I'm Black & I'm Proud

Hey guys,

Wow so here we are back at it... I gotta tell you all these last 2 days have been really emotional for me. The changes that have begun to take place here in America, I think, have made all Americans take a deeper look at ourselves and our country. This being the case, I don't know where to start tonight.

I'll start with Barbara Walters. Now I know a lot of you are wondering, "What in the blue hell is he about to say???" Yeah, Barbara Walters and her show, The View, on ABC has got me to thinking.

<side note>As a fan of people expressing themselves and being open to sensible persuasion, I am an avid fan of The View. If you're laughing right now, Shut up! LMAO</side note>

So The View has a segment called Hot Topics, where the panelists talk about the current events. You have to understand there are 5 different women including Barbara Walters, from different backgrounds & walks of life. So it's really interesting when they disagree. Nevertheless, I digress... Barbara made a comment today, in regards to wondering how President-Elect Obama's victory impacted Black men in and around the country. Moreover, how his victory affect our ability to aspire.

Well I can't speak for all men, but I sure the hell can speak for myself. A lot of people who know me know my personality to be that of a progressive person... An independent thinker who has gone through many trials & tribulations and continues steadfast towards achieving any goals I set for myself. Let me step back and give you a bit of background.

I lost my mom at the age of 3, and have a gang of siblings. Combine that with coming up in a lower income neighborhood, and it'll give you some perspective on my life. To add a bit more substance to this picture, I (being the 4th out of 6 kids) was the first one of my siblings to graduate from college. It's not to say the others have not tried or that college is for everyone. It's to say that college was so important to me that I continued to push to make my dream a reality. Alas, not only did I get to go to the culture rich institution that is Howard University, but I completed my degree and was able to achieve a goal that I had not seen others around me attain.

Let's add some more substance to this... Hearing this background could make one think that I had opportunities a lot of other people don't have, and I do agree to some degree. However, let's make no mistake about it. I grew up in the same country where injustices and prejudices occur everyday (on a multitude of levels). While I have not limited my aspirations because of this, I have had to endure through the same situations that many others have had to. Ok so now let's introduce the Obama factor...

I have always aspired and continue to aspire today to reach greater heights. The Obama factor tells me that I'm doing something right. I believe a common theme is to tell people to continue to dream, but being a Black kid and hearing that message at one time meant dream as much as "they" allow you to dream. (I won't go into detail about who "they" are.) And God bless Sherri Shepherd as she cried on ABC's The View when recalling how she told her own son that now we as a people have no limitations thanks to President-Elect Obama...

Let's take a moment to understand what that means. For a long time, people preached the message of being responsible for your own actions and working together as a people to achieve a common goal. For a long time, kids were taught they could be doctors, lawyers, politicians, engineers (and probably still are today)... But as a Black kid, it never "really" seemed possible. That world wasn't the same world I lived in, so it just never seemed like that message was directed to me. Well thanks to the Obama factor, I can remove the words "never really" in the previous sentence because it is so much of a possibility today that there are no excuses... no limitations.

There are probably some reading this thinking, well if anyone set those limitations it would be me doing it to myself. And I say that I disagree. Being a part of a disenfranchised minority in America for so long produces this way of thinking. Not validating its correctness, more so stating the effects of living in this country. Of course, it will take time for the Obama factor to seep in (so I don't expect everything to go away over night) but I think about what's changed between yesterday and today and I know the answer.

For once, I woke up and felt a bit better to be a Black man in America, because the significance of this change has touched everyone in a different way. For me as a Black man, I can't put to words all of the different dimensions in which this has touched my life. But in the words of the original Godfather of Soul, I woke up today ready to grab a megaphone and shout out, "I'M BLACK AND I'M PROUD." God, what a wonderful feeling....

So tonight, I'm not looking for reactions or responses from you guys. I love you all for reading and I hope that from this, you take a moment and think about this idea that we have "no limitations" stopping us from being what we want to be... doing what we want to do... growing in ways that we never imagined because President-Elect Obama has joined the others (and I won't run down the names)who've paved the way to create a bigger, brighter future for the youths behind us. God Bless America!!!

Now some of you may feel the urge to comment, and go right on ahead because I love hearing people's responses.

Until next time,

-C.

Change We Will Believe In

Hey guys,

I have to say that I come tonight with a heavy heart because the tide has certainly turned in the world. As we all know, Nov. 4th was Election Day for the United States. It was revolutionary... It was historic... We had an African American & a Roman Catholic competing against a former Prisoner of War & a female Vice Presidential pick. Tonight America made history. Tonight we took giant steps towards the future, in electing Senator Barack Obama the first African American President of the United States of America.

As I sit here tonight, I can't help but shed a tear. I am crying for too many reasons... I don't even know that I can get all of them down here... But I'll damn sure try.

