YES WE CAN

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Months back i wrote a blog posting entitled "How Barack Obama's Presidency Will Transform The United States Of America". ((Link below))
http://toneare.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-barak-obamas-presidency-will.html
To sum it up, i basically spoke about how an Obama Presidency would result in a 4 if not 8 year dialogue on race in this country. I did not go out on the limb to state whether it would be for better or worse; that remains to be seen. In terms of dialogue though i've already got a couple of anecdotes relating the issue; some instances which have triggered wonder/assumption for myself or those around me concerning the issue.

--On November 4th my co-worker and i were on our way home from a special election day event with our youth. She always stops into this Indian Food restaurant, and it has been apparent in the past that the woman at the counter carries some kind of chip for my homegirl; rushes her, responds to simple questions rather aggressively, avoids eye contact... you know.. some of the things that would have you ask: is your friend black? (yes she is black). Anywayzzz. So we walk into this place, on election day, and the woman behind the counter was EXTRA nice. I mean like, big smile, what else can i help you with, folding the paper bag over then stretching her humble neck over the glass counter as she handed her change back. (I almost feel like sensationalizing a bit and saying she put her hands together prayer style.. but that didn't happen. Looked like that was where she was going though). So in MY MIND, recognizing this, i thought "Wow, this is strange. They must be finally realizing my friend brings them consistant business. They are coming around." What brewed on my friends mind was different. As we moved on a hot step fwrd she expressed a different read on the situation: "You seen that right? All of a sudden the country is going to have a Black President and she wanna treat black people all nice now." lol. I did laugh because though i hadn't thought that, it kind of made sense. Now remember, this is not a white woman behind the counter; she was Indian. Still, there was a total 180 in her attitude within like 5 days!

--This morning my sister friend and i were traveling to our site in Brooklyn. When we got there (BCAM High School), we approached the security guard with ID's out. The security guard (a Black Woman), told that same friend of mine to go on in, acknowledging "You don't have to sign in, you're here for the workshops". But she takes my card. haha. So my friend responds in my favor: "So does he." I didn't take it any resentful way, i just kind of was struck for a moment because we always enter the building together. The woman has seen me there weekly since the beginning of October. I still believe she had a simple brain fart about it, but i couldn't help flip it on my friend in jest when we got to the top of the stairs: "Oh we elect a Black Man and all of a sudden the light skinded folk gotta wait on the long line." haha



These are just two examples of how having a black president will influence our prejudices. We have never experienced this before. No doubt as he goes on doing as i predicted (making some decent and not so decent decisions/ as any other president would), our preconceived notions will fade and for most, Barack Obama; Black President will become Barack Obama; President. Unfortunatelly there are those whom have no doubt put a block up.. and will resist the healing our society needs. Unfortunatelly there are those whom have the smokes and mirrors up and will keep them up, riding their pride so high, it becomes easy to overlook that which deteriorates beneath our soles. And then there are those whom wish 4 years of hell as some sort of punishment for their peers electing a Black man!


I say God Bless us because right now we are a schizophrenic people, psychologically. Barack's fellow black brothers/sisters of America and the globe will pray he does not slip, and yet changes must be made, if you are Black you know this intuitively, so while you want him to be able to succeed you also have hope that he will go a bit above, a bit beyond towards making a better life more accessible. This becomes tricky and has for as long as this country existed, been a conflict. How to expand and stay close to the people simultaneously. Practically EVERY notable black public figure whom has lived a lifetime taking such risks has (in the eye of the black majority) either gone a bit too far to the left, thus generating a fear of 'backlash' against them all... or in his own interest conformed a bit too much with the right to continue serving in their favor (sell-out). Yea, eventually history vindicates these leaders, but during the time of their prowess they are a source of great insecurity. Though it may be hard to imagine at this point in time, even Martin Luther King while he was doing what he was doing, had many crossing their fingers, and at the height of his dissent, within many a black home, even drew murmurs pleading that he quit making trouble already! Not because they weren't in support of the man's ideas, but because they feared. They struggled with whether to accept what steps they'd made and cut the losses, or to continue on and risk Marshall Law clobbering down on them.

This has been an interesting ride because there are so many assumptions going around that reality itself has to a great degree been skewed. There is this fog after the war. And we are still waiting for the dust to settle to see what is really going on. Racism, Sexism, Capitalism, Socialism, terrorism (including state sponsored terrorism: Obama in fact did bring to issue the Right Wing supported assassinations of Union Leaders in Colombia)... these are all issues that have never been thrown on the table with such polarity. The conversation is OPEN folks! And then we have the people or in this case the dog, to those issues: the tale. We are wagging at the fukking senses!
-To my right are people who think Obama is the most liberal man on the face of the planet and will put a hammer and sickle on the red white and blue.
-To my left are people who believe Obama is not only the same old politics, but 10 times more dangerous because if he indeed does carry on the same old agenda, he is capable of garnering support in the blind faith of a newly 'politicized' demographic numbering the millions!
I have had numerous conversations with folks who do not vote for various reasons which all equate to= they do not believe in the system! While i respect their view and at times have wrestled with the idea of voting myself (i mean hey... my first two elections were losses to W!) i contend that in my notion of an ideal political system i would be voting reguardless! Therefore i am committing myself to the culture of democracy as i imagine it in its most effective form. With that i recognize that because we the people do not have the power, and have worked ourselves into a state of dependance on these dreams salesmen, voting must be supplimented with a culture of dialogue around power, rights, and initiative. Along with dialogue must be a commitment to action. To strategy and action around attaining what we need to survive, self-sustain, and even build upon our condition to live comfortably.


