Thursday, November 6, 2008

President Elect Barack Obama

“Up, you mighty race, accomplish what you will.”
~ Marcus Garvey

Barack Obama is the President-Elect of the United States of America! We have reached a great stepping-stone on our journey towards the Promised Land. We have elected a Black man, with a Black wife, and two Black daughters into the highest office in the world. Things in America have changed, and we now have an obligation to thrust our community to the next level. Barack Obama has taken a sledgehammer to the political glass ceiling of America. Now, we must eliminate – WE MUST ELIMINATE – the poisons that are pumped into our community, and impress upon the world what it truly means to be Black in America.

In April 2007, Reverend Al Sharpton launched the Decency Initiative to eliminate the self-hatred and destruction that have gone on far too long. Given the events of November 4th, will the entertainment most prevalent in the African American community, hip hop, continue to degrade and denigrate our people by calling us “niggas,” “bitches” and “hoes”? Will we continue to hinder the progress of our people and allow the record executives to profit from our continued destruction? Will we continue to allow artists to use the First Amendment as an excuse for being a slave to the industry?

If you voted for change on Tuesday, then live up to your vote. It is not only the economy and the political system that need change, WE ALL NEED CHANGE! We can no longer allow our legacy to be run through the mud by self-slander. We cannot continue to support media that limits us to hate music, violence, and crudeness. We must demand nothing less than decency, decency for ourselves and for each other.

This election has vindicated Rev. Al Sharpton’s message birthed into the Decency Initiative. He challenged the media portrayal of women and African Americans as “niggers” and “bitches.” While the media urged us to remain content with being less than, Rev. Sharpton guided our eyes towards the future, a future in which the legacy of our ancestors is admired and protected, not neglected or used as an excuse for anything less than greatness.




So what is the next step? Maturity as a people that we may reach the heights we were intended to reach. How dare we rest hopes on one man in office? One man cannot eliminate violence in our communities. One man cannot erase the misogyny and degradation of a people. One man cannot fix everything WE have neglected over the years. We must act as one to heal our communities. We must fight to protect our legacy and ensure that we are making progress everyday, not just every forty years!

If we can be successful on a national level, imagine what we could do in Harlem, in Durham, in Atlanta, in Oakland, in Chicago, in Newark, in Philadelphia, in St. Louis, in Dallas, in Columbus, or in any other community across the nation. We have proven to the naysayers just how effective community organizing can be, and now we must prepare to mold our communities to reflect the best of what we have to offer.

We the people, black men and women rich with history, pulled the lever on Tuesday. We voted for our ancestors who endured so much that we could marvel in this historic occasion. You and I are before the Global Village. Let us reclaim our history as KINGS and QUEENS.


Author: Tamika Mallory
National Director of the Decency Initiative
National Action Network