Barack Obama is now our President. He is described as an African-American, but is really so much more. This is because of his mixed-race heritage and also due to what he symbolizes to millions of his fellow citizens who have been marginalized until now. Just to announce that result is a glorious thing.
In America, discrimination against non-whites has been everywhere for many decades. Although it will persist, as unreasoning hate is never easy to eradicate, perhaps we have entered a new era.
In Houston’s predominately white neighborhood of Tanglewood, kids endured intense discrimination. Circa 1995, non-white children of East Indian descent were told by other children that they weren’t allowed to be friends with them. Teachers at the neighborhood’s River Oaks Baptist School told them that they would be going to Hell because they weren’t Christians. At the same school, children of high intelligence were placed in remedial classes for the mere fact of their darker skin color.
The neighborhood slowly changed; different ethnicities entered the community. Instead of a solid wall of Caucasians, East Indian faces joined Iranians, Chinese, and South American citizens to the once all-white hegemony.
By: A. Banerjee
This exciting process seems to have been further renewed on November 4, 2008, with the election of Barack Obama, a son of a Kenyan father and a white mother. All segments of American society participated to elect a human being who forty years ago would have been forced by segregation to use an inferior bathroom and drink from a drinking fountain set aside “for colored only.” His election took away at least a little of the shame that went into being non-white in America, and replaced it with a tearful and hope-inspiring pride.
Barack Obama is intelligent too. He showed during his masterful campaign that he does possess the qualities necessary to lead. Once a gifted community organizer, he proved himself a more than able campaign organizer. His election is good for America’s soul.
In America, discrimination against non-whites has been everywhere for many decades. Although it will persist, as unreasoning hate is never easy to eradicate, perhaps we have entered a new era.
In Houston’s predominately white neighborhood of Tanglewood, kids endured intense discrimination. Circa 1995, non-white children of East Indian descent were told by other children that they weren’t allowed to be friends with them. Teachers at the neighborhood’s River Oaks Baptist School told them that they would be going to Hell because they weren’t Christians. At the same school, children of high intelligence were placed in remedial classes for the mere fact of their darker skin color.
The neighborhood slowly changed; different ethnicities entered the community. Instead of a solid wall of Caucasians, East Indian faces joined Iranians, Chinese, and South American citizens to the once all-white hegemony.
By: A. Banerjee
This exciting process seems to have been further renewed on November 4, 2008, with the election of Barack Obama, a son of a Kenyan father and a white mother. All segments of American society participated to elect a human being who forty years ago would have been forced by segregation to use an inferior bathroom and drink from a drinking fountain set aside “for colored only.” His election took away at least a little of the shame that went into being non-white in America, and replaced it with a tearful and hope-inspiring pride.
Barack Obama is intelligent too. He showed during his masterful campaign that he does possess the qualities necessary to lead. Once a gifted community organizer, he proved himself a more than able campaign organizer. His election is good for America’s soul.
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