First, I remember what it was to be a little black boy hearing stories of Martin Luther King and of the oppression African Americans have faced in this country. I think of the graphic images of Emmitt Till... Of Rosa Parks and her ordeals... Of MLKand his struggles while pursuing the mission of influencing change and uniting people... Of the videos of people being viciously harrassed, attacked damn near to death (if not there already) because of the color of their skin... I could go on and on.

I remember hearing from my teachers, "You can be anything you want to be when you grow up. Maybe even the President of the United States." I also remember not believing it  because there was no example for me to follow.

You see, growing up where I grew up, there weren't too many images of people aspiring to do things with their lives. Where I grew up in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, there wasn't a lot of success around for me to see as an example of what success could do for me, for my life. And my story is not unique, as I'm sure a lot of people of color can read this and express similar sentiments. But I always remembered those images because it is those images that make me understand that what has happened tonight is bigger than me.

If it had not been for those people who received the beatings, who endured the persecution, who persevered through the injustice, I don't know where I would be. I'm sad because I wish that they were here to see the glorious day that has come, where America has come to accept African Americans, so much that they have entrusted the role of being the leader of the free world to a Black man.

I wish that my mom were here... That my grandmothers & grandfathers were here... That my aunt were here... Because this is bigger than me. Had it not been for my parents and their parents and their parents... Man I need a moment!

I am for the first time in my life excited to say that I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN. I am proud of the opportunities that have been provided for me by my ancestors. I am elated to dream of a future that will come for me, as I don't know what's in store but I do have faith that our new leader, our current President-Elect Obama, will lead us down the path of new beginnings.

I can't go on... But I will end by saying this. For everyone who reads this, I want to hear from you. What does our new President-Elect Obama's victory mean for you?

I'll be back with more later guys, after I compose myself...

-C.

I Can't Believe She Did That

Hey guys,

So a couple of quick things before we get into tonight's blog... Thanks so much to everyone that texted me, called me, emailed me, hit me on Facebook about the last 2 blogs. I definitely didn't expect it to get that reaction but it was really appreciated.

2nd thing, I'm feeling antsy tonight. So this means I may probably put up 2 blogs tonight. I hope you all like them both.

Ok... The topic of tonight's blog: Republic college student Ashley Todd. For those of you who don't know Ashley Todd, she's a college student volunteering to work with the Republican party (helping John McCain get elected) out in either Pittsburgh, New York or Texas. The story wasn't real clear on that part. Why am I devoting a blog to her? Her story is that she lied to the cops, said that a 6'4" black man attacked her and scratched the letter 'B' on her face in retaliation for having a sticker in support of John McCain on her car. To read the story yourself, head over to MSNBC. Here's the link: McCain volunteer charged in attack hoax.

Now I'm upset from a bunch of different perspectives. As a black man just trying to make it... As a supporter of Barack Obama... As a proud American. As a black man, I can't believe that people could display such an ignorance that they would take the presence of black people in America as a joke; so much so that they can continue to pin false allegations against us. We have enough problems already. As a black man, I was taught to be cautious about how I walk in the street, how quickly I walk, what I wear, who I am associated with, the times of day I go out... Why? Because a lot of people already fear me because of my skin color. AND NOW this girl decides to fabricate such vicious lies, making the perception that black men are all dangerous seem all the more real, except it's not. But I bet she didn't think about this when she ran into a police station and concocted such a foolish story. And what about the people who really have been attacked? She's turned their ordeals into a mockery because of her lies.

As a supporter of Barack Obama, I am the biggest advocate for hearing the other side of the story. I like John McCain. I think he's a smart man who's political story definitely makes him a well qualified candidate for the Office of the President of the United States. I also disagree with his position on a number of things (especially the idea of health care not being a right for all Americans). But at the end of the day, I still respect him... Respect him enough to respect that there are people who do agree with him, like this young lady. I know I'm not the only Barack Obama supporter in America who shares this view. So my question is why did this young lady feel the need to paint out Obama supporters as such extremists that we would go this far, as to scar someone's face in support of the man? That was just completely unnecessary.

I won't get started on being a proud American, except to say as a proud American, I hold all others to the same laws as I do myself which are based on the Constitution. What's the first amendment say??? Something about the right to free speech??? I'm going to go the distance and say, anyone who attacks someone else because they don't agree with what the person is saying is committing an act that is un-American and I could never support any reasoning to rationalize/defend the act. And now let's introduce the fact that this young lady lied... What was the basis of her act? I don't know, but I'll tell ya I don't care because to allege something so traumatic happened to her and then have it turn out to be false makes her somewhat of a selfish person. And it's people like that that shouldn't have the same rights as others.

God bless her... She may have meant well, but I'll definitely say she has no sympathy from me for any backlash she faces from the court system. This is ignorance and selfishness at its best and I can not condone it. Why spend a whole blog about it then? Because I think people should be aware of events like this so that we truly understand what's happening in the world.... POLITICS I TELL YA!

Ok, as always, I want to hear from you guys. If you think I was too harsh, let me know. If you think I was too kind, let me know. If you agree/disagree, let me know. 

Until next time,

-C.