In June, my Dad who now lives in Melbourne was telling me his thoughts about the Obama Phenomenon. Dad is an avid newspaper reader, mostly on the web now, so he had been following the US elections from Down Under. Despite having been in the U.S. for 30 odd years, Dad never got citizenship. He could never bring himself to become a citizen of the United States because of our foreign and domestic policies. My Dad has always been a conscious objector to war. He is also a pacifist. He was actively involved in the free speech and civil rights movements at UC Berkeley at their inception. That was around the time that he and Mom adopted me which was one of the first, if not the first, interracial adoptions in Alameda County.
In June, Dad was feeling optimistic about the US elections. Obama, he said, seemed like a long overdue change. The type of change he was fighting for and living into when he and Mom adopted me. He likes what Obama brought to the conversation, among other things, the message of hope and Yes, We Can. As an aside, he added “and besides, he looks like my son.”
I thought to myself, Obizzle is a good looking brotha but I don’t look much like him. A few days later, I more fully appreciated what Dad was saying. I was talking with my boy Jose about the sustainability movement and events and hearing him say “I don’t see me.” What jose means is he doesn’t see people with similar backgrounds and experience — its not about the nuances of appearance. Hopefully, this will change this year with Green Festival as I know that this is a key concern for Global Exchange. Hats off to Kevin Danaher for hiring on Zakiya Harris!
Anyway, Obama doesn’t look like me, but when he’s damn sure looks a lot more like me than any other President that I have ever know of. And its OK for dad to think he looks like his son. Especially, since when I see Obama on the big screen, as Jose says “I see me”.
And it feels really good. I can honestly say, that Nov 4th, 2008 was the first time in my entire life that I have felt proud to be an American. And I don’t think that I am alone in feeling this way.
That all being said, from the 10,000 foot view, Obama is just a small part of the monumental change that needs to occur if we are to continue life on the planet as we know it. But I think his election was an important milestone that has captured the imagination of BILLIONS of people. We now have an unprecedented opportunity. Now, as Obama quite graciously has told us repeatedly, its all about us! Time to get active. Time to get involved. Time to change the world.
On 11-4, it finally became real for me that a better world is not only possible but is waiting for us ot live into it. Lets make it happen! Obamanos!
The beautiful thing about seeing yourself reflected by someone similar is that it is the basis for seeing yourself in everyone….
It’s important that people of color in this country–and especially our youth–see themselves as powerful agents of change. After all, the future will look more like Obama. Power to the future, and to the positive changes to come….
I love the term Obamanos!
I’m a white adoptive mom of a child from China, so I relate perhaps a bit more with your father than with you on at least some things. I totally relate, though, on this being the first time I felt proud to be an American. I never even understood the concept of feeling proud before, as in my lifetime I’ve seen this country stand on the side of so much that is wrong in the world. But meanwhile a change has been going on among the people, bit by bit, and often times with what seems to be more steps backwards than forwards, but slowly a change towards more acceptance has been happening. Listening to the BBC they remarked on how unlikely it would be in any other country for a member of a minority racial or ethnic group to be elected to the top office in the country — and I had never thought about that before.
I had such mixed emotions on election night, though. I was overjoyed about Obama, but totally depressed about California Prop 8. I guess that is one of those steps back. But we WILL get there. Together. Obamanos!