The Barack Obama Nomination

We are here in 2008 in a moment of truth and a moment of victory. A black man has been elected as a presidential nominee for the Democratic Party. Now we must ask these questions whose truth is it and whose victory?

First let’s look at truth.

The truth is that in 1965 African Americans were given the right to vote but alas when they reached the polling place they were turned away because they could not read. So that was a lie.

The truth is that slaves were deemed free with the Emancipation Proclamation. After African Americans were given that right they still had to fight for freedom; freedom for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. There were no provisions put in place to make that declaration of freedom actually available which made this truth actually a lie.

The truth is that Brown vs. the board of education was passed on May 1954. This made it possible for Black children everywhere to receive the same education as their white peers. It made it possible for books to finally stop becoming a symbol of luxury and change to a symbol of necessity. But this also made it possible to brush the educational inequalities more under the rug. So that truth was actually a lie.

The truth is that as a result of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Freedom Rides, and the Civil Rights movement we have made great strides in desegregating this country on all levels. The United States of America agreed to do what was needed to make sure segregation was no longer a monster in this country. But you can look no further than our schools and our neighborhoods and our work place to see how well that promise was kept. So that was a lie.

How does this country celebrate at this moment when it seems as if we have been continuously running on an engine of lies that have fueled the inner workings of this political system? How does this country celebrate when victory still seems available for a select few and hope for the masses.

Hope has nothing to do with color, religion, or status. For hope is not born out of the thread of success or the thread of acceptance. Hope is born out of the thread of pain, struggle, and the greatness of CHANGE.

So again, whose truth is it and whose victory is it?

Well, it’s the truth of humanity and the victory of hope.