This Is Important
I watched the “We Are One” concert on HBO this afternoon, and it was difficult to not be amazed at the awesome scope of the event. First, the Lincoln Memorial is a mighty monument, and has great symbolic significance, particularly on the eve of Martin Luther King Day. Certainly I liked some speakers and singers better than others–it was a thrill to see Pete Seeger, a national treasure, singing “This Land Is Your Land” with Bruce Springsteen; and Tom Hanks was an excellent choice to recite Copland’s Lincoln Portrait–but most impressive of all was the crowd.
I know there are some who dismiss Barack Obama as a “celebrity”, and for them the image of the president-elect sitting a few feet from some of the world’s biggest stars of stage and screen only reinforces their opinion. There is no disputing the fact that Obama is a popular figure. I think there are at least two factors at play here. First, from where we stand today, President Bush’s tenure is an undeniable failure. The end of the Bush era is, for many, a cause for hope and joy. Barack Obama is, for many, the embodiment of change. The second factor, simply put, is that Barack Obama is a black man, just days away from becoming President of the United States. He will live and work in a great mansion built with slave labor. For the first hundred and fifty years of our nation’s history it would have appeared that this event would never come to pass. In my own parents’ generation, in communities like the one in which I live today, a black man like Barack Obama would have been treated badly in some settings for no reason other than the color of his skin. For any American conscious of history, Obama’s inauguration means something profound. It doesn’t mean racism is over, nor does it mean that Obama won because he is black. But put yourself in the shoes of a person of color, and imagine how good it must feel to see a person like yourself about to take the oath of office and become the leader of the free world. These great cheering throngs deserve to feel good today.
There is a third factor, also. People like me believe that Barack Obama is an inspiring, intelligent and talented man, ideally suited for this job at this moment. I see nothing but good coming out of this.
Filed under: Current Events, Musings on January 18th, 2009 | No Comments »