A Historical Moment
This post is a bit delayed but I couldn’t let the moment pass without acknowledging the history that was on made when Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination for President. As I listened to him speak I was filled with emotion. I was filled with hope as he spoke about what he intends to do to turn our country around. I was filled with pride as I watched the first black candidate for President speak on the anniversary of Dr. King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. I was filled with sadness that my dad, a man who was raised during segregation by a black mother, was not sitting beside me able to share in the moment and his thoughts with me. I know he would have been elated.
Although I have never experienced discrimination because of my race I was raised with a black grandmother and cousins. I know that they have faced issues and challenges because of their race, and as I think about them and what this moment means I am filled with love and pride.
Recently I watched a fabulous special on HBO, The Black List: Volume One. If you haven’t seen it you should pick it up. It was initially conceived as a book, but renowned portrait photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders and former New York Times film critic Elvis Mitchell quickly realized that it needed to be a film, done as a series of interviews with prominent African-Americans. The interviews are a fascinating mix that covers a broad section across African-American culture, ranging from former Secretary of State Colin Powell, to producer/actor/director Keenan Ivory Wayans, to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to Susan Rice, former Assistant Secretary of State, currently a foreign policy advisor to Barack Obama. The way the interviews are captured is truly like a portrait that is coming to life. Each person is sitting in front of a plain grey background, so it is like each person on the screen is in your living room having an intimate personal conversation with you.
What I loved about it was that it’s not a series of “experts” talking about black culture, the impact of poverty, or how amazing it is that these people overcame being African-American to succeed. It’s refreshing because these powerful and influential African-Americans are just telling their stories - race is an issue that’s discussed by each person, but it’s talked about through the lens of their personal stories and black culture. It is inspirational, moving, and gives insight into just how magical this moment in time is.
