Anniversaries, The Certain & The Hoped For: Remembering the Barack Obama Block Party

A little over a year ago today, America cast ballots in one of the most significant elections in the history of our nation.

(No, I didn't steal that from a corny late-night television documentary. And anyway, you can't prove I did.)

Last year this time, the country was tingling with the heady reality of the election of now President Barack Obama. In that moment, we probably became more America than we'd ever been. I don't argue this because I believe Obama's win was necessarily a moment of dream-fulfillment for all Americans.

I say this because the election of President Obama literally propelled us into a truer identity, and a new political, societal, racial, and communal place all at once. A year later, few of us can ignore that fact that our identity as a nation, and as a complex group of disparate cultures, beliefs, and hopes - has been sharpened.

We all got a bit of magnification job. It's impossible not to see ourselves now, though that hasn't stopped some of us from trying - bless our hearts. To be fair, I don't think you can blame us. Some of that stuff is just plain ugly, and, at the least, embarrassing.

There's been a lot of talk about the anniversary of Obama's election, and certainly about what can be assessed about his performance at the early stage in the game.

(In this post, I'm joining in by remembering my documentary and magazine podcast project, the Barack Obama Block Party.)

Of course - lately, there's been a great deal of talk about anniversaries generally.

The media's been abuzz about the remembrances of historical moments that "changed America", "changed Germany", or "changed the world". I'm not immune. I'm sure that my forthcoming postings will reflect this bout of nostalgia present in the media and lingering around our water coolers.

Anniversaries offer interesting space for reflection. After all - not every anniversary inspires celebration. Some can only be "commemorated", and others we'd rather forget. Too, there are those remembered dates that force us to do the uncomfortable work of accounting.

I think we're experiencing each of those possibilities right now.

But rather than to plow in at this moment - I'm going to invite you to take a look back.

Last year I took on a project I called the Barack Obama Block Party. I wanted to take a snapshot in time and capture a moment unlike any other in American history: Pre-teens getting out the vote, centenarians at the ballot box, revelers dancing in city streets throughout the world. I wanted to ensure that we held the vision of the euphoria of community feeling, unity, and free expression before it slipped away.

Hell - I wanted to issue a challenge. Something like "Yeah, we're excited. But seriously, don't fall off."

A year later, I've decided to take on a monthly podcast magazine project. More on that in future. Today, I'm reflecting.

Visit the podcast. Remember. Share. We're in the midst of an anniversary, after all.

The hard stuff's coming. But not today.

...Well, not here at least.


Image Credit: Dean Russo

Barack Obama's Cabinet & Odetta's Legacy

Barack Obama is President-Elect of the United States of America.

I don't know about you, but I was so excited I threw a digital "Barack Obama Block Party". Yes, I did. Check out the new podcast and let me know what you think.

A nation has leapt a hurdle - reaching a new plateau in our history. Young people, baby-boomers of all stripes, people of color, and various communities came together in an unprecedented way to ensure his election.

His movement became their movement; his moment was theirs as well.

Since then, the nation's been in a kind of surreal limbo. It's something like a sweet and bitter gumbo - folks high on the hope of America's historical moment while grappling with financial strife the likes of which most living Americans have never seen.

So, "Yes We Did".

But yes, "We Need To". And quickly. President-elect Obama's going to have to Shake It Fast.

We're nearing the one month mark of Barack-Obama's election and transition process, and during that time, we've watched America's next President move at a breakneck pace to build a cabinet set to hit the ground running on January 20.

Supporters and cynics alike are watching Obama very closely, especially as his cabinet takes shape. Thus far, this is perhaps one of the most highly qualified, well educated collection of folks assembled for the President's close council. Too, I don't think I've ever seen so many former haters sign up for posts so quickly. The appointment of former rivals Senator Clinton to the role of Secretary of State and that of Bill Richardson in the Commerce Department post suggests a great deal of confidence on Obama's part.

Or, it tells us more about the world of politics than we'd really like to know.

But I'd really be impressed if the President-elect brought Dennis Kucinich into the fold. That would be CHANGE I could pull a popcorn bucket up to - just to watch.

