A Leader for the Entire World

This article was written a few days before the Presidential Election.  The following is risky but I am a man of extreme faith.

I had a confession to make to my dear wife, Kay.  We are quite open and transparent with our expenses and revenue.  But I had been keeping something from her for a couple of days.  I finally blurted out “I gave the maximum to the Obama Campaign fund”.  She immediately replied with glee, “I did too!  I did it last week.”  We hugged.  I then called my two sons and asked if they had given to the Obama Campaign.  They responded with, “Hasn’t everyone, why of course Dad?”  So it is this new phenomenon that is encompassing the entire globe.  The excitement and euphoria that a person of color shall be elected the leader of the entire free world has 75% (according to the Washington Post) of the international world hoping and praying for the election of Barack Hussein Obama.

It’s not just that he is a person of color.  It is the message he delivers and the past he has experienced.  With any historical leader, their upbringing and experiences served a purpose but neither could have been predictable. Who would have thought that Moses, a prestigious African would be the one to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt?  Who would have thought that Mahatma Gandhi, a recipient of a British law degree and practicing attorney in South Africa, would be the one to lead India away from the British Empire?  Nelson Mandela languished 28 years in prison only to come out and lead South Africa to true democracy.  Dr. Martin Luther King was a studious individual from a bourgeois family and ignored by the consensus of fellow ministers but it did not deter him from leading this nation to a righteous conscience and the Civil Rights Act – an accomplishment that sprung Senator or President Obama’s seeds of opportunity.

I truly believe that God, the Almighty, has sent Barack to us.  The timing is right as the world is in turmoil.  A turmoil that will not be solved by war but by reasoning, leadership and example and the whole world is anxiously waiting.  We have economic issues that affect every village, town, city and nation throughout the globe.  Our energy future is one big question mark.  It is 2008 and we cannot deliver a viable and effective healthcare system to the people of the world.  We need change!  This messenger has delivered a theme that addresses that very thing.

My only regret is that my parents are not here to witness this.  They were born sharecroppers in rural Louisiana and were not offered any education beyond the 8th grade.  School was only for three months per year (winter) as the other nine months were to be spent in the fields.  It was the same life their parents lived which was better than the lives of their grandparents who were all born in slavery.  Things have certainly changed due to the sacrifice and courage of true leaders.  Now, we have a new leader.  A leader to change these current times and challenges and it is all up to us.  The whole world is counting on the United States.  To do less than elect Barack Obama will lessen our stature in the world.  It is our destiny to elect him.

This Hero is the son of a Luo tribesman from Kenya (his namesake) and a white lady from small town Kansas.  He grew up in Kansas, Texas, Hawaii and Indonesia.  It wasn’t easy and at times rather rough –without his father and surviving on food stamps.  He learned from those experiences and when the opportunities presented themselves he matured into it.  Occidental College, Columbia and then Harvard Law were his choices and he worked hard to do it. His affinity for community development and fighting for the common folk of the world have shaped his adulthood.  He also has the fortune of “marrying right”.  A strong woman and two model children are his partners in this noble quest.

It wasn’t quick for me to become a strong Obama fan.  It has grown as the conditions of the world deteriorated and his words of reasoning started to make serious sense to me.  Frankly, I might have voted for him just because he is Black.  But honestly, I support him because he is the best person for the job (no offense to all who contested against him) and his being Black is simply “frosting on the cake”.

But let’s not underestimate the overall impact of Obama being a person of color.  No more can a young Black child reason that he or she cannot achieve their goals.  From here on out, the sky is the limit!  Whether you are a tribesman in an African village; a goat herder in Asia; an indigenous person of South America or a Black child living in North Milwaukee create your dreams and remember the audacity of Hope.  God bless America and the entire world.  Lead on Barack Hussein Obama.

Mr. Alford is the co-founder, President/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, Inc.  Website:  www.nationalbcc.org.