Those who identify as black or African American knew that the election of Barack Obama as the President of the United States meant two things: one small step towards racial equality and one giant step towards the growth of racism.
The minute word spread that he was running for president, racial slurs erupted and people even questioned whether he was “American” enough. Obama, being the humorous person he is, played off of the media’s questions about his place of birth by showing a video of “Lion King” and stating that it was a video of his birth. Critics roared that Obama had to be born in Kenya, but his administration shut them up with a legal copy of his birth certificate, proving that he was actually born in Honolulu, Hawaii.
It’s no secret that his election drew people to the polls from all ends of the United States who had never voted before. Young, middle-class, minority groups who never showed interest in politics were registering to vote because, for the first time in history, it was possible that someone who looked like them could be president.
For a presidency in the post-Civil rights era, both of Obama’s terms were filled with instances of racial persecution and authority abuse. These tragic events seem to be more so focused on members of the black community, and maybe wrongdoers think they can hit Obama where it hurts. Within the last eight years, death because of skin color has overtaken the black community so much that drinking ice tea and enjoying a bag of skittles might as well be illegal, a young black boy must freeze because he cannot be caught in a hoodie, and raising your hands to the police in surrender is a symbol of resistance. You must be shot. Our police forces, sworn to protect and serve, have in cases, such as the 2009 Oscar Grant Fruitvale station shooting, reverted back to using the “N” word, and I do not mean “nice.” Discrimination against African Americans has undoubtedly increased since Obama’s election.
Racism in America has not only increased, but it’s also shifted. Racial slurs and negativity used to be focused on all minorities, be it Hispanic, black or Asian. They still are today, but physical discrimination is now more centered on those with less milk in their coffee. We have young men like Oscar Grant being beaten and killed for riding a train while black and black women such as Charlena Michelle Cooks being charged for resisting arrest because she refused to lay face down on her eight-month-pregnant, protruding belly.
For the first time, since President Kennedy’s office, people are more focused on the physical appearance of the first family than the actions of the president. Current interviews and blogs of Michelle, Malia and Sasha are centered on their hair and fashion sensibility. Critics were in an uproar when Michelle first showed off her love for sleeveless dresses, but hardly anyone ever cared what Barbara Bush was wearing.
The media no longer focuses on the innovative acts of our president, such as his creation of a foundation focused on furthering our black male adolescents or even his ability to lower the debt that Bush left behind. Instead, the media creates comics that emphasize Obama’s “black” features. His nose and big lips are often drawn unusually larger than life, and can often be seen with captions referring to his Kenyan nationality.
Obama ended the war in Iraq, passed healthcare reform and applauded same-sex marriage, proving that a minority is just as capable of running the country as any president who stood before him. As a society, America needs to stop judging the physical appearance of the minority. Not every black guy has been incarcerated, and not every Hispanic is a drug dealer. Our minorities are strong, independent and intelligent with so much more to offer than athleticism.
Obama was elected and then successfully reelected because he is the face of the people. America is considered the land of the free, and for that reason, it is composed of people from all over the world who come here for a life of opportunity. America does not mean white; it means free. However, freedom, even after Obama’s two terms, is limited for the minority.
The masses cringe at the thought of black improvement and power. Barack Obama being president did not break barriers for the black community, due to racism; it reinforced them.