It should be said that after the latest in a swift round of Chicago Hilton press conferences, a number of folk have already expressed concern about the some of the Obama's selections. Is change truly at hand? Is the President-elect throwing bones at various groups, such as Latinos, with certain selections? Further, has our soon-to-be President shown the commitment to diversity the nation has come to expect - especially given the high level of ethnic (if not political) diversity prevalent in the G.W. Bush administration (which remains the oddest twist of irony)?

Sure, it may have been heartening for some to hear Bill Richardson address Latino voters and supporters in Spanish during his brief address today. But at this point, most of the answers about the true face of the President-elect's cabinet and staff won't truly be answered until we see his entire lineup.

And if some in the country are nursing concerns about the Obama's early moves - we ought to remember that it's the job of the people to keep an elected official honest, accountable, and worthy of our trust and tax dollars.

Now, as always, we've got to remember our voices, even if they register dissent.

The life of folk songstress Odetta, who died Tuesday at the age of 77, ought to teach us that. Odetta's song's of victim over oppression, her renditions of black southern prison and work songs, and her rich ballads - all seemed to resonate with the theme of freedom.

Odetta, born in Alabama and raised in California, brought the "Freedom Trilogy" - with voice and guitar - to the March on Washington, D.C. in August, 1963. Odetta's voice was to be featured at another historical Washington moment: the inauguration of President-elect Obama set for January 20, 2009.

We'll miss her on that day.

But the sacrifices she made as an cultural historian, folk singer, and activist reminds us that no matter the circumstances, we must always remember where we came from, make our voices heard, and continue the fight for justice.

In this pivotal historical moment, as we say farewell to Odetta and prepare to welcome our newest president, there are perhaps no more important lessons than these.

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Visit The New York Times for an article and short documentary on Odetta.

Top right photo credit- Charles Dharapak, Associated Press

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Odetta Sings "Water Boy"




Odetta Sings "God's Gonna Cut You Down"



Odetta at the Newport Festival

Two Words: Colin Powell

Could last weekend have gone any better for Sen. Barack Obama?

In the cosmic Obama love-fest that was the past 3 days, the senator emerged as the most prosperous, storied, and prestigious candidate in modern American political history (in the eyes of this blogger, at least).

For some, the past few days must seem like a storybook political dream. For others, the recent events must seem like something out of the winners playbook of the moguls. In arenas of power - corporate, political, hip hop, or organized crime - the goals are clear.

Say it with me, y'all: "First you get the money. Then you get the power. Then you get the respect."

The Money -

Recent days brought the announcement of his record-breaking one-month fund raising achievement - $150 million dollars in September alone. In St. Louis, he broke another record when a crowd of 100,000 - the largest ever to hear the Presidential hopeful in the U.S. Later the same day, 75,000 folks met him in Kansas City.

The Power -

And then there were the endorsements. The Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times both officially backed Barack Obama - releasing word on Friday and publishing their endorsements in Sunday papers. At first glance, that may not seem like such a huge deal. After all, both papers are owned by the Tribune Company.

But glance again.

The Tribune Company has a right-wing reputation that led to an outcry when that company acquired the Los Angeles Times (the ruckus never truly quieted). And the Chicago Tribune's editorial board has been called the nation's most conservative. The paper's run for 16 decades, but this is the first it has ever backed a Democratic Presidential candidate. The Los Angeles Times had been on a kind of endorsement hiatus that began after 1972. And at 127 years old, this is the first time that paper has backed a Democrat.

Those events made a splash in the news world. But what happened next was something like a tidal wave.

The Respect -

It was storybook plot twist Shonda Rhimes might have written.

On Sunday morning, Senator Obama met a crowd in Fayetteville, N.C. He was just miles Fort Bragg - home of the 82nd Airborne Division and an American Military stronghold - when he gratefully acknowledged the endorsement of Retired Gen. Colin Powell.



Damn.

Powell is the most respected military figure in public American life. He was the first black Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the first black Secretary of State, serving in the administrations of four consecutive Presidents.

Lot's of folks thought he'd be the first African-American president.

