...We Ain't Are Ready To Have A Black President.

As I type this, Barack Obama has been the projected president-elect of the United States of America for under an hour. I still can't believe it. This is an event that I've been dreaming of for the past year but was always skeptical of whether or not I'd ever see the day. I was skeptical of whether we could get past the race issue and accept him as a viable candidate. I was skeptical of whether the young voters who were so enthusiastic about him would actually show their enthusiasm by getting out and standing in the voting booth. We did, and we did so emphatically. People of all ages and all backgrounds. At this point I'm still trying to absorb the enormity of it all.

One major observation, though.

Watching McCain's (excellent) succession speech, I couldn't help but notice the overwhelming racial discrepancy. The disappointed looks on hundreds, perhaps thousands, of white faces, starkly contrasted against the fully diverse crowd gathered at Grant Park as I sit here in front of this keyboard. And I can't help but think, now that is America. America is not represented in the predominantly white small towns that Sarah Palin praises, calling "the real America". America is not represented in the near mythical image of a bald, white plumber from Ohio. Yes, they are a part of America, but so are the many blacks and Asians and Hispanics and other minority groups that will be the collective majority in 2042.

In 2042, America will finally represent what the world as a whole is already like. Looking at it that way, it's stunning that it has taken us this long to select a leader of the free world that is brown, though I'm glad that we've finally done so. I've been taught since grade school that this country is a melting pot of different backgrounds and ethnicities. That we are a diverse nation. I see that idea represented in Chicago. I did not see that in Arizona.

But enough cynicism for now. I'll save the more in depth analyzation about race and about the challenges we still face for a later date when I'm better rested. For now, I'll just enjoy this moment.

And enjoy some Nas.



"Black President"