As a citizen amongst the common people of this nation i am looking forward to taking it upon myself to do what is in my capacity to contribute to change. I am in solidarity with the struggling Black Masses; i am in solidarity with the struggling Latino Masses; i am in solidarity with the struggling White Masses and Asian Masses. We are at a disadvantage if we do not PRACTICE democracy as a way of living... if we do not PRACTICE service to one another; sharing power and compromising differences, while staying true to our objective: getting things done. Things can only get done if we work together! But more simply, they will only get done if we work! Government may provide some new opportunities to access resources and space, or they may every once in awhile put a check in our pockets, but if we dont organize a voice to serve as a checks and balances, what interest is it to them to serve us? That's me speaking in a very stern, oppressive voice, but i'm just being real with you. Because Barak Obama will have MANY people knocking on his door for this and for that.

-- He will have big companies proposing backroom deals to build stadiums that will replace park land or small businesses in your community... and if you are not there to stand in the way, he is going to take their little kick back and grant them permission.

-- He will have Real Estate Developers knocking on his door asking if he can privatize the projects, and build condos in your neighborhood, while eliminating affordable housing laws, and if you are not standing in the way you will either wind up moving out of state or paying double what you do now for living in a neighborhood you mightve been raised in your whole life, yet has a higher cost of living since wall street moved in with its nannys and bitch ass dogs. Why not take their little kick backs? It's not like you're there to challenge him!

-- He will put education money into vouchers which will allow a select few in each school the funds to transfer to/enroll in a private school, RATHER THAN, using that same money to hire better teachers at the schools your children are already in; and for the benefit of a few, the many will suffer!


I am proud that we are electing Barack Obama and i trust him to a certain degree. He has the roots of a community organizer so while i sit here telling you that in our communities we need to be meeting consistantly to speak about and confront such issues as Domestic Abuse, Police Brutality, Gentrification, Economic Exploitation in zoning policies, etc... while i tell you this is the only way to take it upon ourselves to secure stability and progress in our communities, i have some kind of faith that Obama was more than an opportunist whom simply breezed through the South Side of Chicago for some kind of credibility. At the same time i google everything/ i study... and seeing whom he has surrounded himself with in his cabinet, i know not to depend on him alone to change anything! In fact we may even soon find that he isn't REALLY one of us! Joe Biden was one of the biggest names in the Credit industry; an industry that just lost its arm and the left side of its chest_and he will have some sort of influence over our economy.. Rahm Emmanuel is one of the top Israeli lobbyists in this country, so dont even think you can begin to imagine an end to war in the middle east.

The Civil Rights Movement in America has been a GIANT influence on my political and social views. I left Journalism school to study African and Puerto Rican Studies with a minor in Urban Studies. Students of Black History in America criticize the theory of a 'Black Messiah', one person whom will come along to save us all. There was Martin Luther King whom was murdered, and since, the people have looked for 'the next'. This has been counter progressive. No ONE individual can truelly make change! Even Martin Luther King himself didn't put himself on some national pedestal. Hidden is the history of GREAT organizing that took place in churches and community centers, and living rooms, before MLK was anybody. Planning protests, planning newsletters and radio addresses, good samaritan car rides for the bus strike. There were children, women and men, and elders.(watch the documentary "Eyes on the Prize") All MLK did at first was wait for call to come and speak at events. Eventually though he did rise up to become the leader of the movement because noone else could get the message across better. Still, it was a movement. So it will depend on US to, YES, support this man by willing to vote him in. But it is on us to now stay together. He organized us for the vote. We must now remain one, in order to see him through his 4 years, that he serves our interests. That he signs the blank check. And everytime he fronts he needs to be checked on that. THAT IS.. if it is more important that he ACTUALLY help change things, than it is that he sit there for four years so that they can paint him onto the back cover of our childrens hard cover history books.
If there are two things i can say that go hand in hand in moving us forward it is
1) that Barack Obama has made us promises, and been clear on where he stands with us and where he compromises us/ stands against us.
2) that he has contunually reminded us that it is UP TO US! that it is ABOUT US!


Let's hold him to his word and make sure
that he is willing to *help see this change through!
That we are apart of the decision making processes...
That we assess our problems, get them out in the open,
and create some demands so that OUR TAXES go towards
fixing OUR PROBLEMS!



YES WE CAN!