Disagreements Aside, Obama’s Victory is a Historic Move Forward
Published: November 15, 2008
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Well, the presidential election is over, and while the candidate I voted for did not win, I have found myself deeply moved by what has transpired in the past number of days. The sheer magnitude of the moment from both a historical and cultural perspective should not be lost on anyone in this country, or anyone in the world for that matter.
That point was driven home to me by a small headline that appeared on websites and in papers on the morning of the election. The headline in the Los Angeles Times put it simply: “At 114, a daughter of former slaves votes for Obama.”
I got tears in my eyes just reading the headline and thinking about the things she’s seen and the dreams she’s now seen realized.
That “daughter of former slaves” is Georgia-born Gertrude Baines. She was born less than thirty years after the conclusion of the Civil War, during the presidential administration of Grover Cleveland – at a time when African Americans were often kept from voting and subjected to unspeakable abuses.
Her life has overlapped those of many of America’s (and history’s) great black leaders, like Frederick Douglass (he died about six weeks prior to Baines’ first birthday), W.E.B. Dubois, Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver and Martin Luther King, Jr.
She has lived through some important milestones in the fight for civil rights and equal opportunity. She was 53 when Jackie Robinson jogged onto the diamond at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, 60 when the Brown v. Board of Education ruling was handed down, and 61 when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus.
She has also been witness to some of the most shameful moments in our nation’s history. She was 61 when 14-year-old Emmett Till was brutally murdered in Money, Mississippi, 69 when four black children lost their lives in a Birmingham church bombing, and just two days shy of her 74th birthday when Dr. King was assassinated. (Please take note: those are just the high profile abuses she witnessed as a senior citizen.)
Admittedly, I’m just a white guy from Orange County, California, now living happily in Atlanta. My ability to understand the significance of this moment is somewhat limited, therefore, by who I am and where and how I was raised. But I am human. And I am able to recognize suffering, heartache and inhumanity when I see it. So I am also able to recognize both the source and manifestation of profound joy felt by millions of African Americans – and people of African descent worldwide – in seeing Barack Obama elected to the White House.
It’s a joy that all Americans should share, regardless of race or political affiliation. For the election of Barack Obama highlights the continued positive trajectory (and realization) of foundational American ideals – ideals laid out (but not always carried out) by our visionary and courageous founders.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…”
Clearly, we haven’t always lived up to those lofty words. But those are the words to which Americans of all races, creeds and religions have appealed when contending for their rights and, at the most basic level, their very humanity.
There are those who will always speak of our nation’s faults and failures. They will point to our past sins and current weaknesses, dismiss this election as an aberration and somehow misconstrue votes cast for someone other than Obama as evidence of pernicious attitudes toward people different from themselves. Those who suggest such things are cynical ideologues and should be ignored.
European elites (as well as some American’s who overestimate their own refinement) love to pound on America for a supposed lack of sophistication. The accusation is bogus. America is the most sophisticated and inspiring democracy in the world. How many other countries have elected ethnic minorities to lead them? Generally speaking, elsewhere in the world, such transitions don’t happen without military coups and civil wars.
Think about Gertrude Baines again. Can you imagine her parents ever having said to her, “One day you will cast your vote for a black man who will win the presidency”? I suspect they never could have imagined it. And yet, on November 4th, Barack Obama became America’s president-elect. And it was not by court order, legislative edict or military force, but by popular vote. The majority of American voters – black, white, Asian, Hispanic, etc. – chose him to be their leader.
The fact is, America is exceptional.
It’s worth pointing out that this is a trajectory we have been on for decades as evidenced by the fact that people of various ethnic backgrounds have been elected or appointed to become governors, lawmakers, cabinet secretaries, judges and so on.
As I said at the outset, I did not vote for president-elect Obama. The reasons I did not vote for him are many. I differ with him deeply on fundamental policy issues of great importance to America and her future – from trade, taxes and energy to healthcare, abortion and marriage.
I fear his trade and tax policies would likely stifle both economic growth and job creation. I’m concerned about his desire for government to take on even more responsibilities that historically have been (and rightfully should be) handled by families, communities and businesses.
But even though I’m concerned about many policy issues, I view Obama’s election – at a very human level and cultural level – as one of the great days in American history. It’s true that racism remains a problem in many pockets in America and that we must remain vigilant in our fight against it, but the ultimate racial barrier has been broken. An African American has been elected to the most powerful position in the world. I thank God and have begun my petitions to Him on behalf of our president-elect.
Georgia Family Council is a non-profit organization that works to strengthen and defend the family in Georgia by equipping marriage advocates, shaping laws, preparing the next generation and influencing culture. For more information, go to www.georgiafamily.org, (770) 242-0001, stephen@gafam.org
Copyright © 2008 Speak Life & Randy Hicks, President of Georgia Family Council. All rights reserved.
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