So, the other day I had a conversation with a fellow student about the upcoming general election on Nov. 4, and the possibility of electing a black president. To this notion, my fellow Panther expressed his desire for Sen. Barack Obama to win because “it is about time for a black president.” I thought about this idea. What is so special about being black, that it would be something that we look for in a president? Does being black give you special powers or does it make you the best at whatever you do in life? I don’t think so. So I had to ask, what is the purpose of electing a black president?
The response that I received from this student was that it would be the realization of a dream, Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream. That sounds good, but wasn’t it part of King’s dream to have people not be judged by the color of skin, but by the content of their character? By picking a man based on his color, isn’t that the exact opposite of what we are trying to achieve? It almost makes it a democratic affirmative action. As if someone were saying “OK white guy, let a black guy have a chance.” Obama should not be looked at as a black president, just a president who happens to be black.
Because I was interested in how other students felt about the issue, I asked my question to several other students who were willing to answer. Another response that several people gave me was, “Having a black president would prove what black people can do.” I agree and disagree with this statement. It does prove that the man can convey a message and attract others to vote for him, but short of that, nothing else has been proved. The true test comes in the next four years. If he flops, and makes several bad decisions in office, then he proves that blacks, if given the chance, will fail. This is a statement with which I disagree, but is it logical based only on the original statement. Putting that kind of weight on a man goes both ways, whether he succeeds or fails.
Lastly, a general answer I received went along the lines of “a black president would be good for the black community.” At first I was completely against this statement. When we elect a president of the United States of America, we elect him to represent all of America. He is not there to represent black Americans, or any other special group for that matter. He also cannot, and I believe should not, do things only for the black community. He is America’s president, with no hyphen name before it. As a people, we should not be focused on just us during an election as important as this. After taking a second look, I partially agree with the good this would do for the black community. If an African-American becomes president then for the rest of us the bar has been raised. We would automatically be challenged to do better. We have no excuse not to, especially after a man with the background story of Obama.
African-Americans as a people have the same thing invested in this election as every other ethnic, social, and economic group in America: the future of our well-being, as well as our nation as a whole. That is the only mind-set that we should take when deciding who to vote for. I challenge my fellow Panthers, and anyone who still has not voted, look at the election without blinders on. Don’t take race into account, and make the decision you feel is best based on where you stand on the issues and the issues alone.