Obama. A name people will remember more than George Washington. A name that will trump Osama’s name. But why am I worried?
Over the past 2 years, we have witnessed how rampant racism in America is. With people like this (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article4617490.ece) and also like this (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article5029959.ece), you have to wonder why we have art like this (http://www.theassassinationofbarackobama.com/)?
I’m worried for Obama’s life every time he speaks in front of a crowd. I’m worried about the immediate bigotry we will see in the morning. And further more, I am worried about how many ignorant citizens we have that get their facts from hearsay. Just Monday I overheard 3 people at UH talking about how they don’t want a n***** in office. They were talking about how Obama is a radical socialist. (Truth be told America has been socialist for a long time). I am worried about people like Morgan Herig from Klein high school who passes out ‘Obama Loves Osama BFF’ T-Shirts and doesn’t consider Obama and American. (http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou081103_jj_klein-t-shirt-controversy.1796642fc.html?ocp=38#slcgm_comments_anchor)
But even more importantly, I am worried Obama is left with a lot on his plate. The turmoils the Bush presidency left us with inevitably will be blamed on Obama’s performance. Our nation has been able to rise above racism by electing an African-American president in electoral and popular votes. What kind of legacy will his performance leave us with? The world will respect us in a different light but will America be divided? There are people in the chat rooms of Fox News 26 who are still championing the rumours of socialism that McCain’s campaign started. We have seen attempts to stop minority voters by the passing of false leaflets that ask Democrats to vote on Nov. 5th. We have seen Black Panthers who block Republican voters from voting in Pennsylvania polls.
Does our society still have a huge challenge before them? Or will things blow over once people find something else to dwell on? Will President Obama change people’s perceptions? While I’m overjoyed, I am also a little fearful of what is ahead. Can we really?
