Bearing the Weight of it All

[babylonsister]

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20081201/jealous

Bearing the Weight of it All
By Benjamin Todd Jealous

November 19, 2008


I looked around as the television screen flashed "Obama projected winner of the presidency." Some stood, in shock, unable to even applaud. Others hooted, high-fived, cheered and hugged, congratulating each other on what was obviously a communal victory. But it was the third response that was most captivating. They melted--some to the floor, some against the wall, some into another person's arms. They sobbed with the force of centuries, unleashing tears of joy they never thought they'd get the chance to shed.

It couldn't be real, could it? We couldn't have overcome generations of prejudice and a legacy of slavery to elect a black American to the presidency, could we? There was a woman standing near me who, with pleading eyes, kept begging for reassurance. "It's real, right? He won, right? They can't take it away, right?"

No one can take it away. This moment was centuries in the making and the net result of three different movements. It cannot be taken away because it was not given. It was earned.

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The intertwined weight of the civil rights and human rights movements created the fertile soil for a black man to rise to the highest office in our nation. The confluence of these movements--youth, civil and human rights--rendered a promise fulfilled and the election of Barack Obama. His words give testament to this proof. In his victory speech he said, "If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer."

But we cannot stop here. This victory is momentous but ethereal. Progress is eroded when not pushed forward, taken to the next level. There are still inequalities that need to be challenged: issues such as racial profiling, where in some areas African-Americans are still likely to be stopped by authorities based on the color of their skin. Also, sentencing disparities, where a higher percentage of blacks are likely to be convicted of drug-related crimes. In some regions high school dropout rates affect 50 percent of black youth, and the affordability of college for blacks seems to stretch further and further beyond reach. The increasing unemployment rate is consistently and dependably twice as high in the African-American community. It is the job of the NAACP and the countless forces from all three movements to make this transformative movement lasting.

Our forefathers' promise that "all men are created equal" can now be put to the test.