Acting White: Blacks Must Get On The Bus

First there was anticipation, then euphoria, and now the sobering reality. Yes, little black boys can grow up to be president, too, but will they? Or will Obama be another story of the lone wolf?

Some red-state faithful claim that blacks voted for Obama in record numbers based merely on his race. I don’t doubt this claim, nor am I swayed by it. What may seem trivial to some is everything to others. Those black voters grabbed a chance to option their skin color into the fabric, the culture, of America - something desperately needed. It may seem too racial, but for so many blacks lugging around two-century-old battle wounds, it was necessary in their struggle to feel like they belong. On the other hand, many non-blacks voted for Obama precisely because of the opposite. They see and hear beyond his complexion and their own, to realize someone who inspires them. This too is good.

Now here’s the rub. With Obama’s election, the day of reckoning for blacks is close-at-hand. At that time, counter, or oppositional behaviors either get the boot or my worse fear is realized, the black underclass becomes a permanent fixture in America. With Obama, blacks are witnessing a role model for the ages. Call it acting white, acting right, or simply taking care of business, he has given himself no choice but to slug his way through the problems of this country, with every available tool at his disposal. He asked for it. Voters gave it to him. Obama is now the man.

He will undoubtedly approach his tasks the way he was taught at Harvard, but more so the way he learned at his white grandmother’s kitchen table. He will not point to the past. He will not look for concessions of preparation, performance, or result. There will be no executive order excusing lateness or blaming whites. Call it Night at the Apollo, or the White House, there is no difference. Screw-up, get the hook.

Obama can do no more than hope that blacks get on the bus, through the 'yes we can' door he’s opened, while he mounts an attack on the weightier problems of hundreds of millions of Americans - getting the Dream off life-support.

James C. Collier

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