Destinys Child

By Zenitha Prince Washington Bureau Chief WASHINGTON (January 20, 2009) Today, a Black man became president. But then, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. foretold of this daythe day Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in as the nations commander-inchiefback in August 1963 when he spoke of hopes and dreams before a crowd of thousands gathered before the Lincoln Memorial. born, but he moves, not just around the neighborhood or around the state, but around the world; where would that kid be 47 years later? Youd say, oh, we know; probably in jail, probably on drugs, or maybe even dead, said Ogletree, a former teacher and mentor to Obama and his wife, Michelle. You wouldnt expect him to be the next president of the United States, answers Mack D. McGhee, a trained social worker from Chicago. There

January 24, 2009 - January 30, 2009, The Washington Afro-American

A3

Barack was the right man, at the right time, with the right message.
Dr. King told usin no uncertain termstwo things: that America has a race problemand two, that at some point America is going to have to move beyond its exclusionary policy to a policy to accept people on the content of their character, not the color of their skin, recalled Charles Ogletree, Harvard law professor and director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice. What he did and said more than 45 years ago is, Im waiting for an Obama to come because I know Americas good enough. Maybe not in my lifetime, but America is good enough to accept and receive an AfricanAmerican [president.] It almost seems destined that Obama would be that man of whom King spoke; that their stories would be intertwined. Here in Washington, D.C., inauguration celebrations have coincided with the commemoration of Dr. Kings birthday, Monday. And almost inexplicably, Obama delivered his acceptance speech for the Democratic nomination on Aug. 20, the anniversary of Kings I Have a Dream Speech in which he predicted the rise of a Black president. The president said then, echoing Sam Cookes iconic song, Its been a long time coming, but tonight, because what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America. Obamas ascendancy to the White House, Ogletree said, is destiny in this sense: Dr. King said it had to happen, the question was when. The answer is now, and many African Americans are still grappling with the reality. A miracle, said famed Black director Spike Lee of a President Obama. [Its the realization] of the dreams, ambitions and hopes of all our ancestors who were enslaved for 400 years. My grandmother lived to 100 years; she never thought shed see this day. Obamas race and his socioeconomic and family background make his accomplishment even more miraculous. If I were to ask you, what happens to an AfricanAmerican kid born in August 1961 and his father is largely out of his life, and his mother is pregnant as a teenager, and he lives, not in the neighborhood where he was are a lot of statistics out there about African-American boys born to single mothers and raised by their grandparents facing lots of barriers to success. And yet Obamas complicated background having a Kenyan father, White mother and mixed-race sister; living in Indonesia and Hawaiihelped define the man and his message and helped him learn to slip seamlessly into different environments, which ultimately aided in his victory. But the presidents political journeylike his personal lifewas a trek up the rough side of the mountain as Ogletree put it. Illinois State Rep. Will Burns, who worked as a volunteer on Obamas 1995 campaign for the state senate and as his legislative aide in Springfield, said given the rough and tumble nature of Illinois politics, Baracks rise was nothing less than miraculous. He continued, In Chicago, politically, theres a lot of, wait your turn, this person comes first. And yet, thats where Obama, a political carpetbagger fresh from Harvard Law School, decided to cut his political teeth and eventually thrived, learning to traverse the diverse worlds of the South Side and Hyde Park; of progressives and conservatives. He is not afraid, said Dianne Pinderhughes, professor of Africana studies and political science at the University of Notre Dame. He doesnt have fear of the kind that would encourage the kind of caution that other people might have. He looks at a situation, makes a decision and acts on it. Then and later in his presidential campaign, Obama struggled with gaining acceptance from the AfricanAmerican leadership. Obama announced his presidential candidacy in Springfield, Ill., on Feb. 10, 2007, the same day at Tavis Smileys State of the Black Union conference in Virginia and he was lambasted for his absence, with people wondering if he was truly a brother. Ogletree, who was there as a panelist, had to defend him, pointing out his work with exoffenders and police brutality. It was amazing that he had to earn that idea of being a Black man running for president that no one was supporting to now every

