I was grumpy the day after the primary election. It felt like all hope in living in a country that
truly protects the rights of all citizens vanished with one massive
stroke. Amendment One was a colossal
blow to my communal vision.
The pain subsided the next day when President Obama said
hell to the no to North Carolina’s conception of what it means to be America. “It grew directly out of this difference in
vision,” Obama explained. “Are we a
country that includes everybody and gives everybody a shot and treats everybody
fairly? Does that make us strong?” Obama is correct to assert that support of
same-gender marriage is an extension of what America is supposed to be.
Obama’s out of the closet political experience could not
have come at a better time. It was the
much needed band-aid for those aching after the hillbillies in North Carolina
defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The issue has been a hot potato for
politicians desiring to keep their liberal base while not miffing the Biblical
literalist who believe God speaks in King James English.
Obama had to face the harsh reality of black folk’s
homophobic ways. Among those most prone
to ride the Obama bus, support for same-gender marriage was like selling a
ticket to a Klan rally. As liberal as
black people are on social matters, they are hardliners when it comes to the
way they approach the Bible. It’s a
mystery among progressive minded ministers who take seriously the need to break
through all forms of exclusion.
It took courage for Obama to rise above the madness and give
the nod for same-gender marriage. His
failure to do just that had left former supporters on the fence about the
upcoming election. To vote, or not to
vote – that was the question. The lack
of a courageous stance made it difficult for people to embrace the message of
hope when it came with grim limits. Justice only applied when devoid of
political suicide.
Many may ask, what took Obama so long. At the end of the day, what matters is that
we are finally here. The result has been
an outpouring of Obama love unlike anything we have seen since that cold day at
his inauguration. Most of what we have
witnessed has been on a slippery slope.
From the Obama surrender of the one payer option during the heath care
talks, to those corporate bailouts, that oozy feeling that had us screaming “Yes
we can,” became a collective “what you doing?”
As much as we understood Obama’s scraps with those mean
spirited tea baggers and Republicans, we wanted a more vicious Obama. We wanted to see a black dude from the hood
take them out like Bruce Lee did Han in “Enter the Dragon”. We wanted to see Obama slap them silly and
put them in their proper place for all the abuse we’ve felt from their injudicious
policies.
Commentators measured him up as weak and over his head. Others saw Obama as the reincarnation of the
old political diversion we were hoping would go away. Yes, we can!
A black man will fight. He
understands how it feels to be on the bottom with no ladder to climb out from
the whole. That’s what we thought, but,
but, but.
As a black man, I simply couldn’t keep the brother
hanging. I was rooting for him despite
my concerns. No, it isn’t all because he’s
black, but it has more to do with understanding what it feels like to be a
black man in a world with old white dudes who refuse to listen to what you have
to say. It has more to do with the
double standard of judgment used to define success and failure, and the covert
messages coming from those who label Obama a misfit and failure.
It hurts witnessing conservative Christian flaunting love
for Mitt Romney after a century of tagging his faith a cult. It is conceivable that they will support an
elder of a group they consider outside the faith they claim over a man within
the purview of their faith. It reveals
the hypocrisy of those who hide their racism with scriptures. I can’t let my brother go down like
that. I know a bigot when I see a bigot,
and it’s time for a slap down long overdue.
Ring the bell. Let’s
do this thing right. Take off your façade
and let’s be real about what this is all about.
Stop playing games with what irks you the most. I’m sick of all of this pretension. Call a spade a spade. This has long been about how we define what
this country means. Tell me the
truth! You’re mad because a black man is
in control. You’re mad because he’s
running the show, and you get even more irritated when he refuses to play by
your rules.
That’s what makes this a new day. Obama’s position on same-gender marriage
takes the power out of the hands of those who strangle him with assumptions. He is a liberal in the pocket of the gay
community. That’s what they have wanted
to say. No, that is what they have
stated. Good for you Mr. President! Say it loud! Take the power away from them
and tell them yes I am.
And now that you have stated it clearly – YES WE CAN!
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