Is anyone else a little sad today?
Yesterday should have been one of the most beautiful days in American history. It certainly registered that way overseas.
I feel so sad that the African Americans aren't outside dancing in the streets with all the white Americans who have cared so passionately about civil rights. I feel sad that Barack Obama, in his wish not to portray himself as a racial candidate didn't feel able, after he paid homage to his (white) grandmother, to make at least one reference to Martin Luther King, John Lewis, Rosa Banks, all those who died in the race riots; didn't feel able to say just one something to acknowledge this happy, happy day for all his African-American supporters.
I loved reading this - it had me in tears with them.
In case anyone here missed it:
Black lawmakers reflect on Obama's success
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0608/10858.html
I feel so sad that the African Americans aren't outside dancing in the streets with all the white Americans who have cared so passionately about civil rights. I feel sad that Barack Obama, in his wish not to portray himself as a racial candidate didn't feel able, after he paid homage to his (white) grandmother, to make at least one reference to Martin Luther King, John Lewis, Rosa Banks, all those who died in the race riots; didn't feel able to say just one something to acknowledge this happy, happy day for all his African-American supporters.
I loved reading this - it had me in tears with them.
In case anyone here missed it:
Black lawmakers reflect on Obama's success
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0608/10858.html
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I missed it. Thank you for making me cry.
I know a man, a white Jewish man, who went to the South in the early 1960's expressly to live with and form a coalition with an African-American community that had had its church ruined. He, along with his college friends, rebuilt the church...and had their lives changed.
I'm going to show him the article you link to.
Thank you, again, for bringing this up to us, to me, who missed it.
June 4, 2008 10:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
You're very welcome, Lis
Coming back to this thread had me reading it and feeling emotional yet again. :-)
It is so damned sad, isn't it? It had me thinking about a post that someone had here a few weeks ago pondering on the nature of white supremacy.
Yesterday was such testimony to its reality wasn't it?
June 4, 2008 11:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Its been pointed out that the Dem convention will be ON the 45th Anniversary of MLK's I Have A Dream speech.
I think you can be quite sure that there will be loud praise for the civil rights movement and recognition of the african american figures who made his run possible.
June 4, 2008 11:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't know about that. This article concludes:
"Despite Obama’s singular position in American political history, his backers said his race would not be a focus in his campaign. He will stick to economic matters, foreign policy and other topics with broad appeal. Obama rarely describes himself as an African-American candidate. He will not start now, backers said.
“It should be downplayed in the campaign. ... We’ll have to leave that to the historians to consider, because we have an election to win,” said Jackson. “I hope the least historical thing about Barack Obama is his being black and the most historical is that he solved our health care problems, ended the war in Iraq and made life better for Americans.”
It will take a very very deft writing if he is to use it at the Convention. Maybe he will reference it in a speech about how far America's come, and maybe also to talk about how many whites feel as he did in the Philadelphia race speech. Maybe he'll also stress MLK's views on economic inequality without an emphasis on racial aspects of that.
We'll see won't we?
June 4, 2008 11:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Save the dancing for the Inaugural Ball.
June 4, 2008 11:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
I hope to be there, dancing outside the White House in very cold weather, with a big-ass smile on my face.
June 4, 2008 11:54 PM | Reply | Permalink