Congrat Mr. President, But What Is In It For Us?

The fact that a mulatto or a half white has ascended the presidential office in the USA should not be such a fait accompli because black people had been here for a long time. In fact not much less than their white counterparts. There is no denying the fact that the economic arrangement of the days they were brought here were such that, the less powerful who cannot defend themselves had no one to defend them and that led to their labor being exploited without compensation. All along they could have had it better than their brethren, the witch doctors who made money on them, and the other Africans they left behind who had their own war to wage as it was witnessed, a war they conquered by their sheer number, which means they had suffered worse and had sacrificed a lot of people. That kind of living and working condition could be blamed on the time that was not advanced. As things start to improve, even if there were some diehards, there were also others who were against the unfairness of free labor or slavery, while there were others who looked at the advantage it avails for those who can exploit it unabashed in dismay, because labor is one of the expensive cost of production no matter how low it is. It eats into the profit the free labor owner makes if there has to be payment.

The Civil Right Movement was to fight the diehards who had it good but did not have the heart to share it with others, while at the same time they were treating people of color badly, as there was segregation and the like that ignited the fire that led to more freedom for black people, as mentioning Rosa Park would suffice. Blacks are still gaining more ground and they are still angry bunches, because there is no reason why a half-white individual such as Obama should not call himself white. There must be something that is making him not call himself white, no matter how his mother and his grandparents were good to him. That is the vagary of life black people have to fight, in a sense to get their right place in this world, whether they had been enslaved or not. This also requires hard work in their part because affirmative action can stretch so much and while it is good on one hand, it might not be good enough on the other, which means blacks clearly know they have a long way to go. That was what Dr. King was saying some decades back and the new generation and Harvard educated lawyer is also saying the same thing. His case is different though, because he believes that it is all Americans, not only his avid supporters, such as us who have a long distance to cover. Many Americans had believed him that there is some distance to be covered, the reason why he is where he is. The possibility is the nation called America could already be where it is supposed to be, but it might not include everybody in his view, the reason he told everyone there is still some distance to cover. People do not have to be disillusioned that this nation called America is languishing in a backwater somewhere that most people do not know where. The reality is it is the most advanced nation on the face of the earth when compared to individual nations or even if we bring to the fore the EU countries, including the Asians. Therefore, it is only Obama who knows the distance this nation has to cover and that in fact is a wrong way of raising the hope of people that could backfire at him, as eloquence has to be backed with reality and truism.

This being what it is, the question that stands out is what is in it for blacks and especially what is in it for Africa? One thing is there might be a fair and sympathetic ear in the White House to hear our causes, problems, and difficulties whatever they might be for the number of years Obama is going to be in office, which could be only four years. If we manage to ask for real solutions to solve real problems, the chance that we can get solution is much higher, as long as he is in office. It is our job to find a way to present our problems for the American administration with the hope that it will be addressed fairly, no hooks attached. Therefore, we do not have to raise our hopes, whatever hope the president-elect could be talking about, other than saying that someone of color had enticed Americans to put him in office and everybody is happy about it, because it is a feat accompli where Obama knew how to recite exactly what Americans want to hear. He had swept off the floor the youth, the women population who are angry because Hilary Clinton was defeated by a man of color, minorities that included, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and probably blue collar workers and middle class whites who bought his "hope" ticket for improvement.
This shows the American public most of the time could be swayed to elect out of the ordinary people instead of people that they believe are wearing straightjackets. If we look at the legacy of the Bush family, Bush junior and his oil executive friends had hijacked the election to serve their purpose and no one suspected it would be that way. Some people who believe in the conspiracy theory could swear by the fact that 9/11 could be an inside job, although saying that in the open is like becoming a terrorist and individuals like that could be blacklisted and persecuted, and that could take place in America. Some might be taking a breath because this authoritarian administration is on its way to be shown the door. The possibility is that the oil boys at the top were slugging it out and they are the only ones who knew what was happening and had avenged all those who did them wrong in the oil business, by taking charge of the most powerful government machine, simply because they were Americans. The possibility is Americans might have found out late that they were taken for a ride and that might be the reason why they are retaliating by sending a well-versed, privileged man of color into office, although it might not serve any purpose. At least it will change the perception of the aggressive America people have come to know lately. It would also create a discontinuance the republicans worked hard to avoid, as putting in office Hillary Clinton could also have served the same purpose except that she is a female and might have her own agenda concerning the significant others that does not sit well with what the nation needs.

What this means to us as people of color is that Barack Obama is going to be a blip on the radar screen of our history, as well as American history, because the most he will serve is two terms and he is shooting for that already by saying that, as Americans we will not make it to our destination that he envisioned in one term, but maybe in a second term we can see it from a distance and that by itself might be good enough, as others will lead us there like Moses did to the Israelis. That makes Obama only a sympathetic ear for our cause, whether African Americans or other blacks around the world, simply because that is how things are where if there is going to be change it will have to come from the grassroots. We have to be prepared that the most we would get from the ride, whether it is one term or two terms is a pleasant journey while Obama shoots in the dark to give meaning to what he was talking about while campaigning. If anyone of color says his becoming a president would solve our problems that will be self-defeating. It does not also mean we have reached somewhere in our struggle to find our exact place in the world, because some privileged man of color found his way into the White House, which is where the American government sits that might not mean much after all.

It does not mean that we will not be happy for the president-elect who is given the opportunity to posses what he very badly needed, because maybe it will definitely give him a special place in black history, where everyone is trying to be nice to us by creating minions such as Mandela, as if the patriarch had not spent the best years of his life in prison. This individual had not only earned the spotlight in history, but in the coming four to eight years, he will make everyone see and become aware of what it means to be a man of color. The new black is the mulatto population everywhere, while the genuine black stock is being depleted by the day and in another forty years to come the genuine black stock might become a big minority, at least in the USA. That being said, what these four to eight years are good for might be, as far as we are concerned, we have to air as many dirty laundries as we can so that this versed orator might find solution for them. We do not have to be disappointed if he does not see things the way we want him, which would mean the fact that a man of color will be sworn in office in January might not mean anything for us except the pleasantry of seeing the first family carrying out their duty, similar to the feeling we get when any of the world leaders are carrying out their duties.