A sense of accomplishment fell over the land as we inaugurated the first Black president of the United States of America. Legions of spectators took over the Washington Mall to witness this most historic event. The realization of Dr. King\’s dream was taking place right before the American viewing audience. Grown men wept, children smiled with a fresh gleam in their eyes, mother\’s and grandmother\’s shouted hallelujah! It was if the perfect storybook ending was happening right before our eyes!
Somebody in the background was righting the script \”The African American race has finally arrived. This clearly proves that the need for affirmative action is over. If a black man can make it to the highest office in the land, if not the world, racism and discrimination have surely died. God bless America!\”
Breaking News: we aren\’t done yet!
Did we stop playing baseball when Jackie Robinson broke the \”color line\” in baseball? Did we stop reaching for space when Dr. Guion Stewart Bluford Jr. became the first black astronaut in space? Or what about February 25, 1870, when senator-elect Hiram Revels, a Republican from Mississippi, became the first African American to serve in the Senate? Have we forgotten about Claudette Colvin, the first person arrested for resisting bus segregation in Montgomery, Alabama. Let us not forget Joseph Rainey, the first African American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives or John Baxter Taylor Jr., the first African American to win an Olympic gold medal.
Being first doesn\’t mean being done! It simply means the baton gets handed off to the next runner. As Black History month ends, let us not forget that the race isn\’t won. In fact, being first simply means we are just getting started. If we were done then there would not be any controversy regarding the lack of color at this year\’s Oscar\’s, the chant of \”Black Lives Matter\” echoing throughout the country, or a potential presidential candidate having to explain why he needs to disavow David Duke (former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan).
The DC Voice has enjoyed bringing you this month-long tribute to Black heritage, determination, and a people destined for greatness. The road forward is indeed jut beginning and will continue until my grandchildren and great grandchildren don\’t have to remind anyone that lives of any color matter and inclusion in the American dream won\’t hinge on the political persuasion at the time.
Breaking News: We aren\’t done yet. \”Always Forward ®\”