Crank Up The Heat Under The Melting Pot!

The cleansing breeze that was the 2008 presidential election has as passed over America, bringing us to, I hope, a new golden age under our first African American President Barack Obama. Eight years of economic suffering and bloodshed raised the social temperature to the essential boiling point that was needed to make this “melting pot” we call America really meld together our differences and separate the dross of our biases.

It is an understatement for me to say I am elated beyond what I ever believed my heart could be capable of. African Americans know the depths of our history. It's a history that America views like a gruesome horror movie - take a quick glance, cover your eyes, peek through the cracks of your fingers view of the past. Please continue with me as I conjure these ghosts so we can lay them to rest for once and for all-

This victory is for:
The African families of the past who wept at the realization their sons, daughters mothers and fathers disappeared from the homeland without a trace or hope of their return.
The people who died on the middle passage, crammed like inanimate cargo in the holds of rat infested ships.
The slaves who built this country then fought for their own freedom as well as everyone else's by escaping or fighting in all the revolutionary wars.
The sharecroppers who fed America while getting ripped off, leaving them with barely enough food for their families.
The black communities and businesses like Rosewood that were burned to the ground without provocation.
The people who were unjustly lynched (this includes women and children).
The elders who endured derision and the risk of murder for standing up for their civil rights.
For all of the black blue collar workers, artists, intellectuals and atheletes who succeeded when the deck was stacked against them.

All of the people who supported these ancestors every step of the way.

Moreover Obama's victory was a victory for the humanity in all of us. For a long time, I was very disappointed in America. The unspoken bigotry that separated people from one another was the constant drumbeat in the background of my life's groovy jazz number. I couldn't understand why nobody cared to do anything about the effect it was having on our society. It keeps showing up in our judicial system, unbalanced modes of education and the way people are treated. When one sector of any society is treated badly or excluded it has a negative effect on the quality of living for all members of society.

When I say this I don't specifically mean African Americans. I mean minorities in general. And honestly I loathe the word "minority." The word has Orwellian undertones, that some people are "more equal" than others. I always looked at skin color as The Universe's way of getting cool variety like when It made roses a rainbow of colors. Yet, I'm more than a rose could ever be. I'm a full fledged human being, not a second class citizen. So I was sick of being categorized that way based on my melanin content, something I have no control over. And then being excluded from mainstream society. Tired of seeing black men being demonized on Cops. Tired of seeing commericals that had "black" women with green eyes (What the hell is THAT all about anyway????). So tired that I even considered leaving this country for good. People treat me so nice in Holland, of all places.

So watching the crowd of people listen to Obama really healed my heart. I got to see that I wasn't the only person who was sick of it all. There was white guys, Latinas and Asians spouting tears of joy. They were tired of the hate too. I'm sure a lot of other African Americans who harbored bitterness over our history felt quickened by these events too. I called every black person I know and we all concurred. Last night was Christmas, New Years Day and Valentines Day all rolled into one for us. Did you see Oprah's eyes last night? If not check it out above.
She looks like an infant gazing at a loved relative! So many other people's eyes reflected that same light of love. Just amazing. It just goes to show, perceptions about race was something that was foisted upon all of America's descendants, not something we choose to load upon our backs. It's wonderful to see the nation taking the first steps to put all that foolishness down to move on.

Although I'm feeling like sunshine and lolly-pops, I'm not so far in the clouds that I can ignore the fact that there are people who will still try to hand on to outmoded ways of thinking. I know there is a town up the road that I can't enter without being harassed. That's just too bad. At this point in history we need our minds to be light and nimble so we can navigate the troubles ahead. It's rough, but people who refuse to change will be left behind. I don't wish that on anybody. So please, if you know someone, white, black, republican or democrat, who is hesitant about moving forward with this new coalition that is forming in America, buy them your favorite ethnic food (mine is polish beets!) make them watch Head of State with Chris Rock and make them laugh, help them let go. Because now is a time for joy and people uniting to rebuild our country.