Tuesday Morning

"Woke up this morning, with a smile on my face"
(The Way - Jill Scott: Who Jill Scott? Words and Sounds, Vol. 1)

Last Tuesday morning, I did exactly that. I grinned a toothy smile from ear to ear in hungry anticipation for what I considered the most astounding event of my lifetime and in the history of America:

The inauguration of Barack Obama, the first African-American President of the United States.

I can recall as a youngster my grandfather's die-hard civil rights fanaticism and the mark it imparted on my life. I was instructed to always be proud of my ethnicity and understand our history no matter how embarrassing or difficult it felt when infrequently taught in school. An attendee of the March on Washington, my grandfather felt our race was the most prominent aspect of our appearance and strived to instill an extraordinary sense of decency and decorum. Consequently, I harbor an extremely profound sense of pride for my people (even when they annoy me) and carry myself as honorably as possible.

So it comes with no surprise that I believe my vote for Barack Obama, like the vote of most African-Americans, carried with it the spirit of my grandfather's vote as well as the weight of my ancestors extending back to Africa. Furthermore, many African-American individuals stated that they voted based not upon race but on the issues facing contemporary America.

I concur.

Nevertheless, the emotional factor that determined my vote runs exceedingly deep. It is something that many of my white friends and colleagues cannot possibly comprehend. Consequently, watching the fulfillment of that vote, that dream of an African American president, simply took my breath away.

I sat in the kitchen with my parents, Java-Mama and Pops and while we joked and commented throughout many of the pre-inaugural happenings (i.e. outrageous outfits, who was thinking what, the event running on CP time, etc.), silence rapidly descended during the oath of office and throughout Obama's inaugural address. I glanced over to catch my mother tenderly dabbing at the corners of her eyes and Pops looking on in quiet satisfaction, his mind flashing back to days when this event would have been nothing more than a pipe dream.

They came of age during the Civil Rights era, watching evening news reports displaying pictures of beaten protestors, sprayed with hoses and attacked by dogs. They experienced the void in our community with the deaths of the great Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy. And my father, who was raised in the substantially racially charged state of Mississippi during the 1940's, felt the sting of injustice and discrimination at segregated schools and restaurants.

Yes, I've had it good but only because of their generation and the many before them, who fought to bestow this upon me. I've been fortunate enough to attend top schools, experience diversity among my social circle and never remain confined to the back of a public bus.

This inauguration meant so much to young and old alike in our community. And as I watched Barack and Michelle walk the streets of D.C., I felt an enormous swelling of dignity and wished my grandparents had lived to witness this day.

Reality has set in. The time for celebration has passed and Obama is hard at work. Will his presidency mimic his predecessor or will he outshine the administrations of some of our most esteemed presidents? History will be the arbitrator of that question. Does his achievement signal the end of racism and discrimination for blacks and other minorities in America? Perhaps. The fight for equality is not over by a long shot. There will still be a hate crime somewhere, sometime before the fulfillment of his first week. However, we must stay true to Obama's message: "...But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America."

That night, as I sat at my desk at work, extremely focused and on cloud nine, I listened to the song "Changes" from the late Tupac Shakur on the radio. And as the line, "we ain't ready to see a black president" was uttered, I simply smirked to myself in deep amazement.

Dedicated to my grandfather ...

"Hey Grandpa, we did it!"

At Last ...

The first dance at the Neighborhood Presidential Inaugural Ball ...

I Do ...

The Presidential Oath of Office and Inaugural Address

To My People ...

... WE DID IT!!!!!!!

If You Don't Have Anything Good To Say ...

... just don't say anything at all! That's a phrase I'm sure all of us have heard from our wise old grandmothers at some time or another. And that's exactly what Jesse needs to do. I used to have respect for this man and I'm not belittling his accomplishments, but after the illegitimate scandal broke, I started wondering. Now after this incident, I can't say I'm too surprised. I've got religious issues to begin with (I'm always questioning stuff; that's why I don't get along well in church) so seeing this supposed man of the cloth saying such a vile and ignorant remark didn't rehabilitate me.

