Yesterday was indeed a historic day. The first man of African descent to become the president of today’s most powerful nation on earth! Although I don’t live in America, even I was walking around the office today with my chest a little further out than normal, jeering my white collegues that it’s a “new day” and “go get me a coffee whitey!” lol! I noticed this morning as I watched the news, that my 14 month old son would stop and become mesmorised by clips of Obama during his victory speech. I can only hope that in years to come when he becomes politically and socially aware, the significance of this moment will be truly historical in that Obama was the first… and not the first and only Black president of the United States of America!
I spent time surfing the Afrosphere and read a number of commentaries on what others felt/thought of Obama’s victory. Let me share these articles from different perspectives which I found of interest:
- Two articles from the African Executive: Obama Presidency: What Africa Should Do and Why America Needs Barack Obama
- From Booker Rising: My Conservative Aunt: “Obama Has Bastardized Dr. King’s Dream”
- A letter from my sister Sonskystar: A Letter to Black Barack Obama Supporters
- Regular Brotha throws down with: Random thoughts on a Historic Moment!
- Serious satire and thought-provoking reality from Black Agenda Report with: Morning in Obamerica: Change, Chane Change? and The Obama ’08 Phenomenon: What Have We Learned?
Enjoy.
While we may celebrate Barack Obama’s election to the US presidency, we also have to temper our rejoicing with a few sober observations. The World entered a new historical period eight years ago, and Barack Obama’s presidency continues this new period, he doesn’t begin it. This period, we may safely say, marks the break up of Imperialism.
The lag between events which swung into motion then and what has happened recently means that revolutionary organizers have a great deal of work to catch up on. Tho several factors separate this chapter from its preceding era, we have to be clear about those factors and how
they affect our prospects for revolutionary work.
The spreading political crises suggest that the system of monopoly capital domination is approaching its limitations. We have to overstand that capital, for all its worth, has severe limitations. People must oppose capitalism because in a vast interwoven social fabric which makes fabulous lifestyles possible for a handful of people, billions of others live at the margins of existence.
Indeed, capital cannot sustain the growing world society. There is not enuf of it to go around. Capital and capitalism cannot end poverty; capitalism lacks the ability to make people happy. It cannot end wars and violence; on the contrary, it intensifies aggression. Capitalism will never make any inroads towards ending disease and mental affliction as long as a profit can be made. The capitalist class system remains responsible for dividing society, concentrating resources into a few hands, where the
distribution of those resources could go a long way towards improving everyone’s lives everywhere.
People everywhere have high expectations for Barack Obama, who can only pay lip service towards solving the problems of the real world. He did not even address the US black (African) community except to make a poorly received speech on Fathers Day. At that time, he was seen for promoting the same old Democratic Party shrift. Perhaps he may break attempt to break out of the mold, yet the system of worldwide domination will never let that happen.