13 Nov 2008 |
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Random Rambles: Obama Black Or White I was deeply moved by the profound display of racial harmony, during in the just completed presidential election in the United States. The election is one for the history books, for many reasons. Top among the reasons is the election of the first black man to be the president of the greatest country in the history of mankind. To many, America once again showed her unsurpassed beauty despite, past history of racial disharmony. By this singular act, America ended up sending a strong message to the rest of the world, "learn to rise above the color of a man’s skin." The mood in the country for an overwhelming majority remains exhilarating, one get a general sense of pride from people, who feel thoroughly satisfied to be part of history. The majority of those, who got Obama elected are whites. No soon had the euphoria of the recent election died down, than some cynics started a new line of argument. Is Obama really black. My first response is simple, do we really need this, but let’s get down to it for once address some of their concerns. The reason adduced by people in with this line of thought includes: " Obama was born in Hawaii, which is geographically separate from the Continental U.S. " Short answer, Hawaii is part of the United States. The man once circulated his birth certificate for all to see. Officially, he is an American. Haba! "Obama's parents were divorced and he was raised by a Muslim Indonesian step father." So what, who said that we do not have blacks who are Muslims. Like he has say on the religion of his stepfather. "Obama was educated at Harvard a " traditionally White " Ivy League school with an extremely low percentage of African-American Alumni. " Low percentage of blacks! fine he was among the few blacks who made it to the elite school. Lots of blacks also graduated from Harvard Law School. Guess what, he was also the first editor of Harvard Law Review, why not, there has to be a first. On Federal Radio Washington: Recently, one of such cynics asked on Federal Radio. " Why are people calling him black?. He is also is white, after all, a white woman raised him and her mother is white. Why deny the mother of her rights. …….." The show went on to banter on this, for a considerable length of time. All the well-informed participants in the radio show conveniently ignored one thing, by law Obama is Black, the U.S. Supreme Court said so, and it became law. How the United States Supreme Court, Held that a man who is 1/8 black, is Black For once, I remembered, Homer Adolph Plessy, with a deep sense of satisfaction . In the landmark segregation case, Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537(1896), the United States Supreme Court, held that a man who was 1/8 black is black and must seat on the colored (black) section of a train.Homer Adolph Plessy, was practically white, and looked white, since obviously he was 88% white and only 12% black. 30 years old Plessy, sat on a train meant for whites only and was jailed. He went through a series of appeals, and each time was told that he could not seat with whites. Mr. Plessy, then took his case to the Supreme Court, hoping for vindication of what he thought was his rifght, surprised, he met the unresponsive ears of the Supreme Court Justices. The U.S. Supreme Court, in holding that, separate but equal accommodation was fine. Told Mr. Plessy, that the State of Louisiana was right, when she held that, Plessy should seat on the colored section of the train. In conclusion any legislation that sets separate seats but in "equal" manner, is fine. And the State can define the mixture of blood in your system that makes you white or black. An obviously disappointed Homer Adolph Plessy, left Washington. Obviously disappointed with Mr. Plessy were others, who had any iota of black in them, who might have wished, to take advantage of better :"white only" school Separate but equal became the law for over sixty years. Schools were segregated, even when the black schools in the Deep South were performing poorly. Little kids had to travel miles to get to their black schools, even if better white schools were just right in front of her parent’s house. A starving black man, who after a very long journey, saw a restaurant cannot go in and eat, if the restaurant happens to be for whites only. The psychological effect of segregation was devastating. What The Supreme Court Specifically Said About Who is Black Though the definition of who is a black man was not specifically, the issue in the case, but the Court made telling observation on that: The Plessy Court, observed that "It is true that the question of the proportion of colored blood necessary to constitute a colored person, as distinguished from a white person, is one upon which there is a difference of opinion in the different States, some holding that any visible admixture of black blood stamps the person as belonging to the colored race (State v. Chaver, 5 Jones [N.C.] 1, p. 11); others that it depends upon the preponderance of blood (Gray v. State, 4 Ohio 354; Monroe v. Collins, 17 Ohio St. 