Part of President Obama's message has been one of ending the divisive rhetoric and actions that has plagued this country for the past eight years. The "either/or" mentality of the the Era of W. The reaching across the aisles, figuratively and literally.
The act of the majority of this country, voting for a man that came from stock outside of White Bread America, showed that we too, wanted an end to the madness, and that we could expand our minds beyond the idea that someone too young, too foreign of a name, too black could lead a Nation.
So, was there any room for Reverend Joseph Lowery's benediction? In a time when President Obama, in his now famous keynote speech the the Democratic National Convention of 2004, invoked a different America with these words:
"We ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to give back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man, and when white will embrace what is right."
Thought provoking, or ill-timed rhetoric? It probably depends on what side of the fence one is, a fence I thought President Obama sought to tear down...all fences...racial, political, spiritual.
I realize that this is a major time in history for African Americans, more so possibly for those who crawled through the trenches of racial discrimination so many years ago. Those who walked with MLK, those who saw him stuck down amidst his mountainous climb. The Little Rock Nine, children who simply wanted to go to school, who found the Arkansas National Gaurd blocking their way. The Tuskeegee Airmen who fought so bravely during WWII for this country, only to come home to find that they were still directed to take the back entrance.
So, I see where the good Reverend is coming from, but remember, it's a major time for us all. A time where we are beginning to judge a person by his words and deeds, and not by words that describe his appearance.
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