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Current mood:  blessed
TRUE STORY
Ever since I started publicly endorsing Senator Obama, I have received note after note from people
(and they all coincidently happened to be white)
telling me that I should think about my choice and not just vote for Obama because he is a man of color. Some have even went to the extent of calling me and my entire race "dumb", "ignorant" & other derogatory terms because of our support for Obama. They feel as if minorities don't have minds enough to make an EDUCATED choice. They feel that we just see a black man so we get behind him like he's the new rapper with the hottest single out or something.
I'm not a racist at all, but these type of things REALLY upset me and make me wonder how far have we really come if they percieve us in that light? I don't know about you but I'm sick of being treated as if I don't have a mind of my own, or being judged by my skintone. The last time I checked, the 60's have been long OVER. I know that evey white person isn't like this, so in fairness I will not generalize them like they do us. I'm only speaking to the one's who have disrespected me, and the one's who feel that all Blacks are "dumb" & "ignorant".
Has a white person ever been accused of "just voting for a President because he's white"? Oh wait, they couldn't have been, because EVERY president since the 1700's has been white. And Blacks weren't even allowed to VOTE until 1965. At least not FAIRLY. If we tried to before then, the Klan would show up at your door.
The Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution, one of three adopted in response to the American Civil War, prevented any state from denying the right to vote to any male citizen twenty-one years old or older on account of his race. Particularly in the South, however, many practical barriers were erected to this becoming a reality. Most abused was the literacy test. The ability to read and write the English language was not banned as a basis for determining voter eligibility by this amendment and blacks were often denied the right to vote on this basis. Even literate blacks were often told they had "failed" such a test, if in fact, it had even actually been administered. On the other hand, illiterate whites were often allowed to vote through a "Grandfather clause" which waived literacy requirements if one's grandfather had been a qualified voter, which for most blacks in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War was an impossibility. Selective enforcement of the poll tax was frequently also used to disqualify black voters, a fact which led to the eventual adoption of the Twenty-fourth Amendment. Intimidation tactics were employed to bar blacks from voting as well, such as "night rides" by the Ku Klux Klan. Economic tactics such as eviction from rental housing or termination of employment were also used . Such practices did not fully end until the American Civil Rights Movement scored one of its greatest triumphs when it encouraged the passage by the United States Congress of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Now once again I AM NOT RACIST. This is merely me stating FACTS.
And it was brought on by people messaging ME. I wasn't even gonna go there. I was doing quite well supporting my candidate and expressing my opinion when I was was presented with disrespect.
So all I am doing is responding, and defending myself and my race. If we don't defend ourselves, who will? I actually forget about color until somebody reminds me I'm Black. I see us as the HUMAN RACE. When will you?
Just so you know, there are Black Teachers, Lawyers, Doctors, Engineers, Judges, Presidential Candidates, Mothers, Fathers, Sons, Daughters and the list goes on and on. Will there ever be a time when people are truly judged only by the content of their character as oppossed to the color of their skin?
So in closing I just say one thing. I am not voting for Obama "The Black Man."
I am voting for Barack Obama the best CANDIDATE in my opinion for what the United States of America needs NOW. He just happens to be a Black Man. I love the fact that Women are making history in this election as well, and I am proud that these doors are being Knocked down. This is History! I just wish that it wouldn't have happened in the SAME election year. How ironic is that??
By the way did you know that the First WOMAN to run for President was a BLACK Woman? Yes, it's true. Shirley Chisholm ran in 1972.
To read about it, copy and paste the address below in your browser
http://www.jofreeman.com/polhistory/chisholm.htm
So we continue to make strides, and will continue to push on. I know there are alot of people out there that make us look bad. But we can't be held accountable for every person. I know alot of good people who are Muslim, and they get treated as if they were in on the World Trade Center plotting.
Timothy McVeigh blew up the Federal Building in OKC, but we can't look at every white male as a potential bomber. So don't look at all Blacks as Thugs, Gangbangers, and hoodlums. Most of the Black people I'm associated with have careers or are in College or trying to better themselves in some form or fashion. That's why Obama is my choice, because maybe he is the Catalyst to show that it doesn't matter who you are, what color you are... if you believe it, you can acheive it! Thanks for Taking the time out to read this and don't be shy, leave me a comment and let me know how you feel about the issue.
The Video Below is a prime example of how Education can turn things around. The interviewer clearly thinks that the Black man he is talking to is just voting for Obama because he is Black. By the end of the conversation, he extends his hand introduces himself and realizes, some of us actually have a thought process. That's all we can ask for, Respect.
Be Easy,
Flyboy
p.s. Click here to subscribe to my Blog, I don't post em that often, but when I do you'll appreciate knowing about 'em.
7:33 PM
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