Are We Still In A Struggle? (now that we have a black president)
Are we still in the freedom struggle, or did the successful campaign of our newly elected president satisfy the yearning for a just America? Have now our weary feet finally come to the place for which our fathers died? There is now going to be a non-white family living in the Whitehouse for the first time. Does this mean Dr. M.L. King’s dream is come to full fruition? Is this what he meant when King prophetically said in his last speech “we as a people will get to the promised land”? Have we arrived?
These are important questions that beg to be answered at this critical point in our journey. I will be the first to acknowledge how the victory of President-elect Obama has obliterated the glass ceiling. The invisible lid that has kept the best and brightest among us from America’s top job has been removed. God has tremendously blessed this nation to reach a new height in achievement. There will never be another black child hoping to be the first black president of the United States. This is a fact that has the entire world stunned.
But while we are celebrating this great milestone of our nation’s progress, let’s not forget about the many problems that still plague us as a people. The prison industrial complex is still the post modern form of slavery. HIV is still spreading at alarming rates. American children are not receiving the quality education they deserve. Police brutality is still a reality…. Of course I can go on and on about the issues we face today, they are daunting and do demand attention. However, the office of the president only has limited power in our communities and households.
The ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people. – Ashanti Proverb
Yes we are still in a struggle together. And the above proverb is true but the strength of a nation also begins in the homes of its people. President Obama will do a fine job as our national leader (it remains to be seen but I am sure) however many of our issues are requiring leadership on the home front. We need men and women to stand up and lead on the block unit level. We need the churches to once again become the backbone of community. We need to redefine success to mean more than individual achievement and expand it to include our neighbor’s well being. We need young people with progressive and creative minds to be so inspired to run for political offices on every level of government. We need more change.
I pray that President Obama would not only be a great American president but also that he becomes the new “cool”, and thereby inject into the hearts of our children a spirit of excellence.
These are important questions that beg to be answered at this critical point in our journey. I will be the first to acknowledge how the victory of President-elect Obama has obliterated the glass ceiling. The invisible lid that has kept the best and brightest among us from America’s top job has been removed. God has tremendously blessed this nation to reach a new height in achievement. There will never be another black child hoping to be the first black president of the United States. This is a fact that has the entire world stunned.
But while we are celebrating this great milestone of our nation’s progress, let’s not forget about the many problems that still plague us as a people. The prison industrial complex is still the post modern form of slavery. HIV is still spreading at alarming rates. American children are not receiving the quality education they deserve. Police brutality is still a reality…. Of course I can go on and on about the issues we face today, they are daunting and do demand attention. However, the office of the president only has limited power in our communities and households.
The ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people. – Ashanti Proverb
Yes we are still in a struggle together. And the above proverb is true but the strength of a nation also begins in the homes of its people. President Obama will do a fine job as our national leader (it remains to be seen but I am sure) however many of our issues are requiring leadership on the home front. We need men and women to stand up and lead on the block unit level. We need the churches to once again become the backbone of community. We need to redefine success to mean more than individual achievement and expand it to include our neighbor’s well being. We need young people with progressive and creative minds to be so inspired to run for political offices on every level of government. We need more change.
I pray that President Obama would not only be a great American president but also that he becomes the new “cool”, and thereby inject into the hearts of our children a spirit of excellence.
Comment
© 2024 Created by Raliegh Jones Jr..
Powered by
You need to be a member of Black Preaching Network to add comments!
Join Black Preaching Network