Barack Obama Raises Bar for Blacks, But How Many Will Jump Higher?
Posted: Tuesday, November 11, 2008
by Mogama
http://www.mogama.info
In the past few weeks, I've felt like being watched...more closely...by some really big eyeballs that hardly blink. Like I've been put on the spot, with the spotlight pinpointed, focused, shining bright down on me. A strange feeling it is, like I'm suddenly exposed or something, like I'm scrambling to cover my nakedness, and everything piece I reach seems too short for the job. Running for cover doesn't seem like an option. "You must shine, shine brighter," a voice seems to whisper at first, and then to shout. "You've got to shine brighter now. The time has come."
On November 4, 2008, more than 90% of black Americans voted for Barack Obama. Even many black social conservatives like myself ended up in the Obama column. Together with 41% of white voters and 66% of Hispanic voters we came together to help move America to that place of pride and victory over the system racism that has stained our nation's psyche. First, it was America's black citizens that were "free at last". But on that election day, it was America herself that became "free at last".
That's a story we will as a nation tell in so many different ways. We deserve to dissect, digest, and squeeze every ounce of enjoyment out of this unique achievement in the history of human civilization.
Yes, I know the economy provided the larger context for Obama's landslide win, but the conquest of institutional racism was what most blacks celebrated on elections night.
But now that America has made history by electing its first black president, it's now time to study the many-sided implications of Obama's rise to that most powerful place called the Oval Office. And for blacks in particular, after our initial euphoria, while Barack has helped lift and peel away generations of African American stigma, we'll find that Obamania has confronted us with some serious assignments if we care to size up the challenge.
For one thing, because of Barack, our brothers in baggy pants are being challenged to find a different style of dressing. Even fellow blacks will have to despise that way of dressing, which originated among the prison population anyway. How about actually working to save money for a nice business suit? Or we could just start by lifting our pants to our waists and threading our belt straps for a change, keeping our underwears and our black buttocks under there where they belong. Those baggy, draggy pants sort of symbolize the lowering of our standards, our pride. Let's stop dragging our self-respect in the dust and mud, as though the rear end is where we belong. Lift it up, brothers.
Bad mouthing our sisters must go. Barack praises Lady Michelle as "the rock of our family and the love of my life". Now brothers, take that and wrap some lyrics around it for a new kind of hip hop, and let's see if we can start selling millions of albums of positive music marketed to young blacks. Obama tells us to stop cursing our mothers and sisters to make a quick buck. We can exhort the sisters and still move up. We don't have to put them down and stand over their heads with demeaning words just to register ourselves as talented.
As many as 70% of black children are born to single parents. "Single" usually means single black woman. Some of those nagging studies tell us that children from fatherless homes are 4 times more likely to drop out of school, use drugs, and head on to prison. Such low expectations, you see. But Barack's bio has challenged that reality, saying, "It does not have to be that way. You can succeed even against the backdrop of a single-parent household. Where you started from does not have to forecast and seal how and where you end up. A path from poverty can meander its course through Harvard University to community service, to a state legislature, to Congress, up still to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and still going."
"Pity me, I'm from a single-parent home!" Not a great caveat anymore. Sorry. A new day of limitless possibilities has dawned. This new age of black renaissance is part of what Barack calls "the audacity of hope".
Black men in particular have their work cut out. Now the sisters don't need to measure us with the plumb line of the white guy, whoever he might be. Barack has become the "ruler", the odometer that will measure the length, breadth, depth, and height of the black man. What's the measure of the black man? "Like Barack". That's the new standard, the new unit of measurement.
Take another look at that black family, that rare species known as the Obama family. Married for 16 years now, since October 1992, Barack and Michelle are visibly touchy-huggy. It's something to behold: a black man and a black woman kissing each other, casually wrapping their arms each other, so naturally in public. And their daughters, Malia and Sasha, just seem to enjoy so much love from Daddy and Mommy, as the girls often get swept off their feet into Daddy's strong, loving arms. Looks so authentic, so genuine, no acting necessary, nothing made up for the cameras. At least, it doesn't come across that way. Talk about raising the bar for the black family.
Good news is, Harriet and I have been married for 16 years too, and we've done OK providing for our three children so far. So we've got the "food on the table" thing all covered. But the whole touchy-huggy family thing... We've got a lot to work on there, and Obama has put me on the spot, but I'm up to it. I may not actually make it to the White House, but if I can load up some more love for my wife and kids, I'll be happy with that. For a black guy, that speaks volumes.
