Black President and White America...

“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom.”
–Martin Luther King Jr.

The United States is on the cusp of something historic; the United States is on the brink of electing the first African-American president. More than that, America could possibly elect the first president that is not a white man. This possibility raises many questions. How is this going to affect the racial landscape of America? How will this effect how we discuss race issues in America? How will this effect race in America, and racism in America?

There is another question. If Senator Barack Obama is elected President of the United States, it is going to have a profound impact on race in America. How will a black president affect white America?

The first and most profound affect that will happen is that much of white America will have the following collective thought: We have reached the top of the mountain. However, in reality we have just reached base camp, and we may now be equipped to climb together.

After an election of Senator Obama much of white America that cast their vote for the black candidate will pat their selves on the back, and for a moment at least be relieved of white guilt. Then in the years to come the classic white phrase of “I have lots of black friends” will evolve into “I voted for Barack Obama.”

The ideas that Jack White wrote about in his article for TheRoot.com have a parallel in white America. If the most powerful man in the free world is black, much of white America will wonder what black people have to complain about. (Listen to an interview with Jack White on NPR)

Poet Dahlak expressed the thought, “they will point to you as the example of black ability and potential…’I’m a black man in America’ has lost its significance. Overnight. By popular vote.” (From the poem "I Know Some of These Negroes is Hoping Obama Don't Get Elected" performed at Northwestern University, Chicago on April 18, 2008)

The demigods and blowhards will point to Senator Obama and yell about affirmative action and “reverse discrimination.” They will use phrases like “colorblind society” and many white Americans will buy into the rhetoric.

A black man holding the highest office in the land does not change the fact that there is still racism and prejudice in our society. If a black man gives the inaugural address the struggles of the black community do not subside. If a black man addresses the congress during the State of the Union it does not change the fact that there are still inequalities in our society.

The problem is that racism and prejudice is a problem that will be prominent in American society for generations to come. You cannot erase two hundred years of racial divide during one election. It takes continued communication and understanding for generations to come to bridge the racial divide and to make it to the top of the mountain.

Just because one goal has been achieved does not mean that the overall battle is over. Civil rights is an ongoing battle. Did women stop the struggle for equality after the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified? Did African-Americans stop in their struggle against segregation after the Brown v. Board of Education United States Supreme Court decision? Just because one battle has been won does not mean that the struggle does not continue.

A side effect of this is that the other ground breaking candidate and the issues that surrounded her will now be lost, for the moment. Senator Hillary Clinton ran a historic and important campaign, but over the course of the last month the issue of gender and sexism in America has faded into the background. It is as though we have put it away to discuss another time.

While we speak of race we must not forget to speak of other inequalities. The rights of women must be addressed. The rights of the disabled and senior citizens must be talked about. We must have discussions about the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. We must not lose ourselves in race, because there are too many that are forgotten already.

This is a complicated time in American history, and I am worried how it will affect Americans of my generation (Generation X and Y). I think it is important that we do not compare this moment in history to our parents’ moment in history. The current war is not the war our parents fought, and our current social struggles are not our parents’ social struggles. But in order for us to move forward we must learn from our past, and hold dear our parents’ struggles.

I am hopeful for America. Barack Obama does inspire hope. There is a hope for better days, and a better America. But, there is also a fear that I am feeling. There is a fear that we will use this as an excuse to say that the race discussion in America is over, and the discussion on gender in America is not that important. While black America may slip and slide on the new paradigm, I am afraid that white America may ignore it altogether.

We are in the middle of great cross roads. I just hope that America chooses the right direction.