Barackin' Your World

Forty-five years later, it's Obama
By Kelvin Wade | | August 28, 2008 22:17

Forty five years ago today in Washington, D.C., on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. resoundingly delivered the 'I Have A Dream' speech. Tonight, in Denver, at Invesco Field, Sen. Barack Hussein Obama will accept the Democratic nomination for the presidency of the United States.

The significance of this event cannot be overstated.

King's speech began with the Emancipation Proclamation and went on to talk about the Constitution and Declaration of Independence being promissory notes to every American guaranteeing the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

But King said, 'Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked 'insufficient funds.' '

The idea of a black man earning a presidential nomination is probably something even King wouldn't have foreseen. It represents a concrete level of progress that the entire world has sat up and taken notice of.

It's had a positive effect on black consciousness. It came as a surprise earlier this year when even black conservative Republicans like Armstrong Williams and former Rep. J.C. Watts said they may vote for Obama. Colin Powell, another black Republican, is still undecided at this point. Williams says he's caught up in the historical nature of the campaign while Watts is frustrated with the GOP's failed outreach to blacks.

To measure this political achievement, we can contrast it with other political positions African-Americans have earned. There is currently only one black senator in the Senate and he's running for president. There have only been five black senators in the history of the country. While there are 41 black members of Congress, there's only been 97 total since Reconstruction. There have only been four black governors in the history of the United States.

No matter one's political affiliation or philosophy, no matter if you plan on voting for another candidate or not at all come November, every American's breast should swell with pride when a black man accepts the nomination of a major political party tonight. For it's not just an achievement for black Americans, it's an achievement for America.

Of course no one has to vote for Barack Obama to prove his or her belief in equality. In fact, voting for another candidate who you agree with on the issues and treating Obama like any other candidate is in and of itself a sign of equality. Hopefully, this is evidence that we're moving toward a post-racial America. Maybe, in the words of King we can 'transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.'

Barack Obama may or may not make it to the White House next January. When I was a child I never believed that a black man could. But for the first time, despite what voters have told pollsters for years, I think we all really believe that it could happen. Tonight, in Denver, on the 45th anniversary of one of the greatest speeches in American history, the check clears. Peace.

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Check out the Wading In blog for my take on a proposal to lower the drinking age.

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