lanuary 28, 2009
Page A4
O pinion
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Anything is
Truly Possible
W.E.B.
Dubuois would
be proud
I recently visited Accra, the
capital city of Ghana, in West
Africa, where activist, historian
and writer W.E.B. Du Bois is bur
ied.
While reflecting on Du Bois’
accomplishments, 1 couldn’t help
but think of how proud he would
be of the gains we have made
since he co-founded the NAACP
more than 100 years ago.
Du Bois was perhaps one of
the most notable black leaders at
the start of the 20th Century. A
strong believer in the power of
education as a way to uplift our
people, he believed in fighting for
equality in mainstream society.
One hundred years later, part
of Du Bois’ dream has come true.
A black American man, who
has an African father, is now
president of the most powerful
empire in the history of civiliza
tion.
African Americans aren’t the
only ones inspired by Obama’s
victory; black people across the
globe are still celebrating this
historical moment. They were
cheering in Kenya, the home of
President Obama’s father, on
election night. They were also
cheering in Jamaica and Haiti
and in Ghana.
The Diaspora came to life as
everyone re
a liz e d th a t
som eo n e
who looked
like them had
ascended, fi-
Because of Obama’s
accomplishments, black people
across the globe are walking
taller, smiling brighter and
dreaming bigger.
His viewpoints stood in stark
contrast to those of his contem
porary, Booker T. Washington.
Washington believed that Afri
can Americans would have to
deal with racism for the time being
while simultaneously lifting them
selves up through hard work.
This “up by your bootstraps”
mentality didn’t mesh well with
Du Bois, who supported political
action as a strategy for advanc
ing the civil rights agenda.
Later in his life, he became so
frustrated with the lack of progress
in the civil rights movement that
he moved to Ghana. It was a fit
ting choice; Ghana was the first
African nation to win indepen
dence from the colonialists.
K w am e
N kru m ah , the
country's first black president,
was committed to the philosophy
of Pan Africanism, a movement
committed to uniting all people of
African descent. Du Bois also
took up the cause, working to
bring together every member of
the African Diaspora, whether
they were bom on the continent
or here in America.
f
n a lly , to su c h h e ig h ts .
O bam a’s win united us all, giv
ing new hope to those who
were on the verge o f losing
theirs.
Make no mistake: We all real
ize that President Obama is not
the magical elixir that will solve
America’s race issues, let alone
single handedly bring justice to
the world. But collectively we
know that now that Obama has
shattered the highest glass ceil
ing there is, anything is truly
possible.
Because of Obama’s accom
plishments, black people across
the globe are walking taller, smil
ing brighter and dreaming big
ger.
Du Bois would certainly be
swollen with pride, knowing that
a member of the Diaspora, a fel
low Harvard grad, had breathed
new life into the social justice
movement he helped define.
Judge Greg Mathis is vice
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a board member o f the Southern
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was swom-in one day after the try back on track.
But democracy has never been
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by M arc H. M orial
The National Urban League is
president in the span of 40
For millions of Ameri
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years.
cans and freedom-loving
With the inauguration President and Congress to pass a
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of President Obama, we
the inauguration of Presi
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-Martin Luther King Jr.
tribute has an equal chance to live
out their dreams?
In the w ords of President
Obama, "Starting today, we must
pick ourselves up, dust ourselves
off, and begin again the work of
remaking America."
Marc H. Morial is president
and chief executive officer o f the
National Urban League.
We can achieve anything
nation, not just black Americans.
The challenges awaiting our
president-elect— ranging from
our critically damaged economy
to the security o f our nation
against the global threat of terror
ism— are serious issues that must
be resolved for the greater good
of all. Obama faces expectations
above and beyond anything ever
demanded of the heroic black lead
ers of our history— from Frederick
Douglass to Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr.
Obama’s inauguration was an
indelible moment made possible
by every African American who
ever refused to accept the dimin
ished roles once ascribed to us. It
belongs to every African Ameri
can who put asunder the restric
tive bonds of racism, injustice,
and inequality to defy the odds
and achieve something lasting
and great.
But let us be clear. The presi
dential inauguration o f Obama
is not just about one, w orld
changing moment. For African
A m ericans, it m arks the birth of
a new m ovem ent, one w ith a
simple defining creed: No more
excuses.
To our young black men, too
many of whom have been allowed
toembrace the sin of low expecta
tion: No more excuses. To black
professionals lamenting racism
on the job while worshiping daily
at the altar of personal medioc-
rity: No more excuses.
To those obsessed with the
trappings o f w ealth yet who
refuse to invest in their own fi
nancial education or to exercise
fiscal discipline: No more excuses.
To those who complain about the
ills of our community but are un
willing to invest their time, money,
or energy to bring about solu
tions: No more excuses.
The election of Obama to the
Oval Office proves once and for
all that we can achieve anything
as African Americans. The ques
tion is no longer whether any
thing is possible, the question is
whether we are committed to do
ing what needs to be done
No one is saying it will be
easy— after all, racism is still alive,
even if it’s been dealt a serious
setback by the majority of Ameri
can voters— but we can no longer
accept that it cannot be done.
Yes, the ceilings on our potential
still exist, but we now know be
yond a shadow of a doubt that
they are not impermeable.
The rallying cry of the Obama
campaign was not “Yes He Can”
but “Yes We Can.” Now that we
have, now that the impossible
has proven possible after all, there
is no turning back. There are no
more excuses.
Earl G. Graves Sr. is the
founder, chairman and publisher
o f BLACK ENTERPRISE maga
zine.
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