The Reproach is Lifted

AuthorHouse

Contents

Dedication....................................................vAcknowledgements..............................................viiIntroduction..................................................1Change We Can Believe In......................................5Indiana Goes Blue.............................................11For the Sake of the Call......................................15Barack Obama and the "Moral" Issues...........................21The Curse that Never Was......................................27The Entertainment Hoax........................................35Reconciliation of the Races - The New Man.....................41Rolled Away - The Reason for Barack...........................49

Chapter One

One of the most remarkable things to come out Barack Obama's election is the restoration of hope among black men everywhere. There was what I would like to call a sweet vindication that took place on November 4, 2008.

Black men have been known for either their talents or their crimes, but on November 4, 2008, a black man was finally known for something else. Senator Barack Obama won 52% of the national vote. There were no hanging chad controversies and there were no recounts until the midnight hour. The United States of America had overwhelmingly sent a message to the rest of the world that it was indeed ready for a change.

Many people took offense when during the campaign; Michelle Obama made the comment that for the first time in her adult life she was proud of her country. Republicans jumped on the comment to try and show that she was "unpatriotic". Even Cindy McCain added her two cents by stating that she has always been proud of her country.

These individuals, especially an heiress to a 100 million dollar fortune, can never know what it is like to come out of your mother's womb already in second place or to be in a race with one hand tied behind your back-in other words-with the odds already stacked against you.

One can go to any part of this country and run into a black man who 1) was kicked out of school because educators didn't know how to reach him 2) unable to get a job because of the lack of proper training or 3) denied a job because of past convictions. When faced with these types of circumstances, some black men become bitter and stop seeking the "American" dream, while others become enraged and become a menace to society. All the counselors, psychologists and psychiatrists in the world had no answers for "growing up black".

Reproach verb (1) To express disapproval of, criticism or, or a disappointment in (someone). 2) To bring shame upon; disgrace. Noun (3) blame; rebuke. (4) One that causes rebuke or blame (5) disgrace; shame.

In this book, I will not mention names because the purpose of this book is to uplift and not attack. I am referring to all the conservative talk hosts, conservative black authors and organizational leaders. I believe that all of our beliefs, opinions or worldviews are based upon our personal experiences and realities.

When there is a reproach on a group of people, the ability to remove that reproach is not an easy task despite the best efforts of self-empowerment, building strong family units and spiritual black churches that help individuals to reach their full potential. Conversely, it is easy for one who has been under reproach to accept the teaching of hatred and animosity between the races.

Now I am not saying that the election of Barack Obama will erase the stench of the past hundreds of years. What I am saying is that it marks the beginning of a new way to look at us. This man from day one brought a message of HOPE and wherever he spoke the message was still the same - CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN. Obama was speaking about a change in Washington D.C., and a different direction from the failed Bush years, but I saw the greater message of a change in perception. It is my objective in writing this book to not to repeat the same information that we have been taught for the past four hundred years regarding American history and race relations. I am even going to attempt to stay away from mentioning dates and other historical events that would only bore you. What this book will address however, is the new freedom that should be embraced by not just African Americans, but by the white Americans and all the other ethnic groups that helped to put the Honorable President-elect Barack Obama into the White House. This man is an authentic African American with a white Kansas-born mother and an African father who now sits as the Commander-in-Chief over the free world.

I, like Obama, have higher education degrees. I take care of my wife and my family. I am a good son, good brother and a good uncle. I own my own business and care for the flock that God has entrusted me with, and yet I can still tell you that I carried the rage inside of me. As I have mentioned before, I like many before me, have felt the wrath of racism and have the battle scars to prove it. There was a popular refrain several years ago that stated, "There is no JUSTICE, it is JUST US".

Because of this silent rage within me, I stopped reciting the Pledge of Allegiance years ago. As my children got older and became more involved in school activities and sports, my refusal to stand or acknowledge the flag was often times uncomfortable. I, however, never wavered in my conviction that until America changed her evil ways, I would not and could not recite the pledge.

On that beautiful November 4th evening, as I watched with millions of other fellow Americans the nation elect its first black president, my rage slowly began to dissipate and was replaced with pride and yes, for the first time, HONOR. I was finally proud to be an American. I believe that we are witnessing a true healing for our nation. Now I know that there are still some racist idiots out there that are absolutely fuming at the fact that Obama will be the 44th president of the United States. Just as Jesus said that the poor would be with us always, I firmly believe that the ignorant will be with us always as well. The majority of Americans however saw that during these perilous times, Obama is the man for such times.

