Tiffeany RoderickE Pluribus Unum
It was the summer of 2004. I went to Virginia to see my friend get married. My Sister , brother in law and I gathered at the television to watch the Keynote speaker, at the Democratic National Convention, Barack Obama. I had no idea who he was or where he came from, however after his speech I was truly inspired. As someone who has grown up in a Baptist church, I am no stranger to a soul-stirring message. This message moved me because of the messenger as you will read in this blog. In his now famous speech entitled “
” (you can google it and get the full speech on a website), he exclaimed “We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America. In the end, that is what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or do we participate in a politics of hope?” I believed him. His story was uniquely American. I looked at my sister and said, “In about 20 years this man is going to be the first black President of the United States.”
My timing was a little off. I could not conceive how our country that required blacks in 1961 (the year Obama was born) to recite 285 sections of the Mississippi constitution and site its interpretation in order to vote could elect a black leader. I had a hard time comprehending how a country whose constitution which once considered blacks to be two thirds of a person would vote for a black man to up hold it. I had a hard time seeing the racism so deeply threaded into corporate America today where many of my black professional counter parts are always second guessed could not rear its ugly head in politics. I also thought if by some twist of fate, a black man were to have any chance to be President he would have to be flawless and possibly have family ties to some black political icon such as Rep Charles Rangel or Rep Maxine Waters. I definitely did not believe that it could be a man with an African name who grew up with meager means from a single mother.
Shame on me for not believing in us. Now here we are with the first black nominee of a major party in the United States of America. Barack Obama is result of prayers, hopes, tears and dreams of our ancestors who built this country. He came from humble beginnings and had a volatile and unstable upbringing. Barack Obama shows my nephews, nieces, and future children that they can be anything they want to be, even President of the United States. How do I feel as I write this blog? Very simply put, I feel proud.
Out of Many, One
My timing was a little off. I could not conceive how our country that required blacks in 1961 (the year Obama was born) to recite 285 sections of the Mississippi constitution and site its interpretation in order to vote could elect a black leader. I had a hard time comprehending how a country whose constitution which once considered blacks to be two thirds of a person would vote for a black man to up hold it. I had a hard time seeing the racism so deeply threaded into corporate America today where many of my black professional counter parts are always second guessed could not rear its ugly head in politics. I also thought if by some twist of fate, a black man were to have any chance to be President he would have to be flawless and possibly have family ties to some black political icon such as Rep Charles Rangel or Rep Maxine Waters. I definitely did not believe that it could be a man with an African name who grew up with meager means from a single mother.
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