Weekly Words

Yes We Did

On November 4, 2008, “Yes We Can” turned into “Yes We Did”. Seemingly, out of nowhere a man, who by virtue of his race may have been excluded from countless institutions and organizations in America some fifty years ago, would have been legally barred from first class citizenship in America one hundred years ago, and could have been enslaved in America one hundred and fifty years ago, became the leader of America now. Wow!!!

Since that night, I have been thinking about whom exactly this “we” includes. As an African-American man, it is tempting to simply hail the record turnout of black voters who showed up everywhere or to outline the long historical struggles of black leaders who have fought, bled, and died so that life could be better for their progeny. I mean who didn’t get the text that swept across the landscape of Black History and into future by announcing, “Harriet went under, so that Rosa could sit, so that Martin could march, so that Obama could win, so that our children can fly!” There is no doubt that “we” includes enslaved Africans, freedom fighters, ordinary black people throughout our history in America, civil rights activists, black politicians, black preachers, black educators, black athletes, black entertainers, and black business people. “Yes We Did”

Yet what makes me even happier as a black man in America is that this accomplishment by a fellow black man cannot exclusively be owned by black people. As almost every achievement for black people in America, there is some shared responsibility. The “we” includes my beautiful brown brothers and sisters of Latino history and heritage who lent some 67% of their vote to Obama. The “we” includes my progressive white brothers and sisters who comprised 61% of the votes cast for Obama. In the end, there were people of all kinds of ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, class, and religious affiliation that put aside the status quo of the past 43 white male presidents, fought past racism and white supremacy, and believed that a person could be judged, trusted, and believed in as a result of his work ethic, ideas, and achievements. “Yes We Did”

Believe it or not, the “we” even includes people that we might never suspect. Though I am fervently and frequently against most of their politics, the appointments of Clarence Thomas, Condoleeza Rice, and Colin Powell by the “Bushes” went a long way in transforming the psyche of many white Americans in relation to their ability to grasp black people in political leadership. So, for whatever part George Bush Sr. and George Bush Jr. may have unintentionally had in the election of Barack Obama, I say: “Yes We Did!”

I could go on and on, but I’ll leave you alone and encourage you to read as much commentary as you can on this historic happening. However, I leave you with one remaining thought. One of the beauties of this election, and the multidimensional “we” that combined to ensure an Obama victory, is that in one swoop we got a realistic taste of what American Democracy, King’s beloved community, and Jesus’ community of God, can really look like. “Yes We Did!!!!!”

Humbly in Christ’s Love,
Pastor B.A. Jackson