Think about this - we (black men) have always thought to be of lower intelligence. Even in the arenas that we have had our greatest success - sports- we were never thought to be the "smart quarterback" or the "smart point guard". Those were terms that were generally assigned to the physically-inferior white players. During these dire times, however, Americans are putting the hopes, dreams, aspirations of themselves and their children into the hands of a black man. This is true vindication indeed!!!

As I mentioned in my introduction, when a shift occurs in the natural, I believe that wholeheartedly a shift is occurring in the spiritual as well. When I speak of healing, I am talking about Americans of all races now being able to be better neighbors to each other. Hispanics, African Americans, Asians and whites now being able to truly fellowship is within our grasp if we allow it to be. It has often been said that when trials come, families should grow stronger and more resolute.

The collapse of our economy (the trial), caused the nation to shift what had been a trademark of the past eight years - cultural division. What the Bush/Cheney administration accomplished more than anything else during the past eight years was division in the country. Everything was about us vs. them, red states vs. blue states, immigration vs. hard-working Americans, small town "values" vs. big city corruption. Americans had tired of this division and in stepped a person who was ready for such a time as this. CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN.

Many dismissed this populist tone as utopian nonsense and were absolutely shocked when masses of people began to turnout to hear about this message of change and hope. As I stated earlier, when the economy began to crash around us and people began losing their 401ks in addition to already losing their houses and everything else, they said enough is enough. When McCain tried to use the old Republican way of attacking Obama's character, all it did was hurt McCain. Why? Americans were ready for change.

This tells me that we no longer need to separate the races. Whites do not need to feel pressure that the owe blacks or other minority groups any form of special treatment due to their guilty of slavery. We are all part of the human race, which makes us family. The people of the United States of America were willing to set aside long ingrained beliefs of inferiority, racism and stereotypes because their suffering outweighed any other beliefs they may have felt. The fact that they felt that a black man was the best person to help ease their suffering is only fitting. I see it as America coming full circle and finally closing the chapter on what has been a very long book. CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN.

Indiana Goes Blue

One of the most intriguing aspects of this past election was the role that Indiana played on the electoral map. Granted, we now know that Obama would have won the presidency without Indiana, but the fact that he won Indiana was very newsworthy.

Indiana had been a red state for the past forty-four years. The last Democratic president to get Indiana was Lyndon B. Johnson. As a matter of fact, Indiana had been one of the few states that on election nights would be instantly colored red as soon as the polls close. This year was different.

Who would win Indiana was still being debated even after Obama had been declared president. As soon as the polls closed, McCain was given the early edge but as the night wore on and the results began to matriculate in from Lake County it was becoming increasingly obvious that the tide had indeed turned. Why is this so significant? This is significant because of the history of Indiana.

Although Indiana is comfortably situated in between Illinois and Ohio, its politics and makeup can easily be aligned with the South. Indiana has a very ugly racist path with the KKK pretty much running state politics in the 1920s. It was in Indiana that one of the most disturbing and grotesque lynchings took place. The southern part of the state is notorious for its racist undertones and takes great pride in its reputation.

It was in Indiana; however that Obama decided to open several field offices and sign up hundreds of volunteer to spread his message of Hope and Change We Can Believe In. Media reports that this was no easy task. During the primary run, several volunteers reported receiving threats and were racially taunted. Their attitude and determination, however, never wavered. Obama himself visited the state close to fifty times during the primary and presidential campaign. Hoosiers took notice. McCain, probably believing that he would never lose Indiana to a Democrat, much less a black Democrat, only visited the state twice.

Another item of particular interest to me was the role of Terre Haute in this whole affair. According to election data, for the last one hundred years, Vigo County voters' trends have predicted the national election. Karl Rove, President Bush's former campaign operative, even stated on CNN to watch what the Vigo County voters do.

Now for those of you who don't know, I have pastored in Terre Haute for over seventeen years and actually lived in Terre Haute for over ten years. Terre Haute, Indiana is about a hard luck town as it comes. Its reputation precedes itself. It was in Terre Haute that I achieved many things as a pastor, but it was also in Terre Haute that some of my most serious injustices took place as well.