person I run into is like, Man, I was with Barack from the beginning. Theyre lying. I know theyre lying because theyve told me otherwise. In Chicago, the Black hierarchy had expected Obama to adhere to the unspoken rules of seniority and social and political standing. For example, when thenstate Sen. Alice Palmer decided to run for Congress in 1995, Obama decided to run for her seatwith her blessing. But when she realized the tide was going against her, she changed her tune. When she lost, she said, I want my seat back now, Pinderhughes recalled. He said, No. You made a decision not to run and Im going to go for it. Said Burns of the response in a July 2008 New Yorker article, These old nationalist guys start beating a drum about how Barack should let

AP Photo

Michelle Obama looks on with pride as her husband, Barack Obama, is sworn in as Americas first Black president. this elder back in and how senioritys important.A comment in the Defender by Robert Starks, a professor of political science at Chicagos Northeastern Illinois University and one of Palmers chief supporters was typical: If she doesnt run, that seat will go to a Daley supporter. We have asked her to reconsider not running because we dont think Obama can win. He hasnt been in town long enough Nobody knows who he isWe need someone with experience. Palmer collected Continued on A6

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A6

Obamas Swearing-in was a Missed Opportunity for Some

By Dorothy Rowley AFRO Staff Writer By 7 a.m. on Tuesday, downtown in the nations capital had swelled into a huge, pulsating scene as about 2 million people converged upon the city to view the historic swearingin of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States. But for many, the trip to Washington, D.C., to witness the ceremony didnt turn out as expected. While some ticket holders to the inauguration, unable to bear the cold temperatures while waiting in long lines, walked away in frustration, others who thought they could squeeze in on the east side of the National Mall also ended up leaving after U. S. Park Police closed the area and ushered them to spots west of 14th Street. A group of young people who came from California, Philadelphia and Texas, said they started out walking to the Capitol at 8 a.m. but by the time they arrived two hours later, the crowd had swelled so large that police wouldnt let them through. We had tickets and went to show our support and our effort but it was too chaotic, said Jeaninne Kayembe. It was like a million people every way you turned, so we decided to buy some newspapers and go back home and watch the inauguration on TV, she said. Were not angry because we still feel like weve been part of todays history.

January 24, 2009 - January 30, 2009, The Washington Afro-American

INAUGURATION DAY, JANUARY 20, 2009

Gates to the Inaugural Ceremony open at 8 a.m. The inaugural festivities scheduled to start at 10 a.m. on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. They included: Musical selections of The United States Marine Band, followed by the San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus. Sen. Dianne Feinstein provides call to order and welcoming remarks. Invocation by the Rev. Rick Warren. Musical selection of Aretha Franklin. Biden will be sworn into office by Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. Musical selection of John Williams, composer/arranger with Itzhak Perlman, (violin), Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Gabriela Montero (piano) and Anthony McGill (clarinet). Obama will take the Oath of Office, using President Lincolns Inaugural Bible, administered by Chief Justice John Roberts. Scheduled around noon. Obama gives the inaugural address. Poem by Elizabeth Alexander. Benediction by Rev. Joseph E. Lowery. The National Anthem by The United States Navy Band Sea Chanters. After Obama gives inaugural address, he will escort outgoing President George W. Bush to a departure ceremony before attending a luncheon in the Capitols Statuary Hall. The 56th Inaugural Parade will then make its way down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House. Later that day, the Presidential Inaugural Committee will host 10 official inaugural balls

