"FIRM...but fair" with Jeffery A. Faulkerson  

Two days ago, I witnessed an event that increased my confidence in America's ability to get its act together.  On Tuesday, June 3, 2008, Illinois Senator Barack Obama became the Democratic Party's presidential nominee.  He accomplished this feat by securing support from superdelegates within the Democratic Party.

As I listened to Senator Obama's speech on the Cable News Network, I had a difficult time containing my emotions.  A lone tear trickled down the left side of my face to rest in the left corner of my mouth.  "He did it," I said under my breath.  "A black man.  Change we can believe in."

But why?  Why do I believe Obama's change will be better than changes being proposed by Senator John McCain, the Republican Party's nominee?  Because the most telling change during this presidential election season is represented in Senator Obama's personhood.  By being bi-racial - the offspring of a black father and white mother - his presence on the political stage compels us to question our past and present prejudices.  It also prompts white Americans, the heirs to unmerited privilege, to get in touch with the preconceived notions that cause them to look down on black Americans and other persons of color. 

This past Tuesday, Pamela J. Gentry, senior political producer for Black Entertainment Television (BET) News, was the featured guest on my Internet radio talk show "FIRM...but fair" with Jeffery A. Faulkerson.  The title of this segment was AGENTS OF CHANGE: What Must Black America Do to Reclaim Its Image?  Gentry and I talked about Senator Obama and the stereotypes that have caused black Americans to feel less than, white Americans more than.  We black Americans have been told by unenlightened white Americans either directly or indirectly that we lack the intelligence to be leaders of the free world.  The same held true in the world of sports, more specifically football, when these same unenlightened white Americans almost convinced us that the term "black quarterback" was an oxymoron.  But a number of black guarterbacks have gone on to lead their teams to championship seasons.

But we black Americans are also demonstrating our skills sets in politics, medicine, law and a host of other fields.  We're not succeeding in these fields for power and control.  I believe we just want to be respected for the flavor that we add to the mix.  It is this flavor that will encourage those who falsely believe they are better than us to stand down, realize that their expanded egos are barriers to progress.

In five months, we will be casting our votes for two men - the first a bi-racial American, the second a white.  Most people will vote for the person who has the best chance of restoring order to the nation and the world.  I, and countless others, believe that candidate is Barack Obama.  To us, Senator Obama understands what it means to be looked down upon for being different, not just by Whites but Blacks as well.  And it is these differences that will bring about a reframing of what it really means to be human. 

Barack Obama is writing the first entry in a journal that lets the world know we humans are more similar than different.  I'm certain stereotypes about Blacks from Jim Crow America will rear their ugly heads in both the black and white communities, but I hope we can deal with these stereotypes as Americans, deconstructing them so they will not be stumbling blocks for future generations.  In the final analysis, each of us must adopt the belief that we are all God's children, and he wants us to find satisfaction in Him and our neighbors.  He also wants these relationships to be authentic rather than superficial.

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Copyright 2008 Jeffery A. Faulkerson.  All rights reserved