Tonight's tremendous speech & moment in history is the perfect way for me to begin a new section within my blog entitled, Sources of Inspiration. The title is straight-forward, mainly because I couldn't think of a title that wasn't corny, but I think its better just to actually say what I mean. Recently, I've felt an urge to do more & be a better person. While I've always been inspired from a number of different sources, now I'm feeling inspired to be a better man instead of just wishing to become a great man.So let's talk about my latest Source of Inspiration, Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the DNC. I probably can't say any more than what's being said by the hundreds of political commentators on TV & the millions of other internet commentators, but let's just say that this brotha's speech was INCREDIBLE! He had all the pressure in the world on him & he came through like Jordan in the clutch. The scene out there at Invesco Field was breathtaking. To see 75,000 people out there waiting to hang on Obama's every word, to renew their pride in America, to ride a new wave of positive energy into where we need it most, to captivate a new generation of voters...it was just a phenominal sight to see.
The reason for my belief in Barack is not soley based on political issues because, in this 2 party democratic system, it seems like you either choose the blue or red pill when it comes to the issues. My reason for believing in Barack is that he inspires his followers to return to their true values to find answers for today's problems. That's deeper than a speech to me. He's not just a politician like all the others, he is a man of character just as much as he is a politician.
There were two moments tonight that stood out to me. The first was when he said:
"What is that American promise? It's a promise that says each of us has the freedom to make of our own lives what we will, but that we also have the obligation to treat each other with dignity and respect...That's the promise of America -- the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation; the fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper; I am my sister's keeper."
The second was when he said:
"America, our work will not be easy. The challenges we face require tough choices, and Democrats as well as Republicans will need to cast off the worn-out ideas and politics of the past. For part of what has been lost these past eight years can't just be measured by lost wages or bigger trade deficits. What has also been lost is our sense of common purpose. That's what we have to restore."
These were the highlights of his speech for me because they spoke to me in a way I had never heard from a politician before in my life. Growing up as an African-American, I've always felt like an outsider within the country I belonged to. The image of an African-American man speaking to our whole country about the promise of America finally made me feel like I was 100% American, as if I was more than just technically American, and moreso, just Black. I mean, not to be funny but, the whole "my brother's keeper" joint to me was just part of that Nino Brown mythology to me for most of my life. Now its on a platform, by a brotha, for everyone to ascribe to & try to live up to. Thats deep to me. As for the 2nd quote, the loss of a common purpose is something that I definitely agree has hurt America a lot over the past 8 years. Shit, I see it in my beloved hip-hop & to a lesser extent in my beloved MLW, so to hear it commented on by Barack hit home. How can we unite if can't remember what we all really want? We can continue to pretend and fake the funk, which leads to deeper, more decisive divisions, or we can put our pride to the side & find out what we need to be about. Thank you, Barack for putting that out there. You've given me reason to still have faith in this country getting better.