665); and still others that the predominance of white blood must only be in the proportion of three-fourths. (People v. Dean, 4 Michigan 406; Jones v. Commonwealth, 80 Virginia 538)." MY FRIENDS, MR. OBAMA IS AS BLACK AS IT GETS. CAN WE NOW MOVE BEYOND THIS ARGUMENT! Just for completeness, it must be stated that, only one Justice dissented, and ended up making a prediction. PROPHETIC STATEMENTS BY THE LONE DISSENTER IN PLESSY The lone dissenter in Plessy, Justice John Harlan, display what has been recently described as an incredible foresight when he wrote: "Our Constitution is color-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens. In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law...In my opinion, the judgment this day rendered will, in time, prove to be quite as pernicious as the decision made by this tribunal in the Dred Scott case.( ..The present decision, it may well be apprehended, will not only stimulate aggressions, more or less brutal and irritating, upon the admitted rights of colored citizens, but will encourage the belief that it is possible, by means of state enactments, to defeat the beneficient purposes which the people of the United States had in view when they adopted the recent amendments of the Constitution."Segregation Is No Longer The Law It must be noted that separate but equal is no longer the case, since it was overturned. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka , 347 U.S. 483 (1954), in another landmark ruling, the Court overturned Plessy. The Court in Brown, held that state laws that established separate public schools for black and white students, denies black children equal educational opportunities.The Definition of Black No Longer an Issue: However, the definition of who is black was never altered or discussed any longer. It was not ruled on because, America is fast moving against all-that. Genuine efforts are being made and continue to be made in the United States to ensure equal opportunity. It will be naïve to think or remotely assume that racial prejudice no longer exists, but officially, discrimination is prohibited. What The Election of Obama Means To Me In America: To me as a person, the election of Barack Hussein Obama, a black man has erased most of the doubts in my mind that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. It should also so be so for many blacks in America. At the risk of sounding too positive, I strongly believe that lots of opportunities abound for a black man in America. First and foremost, we must get serious, go to school, forgo short time gratification at the expense of your life. Racial prejudice may not be completely erased, but it has been dealt a crushing blow. Yes you can, if you so desire and work hard. What It Means To Me As A Nigerian A few weeks ago, I read an article from Dr. Thomas Ozodi Osuji, the article was intended to be a critical review of the work of Prof. Chinua Achebe. I must say that I have come to view the writings of Dr. Osuji, as an intellectual exercise, geared towards generating discussion. But this time, I was speechless. In his most shocking article so far, Dr. Osuji, openly supported the killing of fellow Igbos. In clear language, he basically applauded the massacre of Igbos in the Northern Nigeria, attributing it to the arrogance of the Igbos. Even more, shocking was the euphoria visited on his work by some from other ethic groups. Supporting the killing of a group because they are perceived as arrogant is worse that the ruling articulate in Plessy, which has been since, revised. Some of the responses to Dr.Osuji’s article showed me that we have a long way to travel. It is one thing for somebody to harbor tribal hatred, but another to support killing another human being. Osuji and those who applauded his article crossed the line. The rethyotics about "Obama happening in Nigeria" is mere lip service to a great event. Any Nigerian tribalist, that wakes up, looks in the mirror objectively, and fail to see a looser, is not telling himself the truth. We must rise against tribal sentiments, come to gather as one. Obama should serve as a rude awaking to all the internet tribal warlords scattered all over, what is supposed to be a milieu of academic sophistication, to wake up. The world is moving ahead. Check many tribal postings on the net. We most first learn to be objective, before attacking our leaders. For example, it is okay to blame Umaru Yar Adua or Obasnjo for poor performance, but to blame his ethnicity is pure hate mongering. Let’s really think about it. They’re maybe many Homer Adolph Plessys in Nigeria. My Uncle Dike Okamgba, is married to a wonderful Hausa woman, she is fully integrated into our small society of Umunna. Her kids should not suffer the same psychological trauma suffered by Mr.Plessy. Adanma OjembaEnweilo is married to Agbalagba Adeniran, her kids should not be made to feel different because of her tribe. Mr. Okechukwu Musa Mobolaji Ebong, is a mixture of 4 tribes in Nigeria, will the warring Internet hate monger, for once allow him to feel, that one nation, one destiny is not just a mere euphemism
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