Barak Obama’s Innogeration Benidiction

As I continue to comment on the Innogeration of Barak Obama last Tuesday, today, I would like to focus on the Benediction at the end of the ceremony by Reverend Joseph Lowery.

Before I do I want to talk about the issue of racism in the presidency and the innogeration of Barak Obama.

I don’t agree with all of the policies of President Obama, but I do respect him as our president. I respect him as a learned man who ran a brilliant campaign based on change. The campaign targeted one of mankind’s deepest desires- change for a better future. He was never really clear on what that change would be, but it was a good and successful campaign nonetheless.

One thing that Barak Obama never did, as far as I know, while he was campaigning, was market the fact that he happened to be black. And even though many black Americans turned out to cast their votes for Barak Obama based off of the fact that he is black, I believe that even if that segment of voters didn’t show up at the polling places, that Obama still would have won the nomination by a landslide. I’ll get to my point for saying those things in just a moment.

In America, where we have fought long and hard for over 150 years to end the injustice of racism, there seems to be a select few that want to bring it up again and again. People who do so are perpetuators of racism- people who seem to want to bring it to the forefront of our collective consciousness.

So as America approached the Innogeration Day of our first African-American president, that day quickly became much less about the brilliant, change-focused, expert orator president elect Barak Obama; and more and more about the color of this man’s skin.

Now I do believe that our country nominating our first African American president is a monumental-historic occasion that we should celebrate and take pride in. This event SHOULD mark the end to our nation’s epic struggle for racial equality.

I heard many words spoken by citizens of this nation about the nomination of Barak Obama to president. Words like,”Finally, we did it!”; “I never thought that I would live to see this day!”; “A black man is now president!” These to me were words of irony because while those who spoke them were trying to say how great it was that an African American had been elected president, those same words came out as a racist comments as well. It was almost as is they were saying,” We never thought an African American man was good enough to be president!”; or “White people are to evil to vote in a black president, so we don’t know how this happened!”

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed of a day where a man would be judged by the content of his character, and not the color of his skin. And on a day when that dream- that prophesy- had been fulfilled; people- so bitter over the racial inequality of the past, people who hold grudges from days long past- stirred up the hate and the confusion once more becasue they are not ready to move on or forgive.

The Bible says,” As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.” This happened at the closing moment of the innogeration of America’s first African American president as the Reverend Joseph Lowery walked up to the pulpit to give the closing benediction of the innogeration of President Obama.

Praying to God and over the global crowd watching- which easily surpassed one billion people- Reverend Lowery spoke some of the most racially ignited words that I have ever heard. He spoke into existence words that tear open the healing wounds of racial inequality in our nation.

This was the closing refrain from his benediction:

“Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man, and when white will embrace what is right.

Let all those who do justice and love mercy say amen.“

These words were horribly disgusting and offensive to every race he spoke over. He is an enemy to Dr. King’s dream because instead of talking about the character of a man, he spoke of the color of a man. He is an enemy to President Obama’s ideals that ‘we are more than a collection of Red States and Blue States; we are, and always will be, the United States of America’ becasue he spoke not of a united America, but one that’s divided.

As for his exact words,” ..help us work for the day when black will not be asked to get back…”: The last time I checked, it’s been decades since African American’s were asked to sit in the back buses in the segregated South. On a day when an African American man can be elected as the most powerful leader in the worldd, I don’t think that black is being asked to get back.

“When brown can stick around”: Mr. Lowery this is deplorable. In the country I live in, people who’s skin color happens to be brown are not being asked to leave. So why are you suggesting that they cannot stick around? If you are refering to our hard working Mexican brothers and sisters to the South who cross our borders to work dilligently and send money back to their struggling families; then you need to realize that they can stick around as long as they do so legally. And you need to realize that politicians from various parties, right now, are trying to make it easier and safer for our Mexican friends to come and work with us in America.

“When yellow will be mellow“: I don’t even know what to say here except for the fact that if I were “yellow“, that I would be extremely offended. Mr. Lowery, in modern day America, we refer to those who you refer to as “yellow“, as Asians- and we expect you to do the same instead of calling them racially degrading terms. And in your opinion, if “yellow” is not mellow, then what are they- angry? Come on!

“When the red man can get ahead“: Reverend Lowery, in the nation I call home, we call those who you call “red“, Native Americans. They are a beautiful people who ,unfortunately ,were exploited in our nation’s past. Because of their uncanny abillity to remain peaceful, we (people of racially diverse backgrounds) live with them in equality. They consider terms such as “red” highly offensive, and realize that those terms dig up ghosts from the past. Native Americans have equal opportunity to move ahaead in this country in anyway they chose. They have been especially wise and resourceful lately in providing their tribes and their greater communities with much needed money through the innovations of Native American run casinos.

“When white will embrace what is rightI“: Mr. Lowery, this statement is most offensive. To say that a whole segment of our country’s population, caucasians or Euro-Americans, are not doing what is right- almost as if you think they are incapable of it- is awfully self-righteous of you. There are many people in our nation who daily embrace what is right just as there are many Americans who make mistakes and fail to do what is right. This is not based off the color of their skin, but on the very condition of being human.

Reverend Lowery, you do not represent the new America- the America that sees people for who they are and not the for the color of their skin. You represent a narrow-minded segment of our population who usually join clubs with the names like the KKK, the Black Panthers, and the Skinheads.

You don’t have to pray for a day when these things will be happening, because- through the loving effort of pioneers who have come before us (Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, etc…)- we are already well on our way there. Of course there is always room for improvement, but we as America refuse to live in the past.

One Responseto “Barak Obama’s Innogeration Benidiction”

1. Lori says:

   January 30, 2009 at 10:35 am

   That was well-said… perfect! And it reflected your love for people which made it that much better…