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Finding a TV on which to watch the inauguration was an idea many others in the same predicament also apparently had in mind. However, Frances Hendricks, who arrived on Sunday from Rocky Mount, N.C., with her family wasnt as forgiving. Emphasizing that provisions on the Mall could have been better planned, Hendricks said she was hurt that she missed seeing Obama take the oath of office as he placed his hand on the Lincoln Bible. I was at the Mall by 7 a.m. and couldnt get through. It could have been planned better, especially when they knew so many people were coming from out of town, said Hendricks, whose party ended up at Union Station searching for a TV on which to watch the ceremony. Hendricks said she planned to leave the District that same afternoon but seemed weary of getting out. I just hope that by the time I leave, all the crowds will still be up at the Mall, she said, laughing. Harry Perryman from Newark, N.J., said although he didnt get onto the Mall that he was happy to be in D.C. amid all the history and excitement. This moment is historic and if I had had just one leg, I would have still been down here, he said while watching a TV at Union Station. I refused to stay home and miss the greatest of all celebrations in the world because this is a victory for all people. It has been worth every effort to be here.

Destinys Child
Continued from A3 signatures to put her name on the ballot but Obama soon silenced that threat, proving that some of the signatures were invalid. That was typical Obamathe contender we saw in the past two years, Pinderhughes said. He plays hardball. Hes a very quiet person but he takes the electoral process seriously and doesnt give any ground. That resolve is perhaps due to the clear-eyed vision the command of his own destinythat Obama seems to have for himself, a vision those who know him didnt always share. At Harvard, Ogletree said, Obama was hardworking, brilliant and hands on but he underestimated him. Barack, he predicted, is going to be the best [darn] mayor in the history of mayors, because of his tendency to work directly with people, as he did in his community organizing days. However, the professor continued, There was no doubt in my mind that [Michelle Obama] would be the one who would be the great public official. When Obama called himafter he was trounced by Bobby Rush in 2000 in the Congressional raceto announce he was running for the U.S. Senate, Ogletree questioned his sanity. I said, Are you out of your mind? Then he gave me good reasons why. He said, Its the right time. I have some good ideas. I said, How are you doing in the polls? He said, Im in last place, but Im gaining every day. What about money? He said, I dont have as much as my competitors, but its going to come. That sense of hopefulness, the professor said, that he could take on the challenge of the highest elected office in the state and he could do it with less money and less support and win was that sense of the audacity of hope. It took audacity for Obama to set his eye on the White House when he had hardly clocked in any hours in his office across the way. Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, one of the national co-chairs for Obamas campaign, said at first, people did not take the then-junior senator seriously. When we started campaigning in January 2007, I tried to get many of

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my friends to help out and I could only get one or two; most people did not believe he could win, he said. Many of them laughed at me; they thought it was a joke. And yet, the Democrat from Baltimore said, there was a sense that Obamas steps were ordered. Burns agreed, saying, You did get the sense that there was an element of God involved in Obamas meteoric political rise through some tough circumstances. Politics, a lot of it is about timing and about breaks and about being the right person at the right time-- Barack was the right man, at the right time, with the right message. That message of change and oneness, of government and personal responsibility delivered in Obamas signature deliberate manner, was an antidote for a populace scarred by an unwanted war abroad, scared by an unstable economy and sick after eight years of partisan politics under an unpopular president. If you had to look for a single factor that explains Obamas victory it would be hard to argue that that factor was George Bush, said Richard Katz, professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University. He had come to be perceived as such a spectacular failure that there was no way [John] McCain could dig himself out of the hole that Bush had dug. Still, Obama, a political David, had to face a long, tough battle against Washington Goliaths, former first lady Sen. Hillary Clinton and war hero Sen. McCain. And it was he who engineered and steered his groundbreaking campaign through a minefield comprised of Jeremiah Wright, and allusions to bitter Americans, being called a pal of terrorists and the almost ubiquitous complaint of his lack of experience. Obama is a very smart man so, yes, Im sure he tailored his message, both in what pieces of programs he chose to emphasize and what he said, Katz said. Thats what politicians are supposed to do in a democracy. So, was it Obamas fate to be the nations 44th president? Temple University professor Molefi Kete Asante said no. Barack Obama is certainly the person for the moment. Some people may call that destiny or fate but I think it is likely the convergence of many different things at one time; many, many factors that say we need fresh leadership. I think if it was not Barack Obama it would have been someone else. But, fortunately for usin a historic senseit is Barack Obama.