I spoke to my mother about it last night and she came of age during the sixties (JFK, MLK, LSD and all the other initials associated with that decade). She initially never had much respect for Jackson. Now we both agreed he has been an asset to the community and his legacy will be great if not controversial. Aren't all great leaders? Nevertheless, his recent comment just depicted him as an absolute fear-mongering, divisive, unintelligent fool. And to make matters worse, it reinitiates the age old debate about dirty laundry.

I mentioned dirty laundry in a previous post (click here) regarding my Independence Day weekend. The African-American community, as well as other minority communities, are apt to put our business out in the spotlight. When one has to struggle for equality and civility, highlighting the negative aspects of your culture doesn't help your cause. Who are these people to stand up and speak for us? What gives Cosby and Jackson and so many others the right to speak for us and put us in our place? My answer to that would be intelligence plus character. The truth always come out in the end and somebody needs to have the guts to stand up and take charge, present the change and challenge the status quo.

Consequently, the inevitable emerged. This morning on "Today," they mentioned this scandal and then posed the age old question: are there more individuals who feel this way in the black community? Duh!?! No culture or race is perfectly united. You have to be a complete moron to even ponder that question. So you don't like Obama or have an issue with his political philosophy. That's fine. Take it up with him, counter his cause (become a Republican like Condi and Keyes), or else just shut the hell up. Yeah, I'm a bit biased. Oh, and I'm sure this has absolutely nothing to do with the fact Jackson never got this far in his campaign :: roll my eyes :: Put in the vernacular, "don't hate!"

And the gravy on top? His son denouncing his remarks. I think I hear a vacuum cleaner someplace sucking up stuff ...

Banana-rama

What in the hell?!?! The toy manufacturing company claims that it was just simply a toy but I'm sorry, when you make a doll in the form of a monkey for a black candidate, of course it's going to set some people off. I don't usually get into the whole black/white thing. I've got friends from all ethnic backgrounds and I'm hardly in a position to be racist or discriminate since I'm gay and black. But seriously? Are these people that naive to claim that "they didn't know?" Give me a break!

You can read the full story here.

Respect For Russert

I'm not a overly politically minded person and tend to get on the bandwagon when it suits me. When I learned that Tim Russert of NBC had passed away suddenly late last week, I was stunned like everyone else. I'm a big fan of the Today Show on NBC and watch it every morning while I eat breakfast and get ready for work. It was through the Today Show that I was introduced to Tim Russert. Subsequently, I only recently become a "fan" of his throughout this past primary season. I can't stand "talking heads," the political analysts who all feel they have something important to say. Each one gets on their soap box, trying to out do the other and while some cloak their biases, other "heads" reveal their support for certain candidates. Granted it is only their opinion, but I prefer a neutral tone. Tim Russert fit what I liked and much more. He was fair and balanced. He was the only analyst I would listen to. The way he explained politics, his attitude, his love for the job really impressed me. After a segment on Obama or Clinton aired, they would turn to the analysts and if Tim wasn't among them, I immediately tuned out. While I never watched Meet The Press or caught his show on MSNBC, I had great respect for him and it saddened me to hear of his passing. It definitely won't be the same.

On a side note, I don't know what's wrong with me (hormones maybe?!) but I actually got misty-eyed this morning when they showed this picture.

Luke Russert came to the Meet The Press studio and placed his hand on the chair his father usually sat in and for some reason, I was close to breaking down. I've only cried a few times in life in reaction to something on TV. (1) the last scenes of Philadelphia and (2) The Laramie Project on HBO. That's it. Not much brings me to tears. Even watching the horror of 9/11 didn't bring me to tears. Maybe having a boyfriend is really causing the ice walls of my heart to melt!