I bought the narrative of the bi-racial kid who came here and met the Chi-town sister of his dreams , who was by most accounts , already “ first lady material ”. I bought the background that included Obama being a community advocate and a liberal teacher of law at the very conservative University of Chicago . Mostly , I got caught up in the historical relevance , the first Black POTUS , a POTUS for us , the long awaited savior of Africans in America . I attended the inauguration on that cold , blustery day with some friends , moistened eyes , and that warm feeling of euphoria as we stood out among the throngs of thousands to greet the new Oval Office resident .
Cautious Optimism .
Again , as an Afro-centered teacher , I KNEW that this was all a show , but it was a great show , and as a human being , like most , I would rather be optimistic and HOPED that all I had come to know would be proven wrong under President Obama . I gambled against what I ’ d taught hundreds of Black students , that our freedom will not come through American politics or elected leaders . I ’ ll never second guess mySELF again in that arena . 2008 was the last year I voted for a POTUS , and it will probably be the last .
symbolism ( noun ) – the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities .
In 1964 , we got the Civil Rights Act , a federal law that outlawed discrimination , a law that ushered in integration . In addition to losing our autonomy and self-sufficiency , we lost many an esteemed and honorable ancestor , fighting for the right to be treated as equal human beings here . Marches , dogs , high-powered hoses , beatings , and assassinations . The Civil Rights Movement was largely led and funded by others , European so-called liberals and Jews . The leading organization within the Civil Rights Movement was the NAACP , an organization founded , funded , and led by others , European so-called liberals and Jews . We invested a lot of blood , sweat , energy , and emotion into the Civil Rights Movement and the passing of that law in 1964 . It has proven to be nothing short of symbolic . It represented the idea of freedom . Freedom to live , shop , work , and socialize among Whites . However , with it being symbolic in nature , that law never afforded us freedom to be treated as equal human beings . We bought the illusions though . An exceptional few as representative of the struggling whole , well-compensated athletes and entertainers , Black judges and politicians , Black CEOs , and Blacks being allowed to consume crazily , but not owning a single neighborhood in the U . S . A ., not a single neighborhood in 50 states . Ownership is evidenced by owning and controlling the majority of the banks and major stores in our own communities , ownership of the police and politicians , ownership of schools and how our children are educated , and the right not to be re-gentrified every 3 or 4 decades . But the illusion feels good .
The Voting Rights Act of 1965
The year after the Civil Rights Act went into effect , we got the Voting Rights Act of 1965 , which basically gave teeth to the 15th Amendment ( Black Suffrage ). It cleared the way for Africans in America to vote unimpeded . There have always and will always be built-in voting irregularities when it comes to suffrage for poor people and people of color . Most call it rigging , I simply call it part of the game , a default . We hear about them from time to time , but nothing is ever done to alleviate them . Anyway , Black people have been voting for alderman , for mayors , for governors , for senators , for representatives , for judges , and for Presidents since even before 1965 , yet the status quo in this country has not shifted one iota . Somehow the rich have managed to become richer , and if you can believe it , the poor are actually becoming poorer , as we ’ ve witnessed , watching that “ Black middle-class ” evaporate over the last few years .
We voted for the greatest “ hope merchant ” to date . “ Yes We Can !” But we didn ’ t . The last 8 years have proven to be a very psychologically impactful time for Africans in America . Our emotions ruled for the last 8 years as pretty pictures replaced potent policies as priorities . We pardoned the killing of Gaddafi and the drone bombings all over the Middle East and Africa . We pardoned the privatization of education , prisons , and many other public sectors , as unions were dissolved while political cronies got paid . We pardoned the bank and big business bailouts while millions watched their homes and jobs disappear . We pardoned trade agreements that saw jobs deported and GMOs and other toxic , dangerous foods and goods imported . We pardoned the padding of the Patriot Act which saw privacy and whistle-blowing become relics . We pardoned the obvious crooked alliances which saw a member of the Zionist lobby become the diminutive , heavy-handed mayor of the country ’ s Midwest hub , Chicago , campaigned for and supported by the POTUS . Most ominously , we pardoned the President as he stood impotently by while Black people continued to be literally lynched by law enforcement and those under the guise of . Crooked killer cops walked away with impunity , while the justifiably livid youth were labeled by the President as “ criminals and thugs ”. Not the bullying , state-