In the service of the presidencyI've been pondering a variety of impressions and vibes being thrown off by this historic transition that is occurring.
I marveled and laughed out loud as I watched a clip of President-Elect Obama's visit to the White House to speak with President Bush and saw the unmistakable swagger of a black man as Barack Obama walked down the hallway with the President. Brothers and sisters all over the country noted it too, from my mother in Ohio to the brothers at the barbershop down the street.
I thought about the inspiration that Obama is giving to black men in America. I believe its out there, a palpable, tangible upward effect on the psyche of brothers, the presence of a black president. I know that I'm aware of it. Its not a sudden thing, but a slowly growing feeling. Forget "I wanna be like Mike". I wanna be like Obama. I'm catching thoughts running through my head like quicksilver..."Obama did it. Now you gotta do your thang".
I wonder if something akin to it but in a weird reverse way, might be happening in the minds of white people. Is Obama's triumph causing some whites to gradually begin to perceive black men in general in a different, more positive fashion? Will bosses and managers who didn't perceive potential in the brother that worked for them take a second look with a new eye? Might their not occur a major shift for the better in perceptions of black men, fueled by the success of Obama, that lifts all boats as it were. Will his success become the standard for what society assumes black men are capable of? I wonder.
I've thought a time or two that I'm glad to have a president who has some "cool" factor. I'm glad to have a president (at least for now) who's election was greeted with joy and thanksgiving and good will around the planet. I'm glad to have a president that makes the world think that America is still on the path of perfection in the pursuit of its ideals.
Lastly, I wondered about life in the White House for the next four years.
As the Obama's prepare for their installation as the First Family of the United States, I wondered about the feelings of the White House residence staff. Many of them are African American, some who's family's have had a long association in the service of the presidency. After so many years, to serve an African American First Family in the White House must seem a thing to marvel at. With what feeling of pride and earnest, sober bonhomie will they greet their arrival?
Perhaps a better solution than improving the perception of the mythical EveryBlackMan might be for people to judge others based on the content of their character rather than the color of their skin.
ReplyDeleteOf course, the danger in that is that everyone would realize that Obama is Bush 2.0.
And as far as the White House Staff, I'm sure that Michelle Obama will be a peach, and Cindy McCain would have been about the same. Of course, they dealt with Nancy and Hillary, so they can cope. Being able to look back on the brief oasis of Laura might help.
As solutions go, I'm not sure there is such a thing when it comes to race relations. Human beings are flawed and while judging people on content of character is the ideal, in practice, it may be what we strive for, but we all fall short in one way or another of that ideal, whether that means race, appearance, gender, blah, blah, etc.
ReplyDeleteBush 2.0? Truly remains to be seen. Its hard to imagine that he would do us much worse (war, economic meltdown, gridlock, this is what he's been handed). I tend to think that used wisely, he has the opportunity to go nowhere but up, because we are starting at so low a point. Any sensible set of policies ought to be an improvement and under such circumstances, he ought to be able to rack up some success.
I'd love to talk to some of those White House staff.
Hey guys.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah I definitely caught that "Denzel stride" the President-elect was struttin' when he was at the White House. My wife and I were cracking up out loud about that one. I don't think we'll be hearing anyone saying "he's not black enough" again anytime soon. Not after that strut.
And you're right, there is definitely a changed feeling in the air that a lot of brothers are breathing these days. The world seems suddenly larger - and so do we.
Enjoyed the post.
This trip is turning into a series of museum visits and today was no exception. Stepping out onto the hotel terrace after breakfast I could already tell that it was going to be another blazing hot day. Mary and I had spent the past few days breathing in the stifling air of Luxor and now I was desperate to get out of town.
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