, they absolutely abhor the ground that he walks on. Such a passionate disliking is unfair, but in the vicious world of politics, it’s pretty commonplace.
As Obama stands on the precipice of history (possibly becoming the first African American to win a major party’s nomination for the presidency), many thoughts run through my mind. On the one hand, I feel extremely fortunate to be alive to witness a presidential run that I consider to be historic, win or lose. On the other hand, I have to constantly rub my eyes to wake up from this nightmarish reality. The reality that I speak of is this: we have a major political candidate, who actually has a legitimate shot at the White House, and whites seem to be supporting him more than blacks. Now, that’s not to say that people should support someone just because of their skin tone. But it also shouldn’t be a reason not to support him, which actually seems to be a rallying cry with many of us.
Some have argued, “Obama speaks of wanting to represent America, and not the black experience. We need someone who is going to address the issues of black people.” And while I agree to a certain extent, aren’t we the same people who marched and protested for a color-blind America? Aren’t we the ones who wanted to be judged solely by the content of our character? But now that we have someone who not only looks like us, but who also wants to transform our country in that very way, some of us don’t want it. Which makes me wonder: Am I missing something?