And while some Republicans and pundits tried to play down the moment, which hit the international press with monumental force, the meaning was clear. Gen. Powell's endorsement dealt a body blow to their campaign.

And it couldn't have come at a worse time for McCain.

During the same weekend, The New York times ran unflattering stories about Cindy McCain's history and John McCain's health. His allies called for an end to the anti-Obama robo-calls he's launched across the country. Sure, his VP candidate's appearance on SNL brought show's highest ratings ever. But the show largely mocked Palin and didn't necessarily raise her profile.

Certainly, a mere endorsement may have been one thing. But Gen. Powell's surgical deconstruction of the flaws of McCain's sense of ethics and discipline rang with the indignation of a man with infallible integrity.



Say what you will of Powell - he's proved again and again that he won't be owned. This is the man who walked off the Bush Administration and told the truth about it. This is the same man who turned his back on an opportunity to make history in a bid for the presidency.

This is a man who stated, frankly, that a man he's known for 25 years couldn't measure up to a man he's know for two. Despite military service. Despite longstanding political acquaintance.

The moment read like a symbolic crowning from one of America's most venerated and regal figures. Gen. Powell's selection truly marked Obama as the chosen one.

Few would doubt that Sen. Obama's handled himself well and run a highly disciplined campaign. He's raised a great deal of money and garnered a great deal of powerful partnerships and endorsements. And he's worked hard to earn America's respect.

But Powell's endorsement likely gained him an edge he couldn't possibly have picked up otherwise.

My own perspective? With the election just days away, the Colin Powell moment was decisive.

Powell may as well have given Obama the keys to the White House.

Kai Wright said it best days before Powell's endorsement: Obama can start measuring the drapes.

Vote: Your Ancestors Paid For It (No Matter Your Race)

There are still a few days to register to vote in a number of states.

And some of us still haven't.

I don't have to lay the issues out there for you. You need only to go to your window, drive through your neighborhood, look at your pay stub, or consider your debt ratio. If that doesn't move you, call a relative.

As a last resort, you could turn on your television - or check the pic below.

No matter where a person stands on the issues, every vote this year is a critical one.

And unless you are solely descended from very wealthy Brits from the "right side" of the kingdom circa 1620 or so, there was a time in this country when some or all of your people couldn't vote.

-- The first Americans held down this continent for thousands of years before the establishment of the United States. But colonies and later the country habitually established and broke treaties with various tribes and pushed them ever-further off desirable land. It was 1924 before Indigenous Americans were ever given a say in the governing of the country that had taken the liberty of dismantling their civilizations and determining their very existence.

Since so many of us swear we have "Indian in our family" I could actually stop here. But a few more points ought to be made.

-- If you're African American - male or female- your ancestors' right to the franchise has never been a given.

Laying the infrastructure of the nation, and providing the forced labor that built it's banking system, it's trade relations, and it's very wealth clearly didn't guarantee the ballot to enslaved Africans in America.

Even when black men gained the vote after Emancipation in 1869 it was swiped away in the next 2 decades, and remained unattainable - particularly for black women, until 1965. The lynch rope, shotguns, and bogus laws ensured that.

And without community vigilance and action, odious collectives across the country - including Republican forces fearing Democratic votes - continue to perpetrate a fraud against black voters.

One need look no further than the voter challenge actions allegedly being geared up for this November in states like Michigan.
States like Ohio and Florida continue to be hotbeds for disenfranchisement of black voters.

-- White males were still seeking universal (white) manhood suffrage in the 1830s. Only the wealthiest landowners had been able to vote before it was finally secured

--White Male Immigrants from places like Ireland, Italy, and Germany were also barred from the polls in various locations. Quakers, Catholics, and ethnic and religious Jews each suffered the same fate at one time or another.

--White women, regardless of citizenship, didn't cast ballots until 1920.

--Even If your ancestors chose to immigrate in recent decades, your community's voice has likely been silenced by voter disenfranchisement or exclusion at one time or another.

--And undocumented residents from around the world don't have the right to vote in this pivotal election. Regardless of what America's varying views on undocumented residents may be, our policies impact their lives and the fate of their families. For many, citizenship may never be a reality, even as their labor helps to ensure the American dream - or at least convenience and low prices - for the rest of us.

