What Can Barack Obama Do For America?
by Benjamin Roberts, 2008

There is an enduring painting of Columbus arrival to what we like to call the "New World." In this painting two of his ships are seen arriving off the shores of a Caribbean paradise complete with palm trees. The painting is very dark, but penetrating the dark clouds and heavens is a broad golden beam of light. It suggests that the firmament of darkness and obscurity in this New World is being torn open and illuminated by the brightness of advanced civilized European society, in the form of Columbus arrival. With Obama winning the Iowa primary that same picture comes to mind. It indicates the same message as the painting of Columbus arrival, but in reverse. In the Columbus 1492 scenario a visitor from the white European world was supposedly bringing enlightenment to a lesser race of human beings bathed in darkness and backwardness. In our 2008 scenario with Obama, a descendant of Africans, we have self enlightenment on the part of these Iowa descendants of the white European race as they come to the long overdue realization that this son of people who were once considered less than human is the prime choice to make their life, and that of their country, better. Given the dark and brutal history of America and the West, regarding slavery, this is a cataclysmic realignment of global consciousness and a ripping away of the dark firmament of unpleasant history as the bright light of self enlightenment, and of a new era, floods the landscape. Not unlike the scenario depicted in the painting of Columbus arrival. And the chain reaction all began in heartland America with the people of Iowa when they cast their primary ballot.

The assumption that the African skin was incapable of leading anything was never based on fact. It was simply a prejudice that was carefully and steadfastly nurtured until it took on a life of its own and became an urban legend. This notion has been dispelled time and time again throughout history. Beginning in biblical times it was the black Ethiopian warrior prince, Taharka, who came to the aid of the Jews, and whose name was invoked by king Hezekiah to put the fear of God into the Assyrians, the baddest boys on the block at that time, who had him and his people under siege. If you are so inclined take out your bible and read about it in the book of Isaiah. Next take the Haitian Revolution. Toussaint L"Overture and his army in this island nation defeated the best fighting force on the battlefield of the day. Napoleon"s army. Read about it in the book "The Black Jacobins." Then there was the assault on Fort Wagner in South Carolina by an all black Union regiment during the Civil War. Though it did not succeed, military fighting men had never before seen that level of fighting and bravery. That event in this nation"s history is immortalized and can be seen in the movie "Glory," with Denzel Washington and Matthew Broderick. Some years ago I was in a video rental store with "Glory" in my hand debating whether or not to rent it. A white lady and her children were standing next in line behind me. She said, "If you have never seen that movie please rent it. Me and my whole family were washed away in tears when we watched it. It will make you cry." I did watch it. She was right. Next there was the Tuskegee Airmen. Black men of one of our Air Force fighter squadrons in World War ll. They escorted bombers on missions into the heartland of Germany. In their missions they lost no bombers. They were so notorious that white bombardiers routinely insisted on being escorted by this wing. This was after blacks had been denied requests to become pilots because it was thought their mental capacity was inadequate for the skills necessary for such a job. I could go on and on, but there is one story that has stuck with me about what blacks can do and what the world sees when it sees America.

The event took place in World War ll, and it is not from a book. It was a Jewish rabbi on television recounting events as a little boy in Germany at the close of the war when that nation was shattered and being overrun by American and Soviet forces. He and his family were huddled in a house in their German town. There was no food and they were hungry and afraid to venture outside, not sure of who would prevail in the fighting. From his vantage point being so small he had a better view of the town square than his siblings and parents. He was the first to see a group of army tanks pull into the square amid the destruction and dust. But he saw something else and bolted from the shattered house, making a bee line for the tanks. His family was beside itself, thinking him to be a foolish boy, who would surely be killed. He scampered to the lead tank, having glimpsed the tank commander from his hiding place in the house. The reason he ran out so fast was because he had seen that the commander atop the tank was a black man, and this meant that it was the Americans and not the Russians who had gotten to their town first. The commander alighted, hugged him, and gave him some of his rations or candy, I don"t remember which. On seeing this, the whole neighborhood came out, thrilled that it was the Americans who had come. Tears came to my eyes when I saw this elderly Jewish American rabbi, scarred by the Holocaust, recounting his darkest days as a child in war torn Germany, and the coming of that bright ray of hope which was in the form of a black man that signaled America and all that was good. Wow! Talk about being blown away.

Wake up America! The people of Iowa already have. Just about everyone of the presidential candidates are casting themselves as representing change. In truth they represent the status quo, including Hillary Clinton. Barack Obama is the only candidate who represents true change. Not the so called "Morning in America" change claimed by Ronald Reagan. Not the "new day new way" change of the Clinton and Gore tag team. Obama represents the change of an era. A cataclysmic change that will reverberate throughout the world. In a sadder time of pain, anger, and grief, the event of September 11 caused shockwaves in America and the world, changing it forever. The pain, the death, the greed, the despair, the resentment, the deception, and the savagery that has descended on our world since this disaster is absolutely stifling and crippling. Just imagine how the world would look at this country were Barack Obama to become President of the United States! All this pathetic war on terror, listen in on phone calls, duct tape up your windows and doors, and pre-emptive strike flotsam and jetsam of the George Bush and Dick Cheney Administration would be washed out to sea once and for all. Not that there will not be problems, and not that Obama will be able to single-handedly solve these problems. It is just that were this man to win the Presidency of the United States the world will stop in its tracks, breathe a sigh of relief, and celebrate an America they once knew, but have not seen in a long time. An America that is on the forefront of change. An America whose innovations and way of doing things have galvanized their world. An America who they envy, respect, and aspire to emulate due to its progressive ideas and ways of being. Get ready America. We have ushered in change for our world on many occasions before, and are in a position to do so again. The people of Iowa have already done so. Now its time for each of us to wake up and do our part..