I am one of those who waited with great anxiety for the election results. My friends asked me to bet on the winner, and I thought Obama would win by a big margin. But my white friend told me that he still thought that white people would not vote for a black guy. I reminded him that those who would not do so have already indicated so by voting for McCain. Yet as the day progressed, I became more convinced that my friend was right.
Well, then came the unexpected, Obama is the President elect of the United States. The scene itself and the emotions that came with it provoked a question of race relations in this country. America has moved in such a short time to seeing people as they are. Yet what if we did not have the economic crisis? What if McCain did not pick Governor Palin? What if...?
The world is celebrating that a black person is elected president. It is history and guess what, I waited for it. But then I asked myself a question, does this mean racism is over? Knowing that my daughters are black, it is a relevant question. Obama might have been elected president but we should not forget many people did not vote for him simply because he is black.
In fact,when we are speaking about racism, we are not speaking about all Americans. Many white people have accepted non-whites as equals. This does not mean that racism is no longer an issue in America. Rather than burying the issue of racism, the election of Obama should be used to educate those who view people of color as second class.
I am happy that I lived to see the night the world was waiting for and I would love to encourage everybody to treasure it. But I would also want to remind everybody that race relations will always be part of our community, unless we work to uphold the dignity of every human person.
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