2008 The Year of the Black Man?

Of course I must begin this piece with the black man of 2008, Barack Obama. Seriously, who'da thunk? I certainly did not expect him to make it this far. I was a classic pessimist, perpetuating the hum-drum thoughts common in social circles of color, "I shall not see a black president in my lifetime." Now, however, it seems plausible, even palpable, I can almost smell it and it smells like sweat. Not just any sweat, not funky locker room sweat, but the malodorous smell of a long and hard fought race. This is not just any race, this is a race that is not even matched by the endurance of our Kenyan brothers in marathons. It supercedes triathletes. This is a race that began on the banks of the Nile millenia ago and has culminated into the events that are unfolding today. From the pinnacle of civilization to the bowels of despair, black men have endured. This is a race only for the fittest. So I ask again, "Is this the year of the black man?" Is he returning to his throne?

Because of my interests in history and politics, I shouldn't be surprised at the possibility or the prospect. The short lived triumphs of Hiram Revels & BS Pinchback suggest greater potential. Further, they demonstrate the potency of hope and slaying of cynicism. Perhaps this is the answer to Hughes' haunting question, "What happens to a dream deferred?" I propose that each of his answers is correct. The dream of the black man has dried like a raisin, festered like a sore, stunk, crusted over, sagged, and exploded. See, it is not a simple dream. It is not a fixed goal. It is a dynamic paradox. It is giving visibility to Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man. It is giving him flesh and bone, nerves and tendons, intuitive faculty, compassion, a soul. Yet, it is a step towards the invisibility of color.

I am certainly not an Obama presidential candidate supporter, and even less of a liberal. Yet, in a perplexing, but nonetheless magnetic attraction, I support what his journey--rocky and winding--symbolizes for our black boys. It is a road covered by brush, littered with violence, fogged by litanies of self-mutilations by so-called artists of music, and washed away by feminism's assault on the family. It is the nation, collectively saying, we acknowledge your sacrifice, your committment, and our debt--your forty acres and a mule. At least, this is what it could be.

Now I propose that this may be the year of the black man not only because of Mr. Obama. I submit this proposal for The Big Three (i.e. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, & Ray Allen) of the Boston Celtics, for winning a championship in and for a town with a long history of discrimination. I submit this proposal on behalf of Nelson Mandela, whom today celebrates his 90th birthday. I submit this proposal for Kofi Anan, former UN Chief, who despite purported corruption, maintains dignity in the fight for universal justice. I submit this proposal for Will Smith, who is arguably the most likeable and profitable actor in the world, and despite what some may think, for Clarence Thomas who represents autonomous thinking in a society that thinks that a black judge should put hue before objectivity.

And on a much more shameful note...I submit this in befuddlement and disappointment in R. Kelly's acquittal, which nonetheless begs the question, "Is 2008 the year of the black man...escaping justice?"

If this is indeed your year. Shine on black man, shine on.