Obama
He did it. I could use all kinds of phrases like 'History has been made'.
I wanted Barack Obama to win. I have seen just how inspired the youth are by this man and what he has come to represent. I want these young people to stay engaged in politics and I feared a McCain victory would just foster apathy.
I will fully admit that this is all quite moving. Even a sometimes-jaded anarchist like myself sees hope in the election of this man. I did not believe USAmerica would elect a Black man. We did (but don't let them try to sell us that racism is gone). A man whose father was from Kenya. A man whose name is far from a Eurocentric John Williams or whatever.
I am also moved by the inspiration I see in my neighborhood and the neighborhoods surrounding it. I know it is business as usual in Washington DC, but Obama's election means something very real to the Black people of Oakland and the rest of America.
I just drove from Downtown Berkeley to North Oakland. It seemed like every car on the road was honking in celebration (even the buses)! The streets are also filled with people shouting and celebrating. It is quite a wonder to see community groups spontaneously in the streets.
We must use this momentum. Use this momentum to push forward. To push Obama to ensure that progressive changes are made and/or that an alternative is visible and viable when those changes don't come.
I wanted Barack Obama to win. I have seen just how inspired the youth are by this man and what he has come to represent. I want these young people to stay engaged in politics and I feared a McCain victory would just foster apathy.
I will fully admit that this is all quite moving. Even a sometimes-jaded anarchist like myself sees hope in the election of this man. I did not believe USAmerica would elect a Black man. We did (but don't let them try to sell us that racism is gone). A man whose father was from Kenya. A man whose name is far from a Eurocentric John Williams or whatever.
I am also moved by the inspiration I see in my neighborhood and the neighborhoods surrounding it. I know it is business as usual in Washington DC, but Obama's election means something very real to the Black people of Oakland and the rest of America.
I just drove from Downtown Berkeley to North Oakland. It seemed like every car on the road was honking in celebration (even the buses)! The streets are also filled with people shouting and celebrating. It is quite a wonder to see community groups spontaneously in the streets.
We must use this momentum. Use this momentum to push forward. To push Obama to ensure that progressive changes are made and/or that an alternative is visible and viable when those changes don't come.
posted by shane at 11:08 PM
3 Comments:
i live in east oakland now and it was truly beautiful sight to see people in the streets celebrating.
Hey,
Nice to hear from you and nice to hear you are in Oakland!
"This is a moment when a Black man has risen to the presidency of this bloody land, and it is worth thinking through what that means — and it is worth appreciating for a second why so many people are filled with such excitement that it is even possible.
Mega-events like this teach people about politics — and sometimes the lessons are not accurate: for the moment a whole generation has awoken to politics, and their view of change is entwined with unjustified respect for the electoral system and the Democratic party… And at the same time, Black people have seen millions of whites willing to support a Black man, and reject a low and meanspirited campaign of racist fears and codewords. There is a fresh optimism about the possibilities of multi-racial politics and alliances and common goals that forms a backdrop for new radical projects.
I think this moment ends the arc of the 1960s. Reagan and the Republicans tried to bury the sensibilities sof the 1960s, but now those frameworks have been passed in another way — and the struggle for radical change unfolds in a new context, among a new generation, where many of the landmarks and assumptions of the past have lost their power and relevance."
http://mikeely.wordpress.com/2008/11/05/obamas-victory-taking-a-moment-to-observe/
Post a Comment
<< Home