Obama is Elected the Community Work Must Continue

I am excited to have had the opportunity in my lifetime, to have witnessed the election of a Black man to the office of POTUS. As far as I can see looking around me, I am not alone. Black folks not just in the US but the world over, are charged up and inspired and expressing positive thoughts about themselves and the race as a whole. I've seen quite a few interviews where people are already saying that they feel like if he can do it they can likewise achieve their loftier goals.

I am a firm believer in the idea that things happen because people expect them to happen and thus take steps to bring about the reality.
On the other hand when people expect things to happen because others are going to make them come about, disappointment often follows.

If Obama does nothing else he has supplied us, at
least for the present with a focal point and a suitable mantra that everyone is capable of understanding (Yes We Can).

We are way behind on the scoreboard but for the moment the ball is in our possession I hope we don't get distracted and fumble right away.

excerpt
Community organizing redeemed

from Seattlepi.com

By AMY GOODMAN
SYNDICATED COLUMNIST

There are two key camps that feel invested in the Obama presidency: the millions who each gave a little, and the few who gave millions. The big-money interests have means to gain access. They know how to get meetings in the White House, and they know what lobbyists to hire. But the millions who donated, who volunteered, who were inspired to vote for the first time actually have more power, when organized.

Before heading over to Grant Park in Chicago, Obama sent a note (texted and e-mailed) to millions of supporters. It read, in part: "We just made history. And I don't want you to forget how we did it. ...

Congratulations President elect Barack Hussein Obama

From now on there will be no sideways glances when a Black child says,
"I want to be President of The United States".

 President elect Obama delivered a speech after his victory that I can

only describe as perfection.  

He acknowledged those who helped him with the election, which included

his family, his campaign team and the voters. 

He acknowledged his opposition and their concerns and started right away 

by offering an olive branch to start the healing process. 

He spoke of the work that lies ahead for all of us and  tasked all to be

prepared to work and sacrifice to restore the republic to it's place in 

the sun.

The speech was not about himself at all but about all of us. I loved it

and even teared up.

 I am still  wondering where these multi millions of dollars in 

campaign money came from though.

Pinch Me. Barak Obama is really the top Democrat on the ticket.

  I can honestly say that I didn't think I'd  live to see this day even if Obama doesn't win. If he does, well then that goes double. All this has me very apprehensive about the events to come in the not too distant future.

 I'm not one who has a lot of confidence in the political mis-leadership we've had to endure over the years, so while I'm surprised at the current turn of events, I'll be even more surprised if Obama is elected and actually does bring about major change. Then again the mere fact of his election would repressent a major change in itself. Wouldn't it? Obama '08?

Sept 16, 2008 A Black Man Was Dragged to Death in Paris, Texas

 On September 16, 2008 - not 1908,  Brandon McClelland was dragged to his death by  2 white men in a pickup truck. Apparently the authorities tried to hush this up but it's coming out just the same. I first became aware of this atrocity today while listening to a report on Breakdown FM

entitled - Horror-in-Paris-Texas. Paris Texas, infamous for the 1893 lynching of Henry Smith.

The same Paris Texas where 15 year old Shaquandra Cotton was sentenced to 7 years for shoving a 58 year old hall monitor, in spite of the fact that this was her first offense of any kind.

See the Final Call article by Jesse Muhamed titled Jasper-style lynching in Paris, Texas?

      Now where's the outrage? Here's some.

 It really is time for a change folks, wouldn't you say?

Let's start by paying more attention to local politics for a change.

It's time to get involved on a scale like never before and elect some our

own representatives to these city councils  and school boards and such.

It's time to start petitioning issues we feel strongly about and not spending

money in places that don't benefit our communities.

While we're at we need to start changing some of this high security

legislation designed to protect us from ourselves. Yeah we want Change! 

Black History Month UK Style

 OOOHHH, I'm Slippin', It's almost the end of October, which is Black History Month in the UK and I let it get right by me. I guess if I was a real Black Blogger, such a thing could never have happened. Oh well, I'll just have to keep trying, after all, nobody's perfect. It's a shame though that we here in the US, can't hook up with our brothers and sisters in the UK and share the Black History season . I mean the internet makes for an almost seamless venue where we can share our historic data. Maybe we can convince some of the African Nations that supplied the biggest part of the slave population to sponsor a diasporic history month to fall between October and February. At some point it should become quite apparent that much of our history is related in some measure. As a unifying force such an endeavor could be invaluable. IMO we have more in common than we know and a concentrated study of and by African around the world is long over due.

 At this late date I'm not going to start trying to find related historical data but I will try to point to a few relevant sites that I find for the remainder of the celebration.

Black History Month has been celebrated across the UK every October for over 30 years, each year growing from strength to strength. Black History Month is a time when we highlight and celebrate the achievements of the black community and uncover hidden history about our communities.

image - the original uniform for the Black Pioneers regiment