Whether you are a Republican, a Democrat, conservative or liberal – whether you like it or don’t like it – you have witnessed history.

I recently stumbled across a [...]]]> It is a fascinating time to be an American. We’ve just witnessed a pivotal moment in United States history, the election of Barack Obama as our forty-fourth President.

Whether you are a Republican, a Democrat, conservative or liberal – whether you like it or don’t like it – you have witnessed history.

I recently stumbled across a website collection of the World’s newspaper coverage of the inauguration. There were near 650 images of world newspaper front pages the last time I checked.

I feel a buoyancy in my heart and a new pride in being American. I am so encouraged and optimistic.

What troubles me are some of the comments in the StumbleUpon reviews of this site. It seems that not everyone shares the joy I feel over the inauguration of our new president.

Fortunately, the negative comments were in the minority. However, the sheer vitriol, virulence, and hatred in these comments deeply disturbs me.

For the most part, the negative comments were resentful that people are “sheep” who are “fawning nauseatingly”. Generally, the negative folks couldn’t grasp the reason why “their Stumbles” were full of Obama related sites (not that these folks don’t list ‘politics’ as one of their Stumble interests). They could not grasp the significance of the inauguration of Barack Obama. But before I try to explain that (without injecting my own politics if I can help it), I want to quote some of these negative reviews.

Xtolyrexes

E…FUCKING…NOUGH already. What’s next? Pictures of the first black man’s shit in the west wing toilet? I hate to break it to you sheep, but he is not the second coming of Christ. You’ll finally get it in a few months when you see how fucked up he makes things.

aharonb

Oh wonderful, more pictures of the “Saviour.” Please stop stumbling this crap

Pottled-Benis

I warned you. What’d I say? First two days after the election this shit was still ‘cute’ now it’s annoying as fuck. I haven’t seen something so talked about to the point of being boring since… …Oprah’s fat ass? Yeah that works.

So here it is. Here is the significance – and again, it does not matter what your politics are to understand it.

Our Country brought West Africans to our shores by force on ships beginning in the early 1600’s and continued legally until 1865 – when it became outlawed with the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution – an amendment that was not officially recognized by the State of Mississippi until 1995. (that is nineteen-NINETY-five). They were brought by force, in chains, to be sold as slaves.

At the conclusion of legal African slavery in the US, many black people continued working on in slavery conditions because they had nowhere else to go. In the centuries since then, we have seen an increase in opportunity and otherwise, but progress has been slow.  Many people today have grand-parents who were slaves. There are still many who remember segregation vividly. There are many who remember much worse.

My own European ancestors, both those on my Mother’s side who came from England and France, and those on my Father’s side who came from Italy came here of their own free will. They came here with a bit of money. They came here speaking the language. They came here with education and skills. In some cases they faced bigotry, but the assimilation process was fairly easy. Opportunity was abundant.

The African ancestors had no such advantages. They were forbidden to speak their own languages, they were forbidden to practice their own religion. It was forbidden to teach them to read or write. They had the same legal status as a dog or a pig – chattel property – and in many cases would have considered the life of the family pig or dog a promotion in status.

So regardless of a person’s politics, I think they should be able to see why this is SIGNIFICANT. For the first time, a man of African decent has been elected to the nation’s highest office. President of the United States! All the way from “Chattel Property”. It gives me goose bumps.

This is deeply meaningful on many levels. It proves that a man with black skin and African heritage can indeed do anything. It proves that the remaining vestiges of racism have been handed a death sentence.

A Savior? I don’t believe in saviors really – and salvation really has nothing to do with it.