I guess it's time for our election coverage to begin, but before we move forward, let's take a look back to Obama's 2004 Democratic convention speech that galvanized a nation:
This may seem like a 180 degree turn considering my post about the case against Barak posted a few months back. It boils down to the fundamental question of how we're supposed to enact social change: do we choose 'revolutionary' politics that say to hell with the status quo? Or do we try to play within the frameworks we're given?
Perhaps I judged Obama too quickly, but in a very real sense, he represents a multicultural platform that some Blacks are hard pressed to accept. I'll include myself among them. Multiculturalism, at least in theory , carries with it a certain degree of priviledge, access to American wealth, happinesss and prosperity that's been largely elusive for most Blacks in this country. To say that we can all stand together and hold hands is downright offensive to Black folks who are steady getting kicked out of their homes and legally lynched. I'm all for this utopian dream of equality, but we've first got to address that nitty gritty poverty of the spirit that racism breeds in all of our communities.
So, like many things, I'm ambivalent about our man Obama. He ain't perfect, but hell, he's the best we got at this point. We're a nation starving for political change, and he's as close to sustenance as we're going to get.
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