But history shows us that citizenship has never been a safeguard against disenfranchisement.

Thieves of justice have set up barriers to full participation and citizenship for hundreds of years, all in the attempt to harness America's power and wealth to serve a privileged minority while enslaving or disempowering - on various levels - the vast majority of people.

We can point the finger in any direction we'd like, but we all help to uphold such a system - even as we ourselves are overlooked and dismissed by our political infrastructure and elected officials.

Many of us contribute to the madness every time we seek to exclude or support the exclusion of tax-paying American citizens from the freedoms and rights guaranteed by citizenship simply because they are of color, gay, working-poor or disabled.

By doing nothing, and by creating a system of acquiescence where we don't care, don't pay attention, and don't vote - we undermine our rights. We step on the dream of having a country that actually works for all of it's citizens.

Certain interests are hoping Americans continue to do that. Thus far, many of us are falling right in line.

Right now, someone's coming up with another inane television competition show based on the premise that Americans will put more energy into voting for a fly-by-night or has-been singer, dancer, spoon-player or nose-picker than they will into voting for the President, governors, and congresspeople who will determine the fate of the nation we live in.

If we allow that to happen - if we continue to allow that to happen - then nearly every American dishonors the flesh, blood and sacrifices of their ancestors, recent and distant, who have paid for our right to be here.

Don't go out like that.

Vote.

Resources:
ACLU Voting Rights Timeline
Rock the Vote
Vote for Change
Declare Yourself
Questions about Voter Challenges?
Voting Rights Resources

Web-Inspired Motivation:


And a little celebrity levity to lighten the post:

XDRTB - TB's Ugly Twist & The News We Haven't Heard

In the bubble that is the United States, it's easy to forget there's a world beyond our borders.

We forget, for example, that our financial crisis - regardless of where we lay the blame - extends to markets worldwide.

We often overlook the fact that our next president isn't only the man who will, say, determine the direction of our Supreme Court with his selections or determine the resurrection or final demise of our education system.

He will also shape the future of our health intervention and policy throughout the United States and the world.

In case we've forgotten how critical that is, we don't have to look much farther than the recent increase in the numbers of American teen pregnancy, the skyrocketing rates of HIV and AIDS among U.S. teens and young people ages 13-24, and the continued explosion of the HIV/AIDS in India, China, and various African countries where the U.S. funds or provides health "intervention" and "care".

The abstinence-only, anti-condom, anti-woman, sex-ed phobic, counter-common sense policies of the current administration have certainly made their mark.

It doesn't have to be that way. Opportunities to offer meaningful assistance abound.

TED.com is promoting awareness of the work of James Nachtwey, who won the TED prize in support of his photograpy project documenting the impact of Extremely Drug Resistent Tuberculosis, or XDTRB.

Drug and healthcare have become strained topics of late. Too many companies employ nefarious practices - the type that kill. Often, the least powerful pay the price. So few of them are decent that it's easy to dismiss all health and pharmaceutical companies and orgs as corporate drug dealers with expensive suits and massive PR contracts.

Sure - any talk of medication intervention brings these companies to the table.

So I can't tell you what to do about the information I'm sharing. But members of the human family ought to at least know what plagues our brothers and sisters.

And maybe we should also ask ourselves why threats of this nature continue to be overlooked by our government and the media when people of color and poor nations are the victims.

Because before I received an email on the topic, I hadn't heard a thing about this mutated version of an age-old threat. And there's no excuse for that.

In all of our raging about the election, it's fine to play politics and spoof the debates. But we'd do well to consider what we want our next president to stand for once he gets into office and be willing to hold his entire administration to the fire for as long as he's there. It's time to set a new standard for policy and action that recognizes our influential place in the world - so long as we hold it.

Like so many other things, we can't afford to ignore another growing health crisis ravaging our neighbors.

The world is too small for that.

If you'd like to learn more, visit the XDRTB action website.

For more on HIV/AIDS in the context of culture and race in America, see this article and other work by health and culture writer Kai Wright.