A Foundation of Hope

Today – in reviewing how far we have come since Martin Luther King’s (MLK) declaration “I have been to the mountain top...I may not get there with you,... we as a people will get to the promised land...” I was struck by the foundation of hope which MLK provided for America. In the election of Barack Obama it appears that hopes for a better America have been answered. Indeed our prayers for a more equal and just society seem to have been answered.

On the other hand we have rappers like Nasir Jones (Nas) who note that many of the hatreds and prejudices remain a prevalent component of our society. Nas puts it this way (referring to racism), “We still see this [-] on Youtube, My Space, when’s this ignorant [-] going to stop?” Most find these two perspectives to be irreconcilable. Maybe, it’s because I have done a bit of traveling abroad, but for whatever reason I can relate to both the hope and the despair of these two perspectives.

I have always believed that one should attempt to maintain some sort of emotional equilibrium in any case. The promise of the future must be weighed with the realization that Obama (god bless him) is only human. We have to mitigate our hopes and dreams by realizing that Obama’ real power comes from his ability to inspire hope and action in others. At the same time, Nas reminds us of the hatred which still exists in our country. We must also remember that people are always going to be people. Some may not like others (for a variety of reasons, including race).

Having felt both extremes (at one time or another), it might be wise to look at where we can stand up and make a better contribution to our society. One place might be picking up the challenge which Obama referred to as his commitment to remind each of us of our commitment to education. America cannot remain rooted in the past, we will have to forge ahead to remake America.

May we all dare to dream of a better day.