On being smart, Obama has demonstrated that it's not anti-black to be intelligent or to love books. There's such a thing as "black book worm", though biologists may have yet to discover such a creature. A high IQ is not a white thing, as the typical black kid is made to believe and feel by none other than the black community itself. It's like shooting ourselves in the foot: knocking out education that holds the key to lifting us and our people out of the dark hole of abject poverty. It's crazy, but so many of our black children have bought into the lie that to remain black you must not strive for A's and B's in school.
Well, Barack says that's a lie from the slum. I've been telling my kids, even before Obama came on the national scene, to settle for nothing less than being among the tops of their classes, the A-B elite. Yeah.
What a relief to see that quality education coupled with his love of education was what delivered Barack from poverty and helped carve him a place in stardom. This guy did not become the first black editor of the Harvard Law Journal by practicing anti-IQ ways. This brother went for the books, and on that foundation he stood, he rose, he kept rising, and the rest is history. Barack is challenging all black men that this tradition, this record of taking it easy and lazy in school has to bite the dust, and must do so quickly, if we are to have more Obamas in decades to come.
"I'm black and I'm proud." That was pretty good to get us started, to help us shake off the heavy burden of inferiority complex that white culture had anointed us with. But now in the 21st century, the watch words should be "I'm black and I'm smart." Black pride must include 'black wise'. Then we and our children must dig into the books, speak and write real English, sharpen our manners and communication skills, and hit the skies. Barack's brilliance tells us that quality education should be recognized and embraced by African Americans as the New Civil Rights Issue for 21st century, for the underprivileged and under-served, especially for blacks.
Obama has become the new symbol of fatherhood for black men in America and in other parts of the world. May the days be numbered when black men behave like "sperminators", leaving their offspring for deserted single mothers to feed, clothe, shelter, and educate. Barack tells black men that we must do more than sire children. And let's stop calling each other "dog", since that only serves to ingrain the sperminator image. Instead, we must become responsible fathers to our children. Anything less is a shame to our collective image, and ranks far below the Obama standard.
Barack Obama has raised the bar, redrawn the line for excellence. Will blacks take due notice and follow in his tracks, or will we settle only for the historic significance of Obama's rise to power? Along with Obama, can we raise the status of blacks once and for all, and change the image of blacks forever, so that Obama's rise does not become the rare exception for blacks in the human experience? Can we add to black achievements in sports and entertainment the accolades of a black intelligentsia, of the African American thinker, as a common label on the American scene and on the world stage?
"Yes, we can!"
I hear you, my brother, my sister. And thanks to our white friends who helped construct this platform fitted with the spotlight that calls us and challenges us to shine like never before.
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Top-level comments on this article: (6 total)Well put, mogama. I was impressed with Obama's intelligence and integrity before the election. Now I'm hearing stories like his secret reprimand of his own party's Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, his changing the lobbying rules for presidential transitions so that lobbyists can't buy influence, and his statements this past weekend about how he will not balance an extreme by going to the opposite extreme and instead show balance by governing from the center.This all makes me feel that my earlier beliefs were accurate. He is indeed a man of great intelligence and integrity.Please log in to respond to this comment.Bruce, if Obama maintains that rare merger of "intelligence and integrity", he will make many proud. And politics may well become a respectable vocation all over again. It is believed that President Clinton had intelligence, while the current President Bush has integrity. President Reagan was probably the last person in the high office to exhibit both intelligence and integrity. It benefit the country not to choose between intelligence and integrity. Thanks for your comment. ~mogama~Please log in to respond to this comment.
Overall, I agree with the jist of this article, but I have to say that I am against breaking down the statistics based on race. It's my opinion that this can only be rightly considered in terms of how many Democrats voted Democratic, and how many Republicans voted Republican. Anything else is called stereotyping. It's like saying that only whites vote according to a firm set of values, which is obviously not true.I can hardly stomach these conversations anymore. I only hope for Obama's swift and safe ascendency into office. Now let's get on with it and look toward the future.Please log in to respond to this comment.Jennifer, with black families broken and the majority of blacks strapped in poverty, the election of Obama has special meanings for black individuals and families. I'm only pointing out in this article how Obama's ascendancy can raise the educational, economic, and familial status of African Americans, which will be a good thing for America. Obama is going to be a big help in how we see ourselves in more positive ways and how we'll strive harder for better things. It will be a net plus for more young black boys to want to be "like Barack" than "like Mike", and for more sisters to emulate Michelle Obama. I hope that doesn't bother our fellow Americans and is not seen as emphasizing race in any negative way. Thanks for your comment. ~mogama~Please log in to respond to this comment.I agree with that, yes. As I said, I agree with the jist of the article. What scares me - according to some other comments I've seen - is when people use these statistics and leave whites out of it, or when they assume that there are ulterior motives that are not based on higher values in minorities.I also would have voted for, and would for vote in the future if he'd even run, is Bill Cosby, and for much of the same reasons that you discuss here, i.e. him being a positive role model who also upholds a great deal of positive family values.And hey, he's great a great sense of gentle humor as well! :)Carry on..Please log in to respond to this comment.