In 1998, I pretty much dominated the headlines of the local paper, Tribune Star. The newspaper, along with county and local officials, conspired to shut down my residential group home. My name and my business were left in ruins. I had a local prosecutor making threats to prosecute me and fellow pastors writing letters to the editor against me. I don't think anyone would have blamed me if I had decided to throw in the towel against such insurmountable odds. I however, persevered and in ten years have not only been able to rally my church and community supporters, but also engage them in the political process to witness the election of the first African American president.

What role did Vigo County play in this national election? Well, if Vigo County is indeed the bell weather for national politics, then the rest of the nation definitely took its cue. Terre Haute, a town hit hard by high unemployment and poverty rates due to the closing of several factories, overwhelming voted for Barack Obama.

The rural areas held true to form and voted for McCain, but Obama won every large city in Indiana as well as the college towns of South Bend, West Lafayette and Bloomington. That a state with such a rotten racial history could vote for someone as different as Barack Obama is absolutely inspirational. To show you how ironic that is, the governor of Indiana, Republican Mitch Daniels, won re-election in a landslide. What that shows is that many Hoosiers crossed over when it came to picking their next president. Amazing! I am so proud of my adopted state and my adopted town of Terre Haute!

For the Sake of the Call

Now that the unthinkable has happened, African Americans must take heed not to blame President-elect Barack Obama for situations beyond his control. Granted, his message of change and hope resonated with millions of people worldwide, but we all know that change does not happen overnight.

Obama is aware of this as well and spoke of such on 60 Minutes in his first televised interview after winning the election. Often times we become disappointed in our leaders, when circumstances in our personal lives do not change for the better. For many blacks, Obama's election was the turning of the tide. They saw his election as a chance to right what had been centuries of wrongs. To these individuals I say please give our new black President the chance to make it happen.

There are some in our community that because of their years of ingrained inferiority believe that things are now going to be WORSE now that Obama has been elected. I cannot help but call this form of thinking "the seasoning". For so long, many black Americans were conditioned to always sense the worse in ourselves. That is because of the four hundred years of mental abuse that was inflicted on the race. It is hard break loose from this type of thinking. Yes, there have been individuals who appear to have overcome the horrible part of our history in America. They say that they feel no hatred or animosity. Again, I say, that it is not as easy as it sounds. This type of seasoning can even be seen in the Bible. Allow me to share with you an aspect of the story of Moses that has gone overlooked.

Moses was God's chosen leader for the children of Israel or the Hebrews. He was born during a time of great persecution of the children of Israel and the Bible stated that his people cried out for a "deliverer". This man Moses was born for such a time as this. His first recorded act as a man was harshly resolute, and prophetic of his future powers of deliverance. He saw an Egyptian beating up a Hebrew and Moses killed the tormentor. The next day he saw two fellow Hebrews fighting and endeavoring to restrain them, he tried to speak to the aggressor who in turned insulted him by bringing up the fact that Moses had killed an Egyptian a day earlier.

"And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together; and he said to him that did the wrong, 'Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?' And he said, 'Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? Intendest thou to kill me, as thou killed the Egyptian?' And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known." Exodus 2:13-14

This was the first of a long succession of insults that Moses was to receive from his countrymen; however, it did not stop Moses from doing what was God's purpose for his life - deliver his people.

I am certain that as sure as the sun rises and sets, Obama will face many insults as well. Some older black Americans, who lived through the civil rights movement, believe that Obama's presidency will just give racists even more ammunition to "keep the black man down". I have heard them say that we can now no longer claim racism when we are turned down for things because the president of our country is black. In so many words, we now become victims of reverse discrimination because our president is black. That, my friend, is the seasoning that I spoke of earlier, and that same very thing happened to Moses as well. Instead of rejoicing in their newfound freedom from slavery an inhumane treatment, the children of Israel blamed Moses for "bringing them into the wilderness to die!"

I can hear the seasoned blacks saying, "At least we were getting hired before, now we cannot get anything!" If we allow this type of thinking to permeate, then it will be divide and conquer all over again. Guess what? We will all be back at square one. We must not allow this to happen!

(Continues...)

Excerpted from The Reproach is Liftedby Tino W. Smith Copyright © 2009 by Dr. Tino W Smith. Excerpted by permission.
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