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But does it remove black from the equation? No.
This is not the end of black. Rather, it is the ascendancy of what I will call Black 2.0.
In the public mind,
black has long represented a politics of grievance and lament — think Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Louis Farrakhan,
Martin Luther King. But the elections of men like Carl Stokes (mayor of Cleveland) and Tom Bradley (mayor of Los
Angeles) four decades ago presaged the rise of a new generation that sought to make
black not invisible, but incidental. Bradley, for instance, did not campaign on the fact of being black but,
rather, on a promise to improve mass transit.
He sold competence and let race take care of itself.
Years later, the Bradley model has been reflected in the careers of everyone from L. Douglas Wilder to Colin Powell to
Condoleezza Rice to Michael Steele to J.C. Watts to David Dinkins. It reaches its apogee in the president-elect who,
it is worth noting, seldom addressed race unprompted during the campaign. For all the racial hand-wringing his
candidacy produced, Obama himself was remarkably reticent on the subject, his speech in Philadelphia
notwithstanding.
His thinking seems to be that there is nothing to gain in making race a "thing" — until or unless you must.
Which is not the same as pretending it does not exist or becoming some raceless blank.
Once, I interviewed Obama and he started quoting something I had written about him. I expressed surprise
that he knew my work. To which he replied, "Oh yeah, brother, I read you."
He said it just like that, with the easy, offhand familiarity of black men among black men. It struck me, this
oblique reference to the tie we share, a tie he would not, could not and, he might argue, need not
reference so baldly in a public setting.
Some might call that a lie of omission. Others might call it politics. Either way, "Oh yeah, brother" becomes
a way of pulling back the curtain to say, I'm still in here, I'm still me.
We are so comfortable defining black in certain ways, in restricting it to the politics
of grievance and lament, that we sometimes do not recognize it when it takes other forms.
One is reminded how people used to say "The Cosby Show" was not black enough and
never mind all those cultural signifiers, never mind the anti-apartheid sign on Theo's
wall, Cliff's penchant for sweaters from historically-black colleges, all those guest
appearances from elder statesmen of jazz and R&B, that episode saluting the 1963 March on Washington.
Not black? No, what they meant was, this is not the kind of black we expect, not the
black of violence, ignorance, poverty and clownishness.
By the same token, when you're talking about Barack Obama, you're talking about a cool customer
from the South Side whose speeches soar on black preacher cadences.
He will also be the first president in memory with a jump shot. And, yes, he is usually the
smartest guy in the room. Oh yeah, brother, he's still in there.
And this not the end of black.
It is the evolution.
Leonard Pitts is a columnist for the Miami Herald. Readers may contact him via e-mail at lpitts@miamiherald.com.
Barack Obama Presidential Inauguration Articles
Reviewing Presidential Inaugural History
The inauguration of the first black president will long be remembered as a momentous day in history, but many past
inaugurals also have had their memorable moments. Inaugurals are a mixture of pomp, festival and gravity, the
American equivalent of a coronation. Their rituals are laden with symbols of national purpose, continuity and
unity. For 220 years, they have marked the peaceful transfer of power, a feat few other countries have achieved.
Obama Presidential Inauguration Schedule & Events
With all of the excitement surrounding the event, it’s easy to forget there have been many inaugurations before it. Over
the years, the inauguration has become highly formalized, with the day’s scheduled events taking on almost ritualistic
significance. A look at the Obama Inauguration schedule, events from past inaugurals and how & when certain inaugural
events became part of Inauguration Day.
Obama Inauguration Facts, Trivia and Information for Kids
Parade, luncheon, ball. Being inaugurated sounds like fun. But what exactly is an
inauguration? What happens? Here are answers to your most pressing questions. Plus Inauguration Trivia, Presidential
Pets and the Obama Girls
Obama's new Home was Slow to Integrate
Not too long ago, Barack Obama would have found when he moved his family to Washington that his daughters
couldn’t attend the same schools white children could. They couldn’t try on clothes or shoes at most
local department stores, or eat at downtown lunch counters. Or see a play at the National Theatre or a
movie just a block or two from the White House.
