Is November 4th the end of the Civil rights movement?

What started on a bus on December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama may be finally coming to a close very soon. What will happen to the Black struggle on 11/4/08? What will those angry poets rant about? How will comedians change their punchlines? What excuse will Pookie give as he does his 8 hour shift outside the liqua sto? Will the white man still be holding Pookie down? Does 11/4/08 mark the end of the Black struggle in America?

The Television in the food-court in downtown was airing Colon Powell’s Obama endorsement as I walked in last week. My natural reaction was to pop my chest out. correct my posture and stride harder. I felt a sort of curl of confidence occur on my lips as I grin. At that moment I was hit with the reality not only of a potential Black president, but there is another highly respected and influential Black man being listened to regarding this event.

I’ve fought a very personal battle of self doubt due to my race, I’ve fought to ensure my son never will blame his race for any abuses he may experience. My intellect has battled with social injustices, and the weight that black people talk about to the dismay of white America. But let me tell you, even if white America has absolutely nothing to do with the internal baggage that Black people carry, I must attest to the fact that it is a real and live burden. It may only live in the collective minds of Blacks due to the struggles that were had by their elders and the mounting obstacles that many of us face. Even as a successful black man, I’ve left many of my childhood friends behind. 11/4/08 may be the best answer to the lifting of this cross that we bare. I welcome it with open arms, heart and mind.

Some white Americans may be swayed to heal the racist elements of their hearts if Obama can win and truly represent his creed despite his race. Some white (mid-western) Americans may drown in additional hatred as they state, “Those uppity nigga’s need to remember their place”. That same racial frustration felt by some whites is the closes comparative to the racial disparity that Black people have endured. The difference between the two frustrations are that white bigots may feel regarding Blacks, “They are unworthy”. Just as Black people have felt, “They think I’m unworthy”. They both are negative burdens that are carried within the heart that act as a weight of self mental oppression.

Despite any change in white America, I guarantee that Black people all across this country will feel different, better, stronger, less disenfranchised, included, heard and considered. I hope this change will not come at a cost of white America feeling slighted or robbed as if inclusion is a piece of a limited amount of pie that they had to give up to the enemy. Yet this pie can increase in size and scope without taking away from anyone. We should all get a slice and a cup of milk to accompany it. I hope this burden of hate and doubt can be lifted from us all.

Most historians say that Civil rights movement was well over by 1980. I could agree in the sense that Republican Reaganomics ruled the 80’s and that the 70’s were so hard on Black people that they stopped uniting and begin fracture into either the assimilated or the fallen by the waist-side. Blacks were too divided to fight a common battle. They were culturally exhausted from the civil rights movement, the sexual revolution and the drug epidemic. But just because they weren’t punching, bobbing and weaving doesn’t mean they were not still in the boxing ring. Black people have been oppressed in many corners of the world, and every time they obtain their independence, things get worse way before they get better. We saw it in the rapid deterioration of the Black family at the end of the Civil rights movement. We saw it in South Africa and in Jamaica. Black Americans must take this moment in history and learn from history to receive the greatest gain of this era.

Let us pray for peace of mind for all