A Victory That Had Been On Ice

Thine eyes saw the glory on Thursday night.

From Jennifer Hudson's stirring rendition of the national anthem to Martin Luther King III’s powerful tribute to his dad on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech to the tremendous ovation Barack Obama received when he strolled onto the stage in front of more than 80,000 people on the closing night of the Democratic National Convention at Denver’s Invesco Field.

These same eyes, however, have seen 50 years of momentous events in America. But perhaps none were as significant and memorable as this one. It was, as Elder Bernice King said, “One of our nation’s greatest defining moments.”

All day long I had listened to the pundits go back-and-forth on what Obama would or should say as he accepted the nomination of his party for President of the United States. All day long I listened to various politicians, commentators and common people say that he needed to hit it out of the park if he wanted to close the gaps in the polls, unify his party and convince America that he had the ability to lead. I knew, however, that at the end of that long day, it really wouldn’t matter what he said.

You see, it’s already been said.

It was said in 1955 when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat and Mamie Till insisted that the world see her murdered son’s mangled corpse.

It was said in ‘63 when Martin Luther King Jr. stood in the shadow of Abraham Lincoln and challenged America to dream.

It was said a month later when four young black girls died in the basement of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., showing the world that America was not the great nation she purported to be.

It was said again in ‘65 at the Mt. Zion Baptist Church in suburban Cincinnati when Dr. King took my tiny 8-year-old hand in his and told me I could be anything I wanted to be.

It was said again on April 4, 1968 when Bobby Kennedy told America to chill out after King’s assassination; and when Shirley Chisholm became the first black woman elected to Congress that same year.

It was said by the defiant acts of Thurgood Marshall, Fannie Lou Hamer, Huey Newton, Bobby Seale, Malcolm X, Medgar Evers, Dorothy Height, John Lewis, John H. Johnson, Muhammad Ali, Nikki Giovanni, Angela Davis, Cesar Chavez, Barbara Jordan, Jesse Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Spike Lee, Al Sharpton, Dave Chappelle and countless others who sang “Yes, We Can,” long before will.i.am made it the national anthem for change.

Finally, it was said again on a cold, blistery day in 2007 when a dreamer stood on the steps of the state capitol in Springfield, Ill. and announced that he was running for President of the United States.

And again last night when that same dreamer said, “Enough. This moment, this election is our chance to keep in the 21st century the American promise alive…In defining moments like these the change doesn’t come from Washington, it comes to Washington.”

Barack Obama, the son of an absentee African sperm donor and a nurturing Caucasian mother, is simply riding the wave. Therefore, it really didn’t matter what he said on a balmy Thursday night in Denver. He’s just the anchor on the relay team. He’s picked up the baton and is racing toward the finish line.

I’m not saying that Obama doesn’t deserve his due because he most certainly does. What the 47-year-old senator from Illinois has accomplished in the past 19 months has been extraordinary, historic and evolutionary. I’m sure the ghosts of dreamers past are rejoicing in this moment.

This victory has been on ice for a very, very long time. My hope is that we can all bask in this moment despite our varying agendas and regardless of what was said or not said.

Celebrating accomplishment is at the very core of humanity. It rises above race, gender, political affiliation and one’s socio-economic status. As Americans we should just be proud that one of our own done good.

Obama’s speech might not have been as stirring or as lyrical or as prophetic or as inspiring as Dr. King’s was on that hot August night 45 years ago. It won’t be recited by generations of elementary school kids from Spokane to Silver Spring in dusty auditoriums, and it may not do anything to improve race relations or effect tangible change in this country.

On Friday morning there will still be folks who hate people who don’t look like them—just because.

It will, however, be remembered because it was delivered during this very special moment in time by a man who believes that he is truly his brother’s keeper; that these defining moments are not all about him. I believe from this point on that me, Obama and all the other dreamers,
past and present, will now be able to raise their collective voices and sing a new anthem.

“Yep, We Did.”