Obama Isn't the Only One Being Inaugurated on January 20th
Arianna Huffington
Barack Obama is not the only one being inaugurated on January 20. And that's not just because Obama has promised to make a call to service "a central cause" of his presidency.
Top 43 Hits - Memorable Lines from Past Presidential Inaugurals
On January 20, 2009 Barack Obama will stand before Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and swear the
oath prescribed in Article II, Section 1, of the Constitution as the 44th President of the United States.
After taking the oath President Obama will give an inaugural address. Since George Washington's first
inaugural address, many memorable words have been spoken and are among the most enduring and frequently
quoted.
America Receives a Leading Man for the Dramas Ahead
Garrison Keillor
When President Obama takes his hand off the Bible and walks to the Capitol lectern, he carries real power in his pocket,
maybe more than any president since FDR, and some of it he has earned and some is a gift.
Don't Take that Oath, Barack
Mark Bazer
Personally, I'm hoping for a new piece of presidential trivia come Inauguration Day. I'm hoping Barack Obama becomes the
first person elected president to refuse to take the Oath of Office. In other words, I hope he turns down the job.
Don't get me wrong — I like and admire Obama. But that said, and for all Obama's clearly evident wisdom and sound judgment, I just don't
know if president of the United States is the ideal job for him.
Riding on the Wings of Change
Amy Dickinson
Our new president is offering us more than the promise of change. With his historic election, he offered us the
optimistic idea that we can do what we must do. In my experience studying the human condition, we only change
when there is no alternative. And now, there is no alternative. Our national challenges trickle down into our
households. We have family members at war, our jobs aren't secure, our retirement savings seem to be disappearing
and our material lifestyle is under assault.
America in Shock
Nathan Gardels
As we head into 2009, America is in shock. It is not because of the unusual sight of the first black president
taking up residence in the White House. Barack Obama's profile, after all, is familiar to the diverse
population of today's ethnically and racially hybrid America. America is in shock because our economic
and financial landscape is suddenly unrecognizable.
Great Expectations
Cal Thomas
With Barack Obama, it is the reverse. Perhaps because of his
eloquence, lithe body, handsome face and beautiful family (and because he is not George W. Bush),
expectations are so high that they are beyond the reach of any mortal. Perhaps that is why Obama
has been disparagingly referred to as "the messiah" and "the one."
Awaiting the Transformational Presidency
Arianna Huffington
President-elect Barack Obama is obsessed with Lincoln, who changed the country both by changing government policy and by
using the bully pulpit to help us change ourselves.
Europeans Love 'Alabama'
Rick Steves
With a new political era dawning in America, the world is paying attention. I remember the first time my Italian
friends expressed a curiosity and enthusiasm about some black politician named "Alabama." Now everyone knows
Obama's name, and we have a president whom people around the world want to look up to.
Is This the End of Black
Leonard Pitts
Those who claim we live in a post-racial America are guilty of no sin greater than wishful thinking. But
that doesn't make them any less incorrect. Not simply because people are still being pulled over for driving
black but, more fundamentally, because Obama's victory does not mean what some of us think it does. I don't
mean to suggest it does not embody breathtaking progress — it does.
A New Way of Being on this Planet
Robert Koehler
Something has to change about how we conduct our business and live our lives . . . no, that's putting it too mildly. A spiritual
awakening has to occur, the shock and awe of awareness as we look unblinking at the state of the world as it really is.
As the Decider, The True Barack Obama will Become Clear
Jonah Goldberg
Over the interminably long campaign, Obama's positions "evolved" to suit his political needs. This is hardly
extraordinary. Pretty much every successful presidential candidate embarks on a similar ideological migration
Special Inaugural Crossword Puzzle
Can you solve this special inaugural crossword with your mom, dad or your favorite grown-up?
Yes, you can! Kids solve the across clues while adults tackle the down ones.
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