Whoever wins this election, I understand what Barack Obama meant when he said his faith in the American people had been "vindicated" by his campaign's success. I understand what Michelle Obama meant, months ago, when she said she was "proud of my country" for the first time in her adult life. Why should they be immune to the astonishment and vertigo that so many other African Americans are experiencing? Why shouldn't they have to pinch themselves to make sure they aren't dreaming, the way that I do?
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — On the night before Tuesday's historic presidential election, city leaders here summoned voters to the scene of one of the most appalling events of the civil rights movement.
From the pulpit of the 16th Street Baptist Church, where four young girls were killed in a 1963 bombing, speakers Monday night urged the mostly black crowd to make sure they vote.
It was a familiar appeal from a familiar venue.
At the height of Birmingham's bloody civil rights struggle, 16th Street Baptist was a frequent meeting place for local black leaders, but Monday's rally drew its energy and urgency from an unprecedented development — the chance to elect the nation's first African-American president.
Obama's appearance on Friday at the National Association of Black Journalists sparked one of the most interesting question and answer sessions in a long time, with Obama addressing tensions between the black and hispanic communities, arguing for a broader engagement with Africa, and answering questions about his chances as an African-American candidate. Obama gave his most detailed and thoughtful treatment of the problem of race in America in a long time.
My own unedited transcription of the most interesting sections of the Q and A session is posted here, and you can also listen to a full audio recording of the event here.
Calling for a broader engagement with Africa:
On Darfur, he cited instituting a no-fly zone as the bare minimum we can do, along with supporting the UN peacekeeping troops who will be there on the ground, "in preventing increased bloodshed as we try to initiate broader peace-talks between the rebel groups and the government in Khartoum." But he pivoted to knock the ball out of the park by making a much broader point about America's role in Africa:
Last point I would make, we've got problems like this all throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. And we can't wait until the genocide's taking place before we engage Africa. We've got to have an Africa policy that is active, that is involved, that is engaged, that is dealing with the health care infrastructure, that is dealing with the educational infrastructure, that is expanding trade opportunities for African nations and that is holding African nations accountable for rule of law, anti-corruption measures and so forth. Because if we're not a partner with Africa and we just wait until all heck breaks loose, then we're never going to have enough troops. And keep in mind, as tragic as what happened in Darfur is, we've had millions of people die in the Congo in the last six years. And if you asked the average American, they wouldn't know a thing about it. And that is a consequence of us not being consistently engaged and we've got to understand it's not just a charity or a humanitarian issue, it is also a security issue, because if you've got chaos and anarchy in Africa, terrorists will find a way to exploit that chaos and anarchy, that's where they're going to be based, that's where they're going to recruit and we're going to have increased problems in years to come.
And keep in mind, as tragic as what happened in Darfur is, we've had millions of people die in the Congo in the last six years. And if you asked the average American, they wouldn't know a thing about it. And that is a consequence of us not being consistently engaged and we've got to understand it's not just a charity or a humanitarian issue, it is also a security issue, because if you've got chaos and anarchy in Africa, terrorists will find a way to exploit that chaos and anarchy, that's where they're going to be based, that's where they're going to recruit and we're going to have increased problems in years to come.
