Being More Than Hype

Will Smith called it an ‘evolutionary flashpoint’. People from Lupe Fiasco to the guy cutting hair at the barber shop have said that because of this, ‘there are no more excuses’. Black people in churches all across America spent Sunday shouting and praising, some even saying that we have now reached the ‘promised land’ that Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of the night before his assassination. Of course, the event I am speaking of is the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States.

Barack Obama is quite possibly the most inspirational political figure in the world since Nelson Mandela. The support he received throughout his campaign based on change reached people from every walk of life, every ethnicity, and every generation to the tune of roughly 64 million votes and international applause as he became the first African American ever elected the U.S. presidency. Immediately after his victory was announced, people took to the streets in celebration, and the party has been playing out on the air for the last six days. Crying superstars, jubilant preachers, and millions of people inspired by the change that has come to America. His victory has created hope in places and in people where there never has been. It is a new day in the new world

Make no mistake, though, the change that we truly seek is not one that can be brought about through the election of a black man as President. The change that we truly need is not one that can be brought about through the presidency of this black man. The change that we truly seek is one that must begin in us. For many, the election was the spark that ignited the flames that will move us to action. For the rest of us waiting on a messiah to save us, I’ll paraphrase the man himself as he said that “we are the ones we’ve been waiting for”.

As we celebrate the change that’s been made evident in America, and as we realize that we truly can make our dreams into our realities, we need to do more than be excited. It’s going to take more than our excitement to improve our children’s education, to clean up our neighborhoods, and to get out of debt. It’s going to take more than our excitement to keep kids from dropping out of school, to heal our broken families, and to take control of our own destinies.

Barack Obama’s election is a glorious occasion, and we’ll all remember where we were when we found out that he won. Now that we have seen the impossible become the truth that is our reality, let’s plan to do the same thing in our own lives, in our own families, and in our own cities. Be the miracle. Be more than hype.

Spit Life,

Ernest L. Almond