gg008's Blog

Obama's latest speech reminds us that the dreams of black America do not come at the expense of white America.

Today we saw and heard a preview of our brightest possible American future in Senator Barack Obama's glorious speech. This, then, is what it means to be presidential. To be moral. To have a real center. To speak honestly, from the heart, for the benefit of all. If there was any doubt about what we have missed in the anti-intellectual, ruthlessly incurious Bush years, and even the slippery Clinton ones (the years of "what is is"), those doubts were laid to rest by Barack Obama's magisterial speech today. A speech in which he distanced himself from a flawed father figure, Reverend Wright, and did so with almost Shakespearian dignity and honor.

"This is it, it's here," I thought while watching Senator Obama lay it on the line. We are finally talking about race. Slavery, Jim Crow, economic enslavement, no FHA loans, the failure of affirmative action, busing, offended whites who match offended blacks in rage and fear. Obama shined a light on the conservative talk show hosts who fan white resentments, and at the same time, did not dismiss the reasons for the resentments. He reminded us that the dreams of black America do not come at the expense of white America.

Someone running for the highest office in the land finally talked about it -- the dark and secret swamp that we Americans dodge at every possible opportunity. As he finished the searing truth telling, I realized that this was not so much a speech but rather a unifying call to arms, an insistence that American people act on change. This was an order and a prayer from someone worthy of being called Commander in Chief -- an order that as a bruised and bloodied nation we finally discuss that what unites us, as well as that which divides us. So we can grow, together as a people.

Barack Obama's speech, perhaps one of the most important in modern political history pushed us as a people to move beyond race and gender, beyond Democrat and Republican, beyond politics and into reviving the spirit of the nation itself. To talk, to talk at home, at work, at the dinner table. To really finally talk. What a great day, and where else in the world but in the United States? Today I am very proud to be an American.

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Jon Robin Baitz is the creator of the ABC series "Brothers & Sisters."

Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) delivered an eloquent speech in Philadelphia Tuesday, discussing race and the controversial comments by his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr.

Obama denounced many of the comments made by Wright. "Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes," said the Democratic presidential candidate. 

"Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely," continued Obama. "Just as I'm sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed."

"Reverend Wright's comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity," said Obama.

However, Obama stood strong to back Wright's character and his relationship with him as a person. "As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me," said Obama. "He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children."

Obama said no matter what, he remains loyal to the man that introduced him to God. "I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community," said Obama. "I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother - a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe."

Obama's diverse racial background added a lot of clarity to his statements. "I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents," said Obama. "For as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible."

Obama delivered a message of unity, not just because of a vision, but due to his family background, it is evident that Obama has lived it his entire life. He urged to calm the racial tensions in America, which he seemed to do in his biggest speech to his campaign thus far.

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