Some people say that America has finally overcome its long-standing stigma in regards to race. During this past election cycle we have witnessed the election of a Black President. All right, we have just witnessed the election of a half Black president. The strange thing about our society is that no matter your mixture of races, the Black side is predominate, if only for categorization purposes. The fact of the matter is that his white mother and white grandmother raised this man and the last time he saw his Black Kenyan father he was 10 years old. Now these are the facts and for the record, this is stated in no way as a question on Barack Obama’s blackness, or lack thereof. It is stated simply to support the reality in which we are dealing with.

During this past election cycle we have seen it all from fiery pastors, to domestic terrorists, to socialism. Not to mention accusations of Obama being a Muslim (despite the fact he attended that fiery pastor’s Christian church for 20 years). These are some of the issues that Obama had to deal with on his road to the highest office in the land. What seemed to be in the background of all of this was a deep- rooted hatred for what Obama stood for. If you can recall, there was a particular incident in Philadelphia involving a young college student, by the name of Ashley Todd. This female claimed, to the police, that an Obama supporter attacked her at an ATM machine and after seeing the McCain sticker on the bumper of her car, returned to carve a backwards B into her face. Now it seemed obvious by looking at this girl’s face that it was most likely self-inflicted. Once the story hit there was an outcry of racism on the part of McCain supporters who figured they had found a way to make Obama out as the one who would divide the country. She had already received calls from John McCain and Sarah Palin to express their concern for the alleged victim. The fear of the strength in numbers was having its effect on the social and political atmosphere. Consequently, the story was all a lie and this lie received only about 2 days of new coverage, then it was back to “Obama the Socialist”. Somehow this incident was not covered in the way we saw the young woman who was involved in the Duke Lacrosse situation vilified after it turned out that she was lying about her story of being raped by some young white males at a party. At least in this incident, the alleged victim was actually in the presence of these young men for a period of time.

Now I fully understand the nature of political campaigning, so it is not odd to me that Obama’s opponents decided to go negative against a figure they had never before seen emerge into not only national, but international notoriety so quickly and unexpectedly. What actually did surprise me was the lack of media coverage when it came to racism, which was appearing around the country at various rallies for John McCain and Sarah Palin. With all respect due to the service of John McCain, he apparently was not an influential enough figure within his own constituency to quell the madness that was precipitating from some, not all, of his supporters. Around the country in the very small towns that Republicans champion for were where most of this racism was coming from. We saw everything from Obama Bucks to Obama Dolls on display at some of these small town rallys. I recall hearing a quote from a little girl who could have been no more than 5 years old after a rally in Strongsville, Ohio. While walking with her parents, this little girl, while being filmed, stated “and you need gloves to touch him” in regards to Obama. And this is coming from a 5 year-old child. Not to mention the raucous crowds that were screaming various obscenities and threats whenever “Obama the Socialist” was mentioned by McCain or Palin. The reaction to all of this would have been very much more extreme had it been a mob of Blacks shouting “kill him” and “off with his head” towards John McCain. The bottom line remains that racial hate and fear is still very much a part of American society and to deny it or declare it overcome is truly doing the people a great injustice, to say the least.

Anthony Pearson 1/23/09
Founder/Writer
WACS Inc.

 Revolutionary Fervor

A new day has arrived. We have just witnessed a non-violent revolution. This revolution was indeed televised. In masses, the people came out and decided they were ready to become part of the solution to the many problems America has and faces. Racism was not bold enough! Skeptism was not strong enough! Those negative forces that drive wedges through progress were not the righteous forces on display Nov. 4th, 2008. An overwhelming statement was made on this day. The people do want change. The people do want leadership. But most of all, the people want to feel as if they are being taken into consideration. The choice was as clear as it gets. Change has come to America.

A new way of thinking has emerged. We now have to believe that our attitude has an impact on the way we see the world. The notion of responsibility and accountability has been pushed to the side for the notions of materialism and selfishness. We are at a moment where we have to pick a side. We have become accustomed to playing both sides of the fence, which is not only knock against convenience, but in this case it is virtually impossible. We have an opportunity to shape our minds along with our families in order to heighten our awareness and realize that with a sense of purpose comes great reward. The responsibility is ours to control what we can and make the world around us a better place to exist. We must also hold ourselves, and those around us, accountable for their actions and reactions in order to create a movement of productivity. We have been granted the choice we desired and now it is up to us to ensure that we, as a people, remain grounded while assisting our new President-Elect Barack Obama in leading this country towards further greatness. Now is the time that we must show and prove that we ALL deserve this moment in history and we must do this together and not rely on President Obama to handle what we have the power to handle ourselves. It’s been a long time coming, but change has come, so far.

 Anthony Pearson 11/8/08

Founder/Writer

WACS Inc.

 Post Inauguration Thoughts

Some of you may remember a piece I wrote entitled “A Revolutionary Fervor”. That piece was inspired by the election of then President-Elect Barack Obama on Nov. 4, 2008. In it I spoke of a tone I felt was building among the people. On that day I saw for myself how many people came out in support of this change. Early voting allowed us to see the massive turnouts around the country through the media. It felt as though the people were awaken and decided to finally join in on a process they once disregarded. The electoral college was the same. There was no change in the election process that in 2000 handed the Presidency to GW. Still, the people came out this time and were determined to make their voices heard. And there is where my point begins.

Barack Obama posed a great question during his acceptance speech on 11/4/08.

Anthony Pearson 1/19/09

Founder/Writer

WACS Inc.