Mogama, President-Elect Obama had made a tremendous impact on my nephew before he was elected. My nephew had made the decision to file for divorce and work out visitation of his two daughters. He heard Obama speak about eight months ago and it impacted him so profoundly that he is giving his marriage a chance. His father didn't raise him, just my sister. He visited me from FL and declared it was over!
My nephew is jumping higher because of Obama. We prayed for his marriage and the answer came through this man. We had asked him how he felt about his daughters, just 12 months apart (2 & 3) calling another man "dad" and he was willing to accept it. Obama's speech that night referred to his daughters and his wife. . . family. It seems something changed in his wife too and they are working through the challenges.
I get what you're saying. I believe many will try to make that jump. Black men can jump, remember? *girlish grin*
Great article! I enjoy reading you.Please log in to respond to this comment.Thanks so much for sharing this real life story about how your nephew stepped up to save his marriage and family. ~mogama~Please log in to respond to this comment.
Great article, mogama. For me it was much simpler than black and white. I voted for the man who I thought was best for the job--Obama. I wouldn't have cared if he was green as long as I could put my faith in him to help our country out of the mess it is in. Hopefully, he has raised the bar for all Americans.Have a great new day!SandraPlease log in to respond to this comment.Yes, Sandra, I understand that Obama himself never made his color an issue in his campaign. I'm just saying that his election has a special meaning for blacks in how they see themselves, especially in terms of personal behavior, education, and family. Thanks for your comment. ~mogama~Please log in to respond to this comment.
Being a white guy living in Canada, I have never studied Black American History (other than about the Underground Railroad), but I know there have been many famous, powerful, talented and wealthy African-Americans throughout history, but none have ever risen to the heights to which Obama has risen.You have written a very positive article, which should challenge many to look at life differently and set higher goals for themselves.Please log in to respond to this comment.Well stated, David. Couldn't have said it better myself. Thanks for your comment. ~mogama~Please log in to respond to this comment.
Very well written article. However, I would have to respectfully disagree with your assumption that Barack Obama has raised the bar and now other black Americans must "jump" higher to meet the expectations others have in us as evidenced by what he's accomplished.Obama didn't raise the bar; Obama crushed a sentiment as old as our republic. The notion that a black man could never be the leader of the free world. Many of the reasons people once felt this way are what Obama's victory shattered. We weren't as smart, not as articulate, not as intellectual, incapable of being true leaders.Obama didn't have a positive black male role model in his life to "pattern" himself after - yet, he persevered. He didn't require a surrogate "phenom" to help him realize his worth and ability to make a difference in this world - yet, he challenged himself and won.If people take anything from his decisive victory, it should be that you can achieve anything you want in life in spite of your circumstances; in spite of not having a father in the home; in spite of the subjugation perpetuated by racism and years of feeling inferior because you weren't the "right" color.Your desire to achieve success is something that must be an integral part of your character. Unfortunately, that's not something that can be willed to you like your grandmother's fine china. It's a conscious decision at some point that must be made by the individual. We should not be dependent on anyone or anything to help us realize our worth.The bucks stops with you.Please log in to respond to this comment.I get your point, Roschelle. You're coming to the same conclusion from a different premise, another angle. Yes, it's up to each of us to choose what we become. That's the ideal, but I live in a world where I see so many young blacks doing all they can to lose, having such low views of themselves. I see them in the jail where I go to teach a life transformation class every week. Self-reliance alone won't cut it for the brothers and sisters I know and meet weekly. They need some inspiration and motivation wrapped in flesh and blood, and I need the same. Obama provides that. It's one thing to believe a notion. Quite another to flesh it out for the world to see. That's all I'm saying in this article. Thanks for adding to the discussion.Please log in to respond to this comment.
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