America's Black Presidency: Lessons to The World

Barely two years ago any prediction that gave a black man any chance of living in America’s whitehouse and presiding over the nation’s executive branch twenty years later, would have been viewed as myopic if not melancholic. This is because those blacks who dared to run for their respective party nomination races hurriedly quit before the real contests commenced. Not even Rev. Jersey Jackson with all his popularity and good relationship with a broad spectrum of compatriots, whites, blacks, Spanish and other minorities. General Colin Powell’s announced intention to run for the republican party nomination ended with that announcement. Neither Rev. Al Sharpton a democrat nor Alan Keyes the twice runner republican made any headway. Martin Luther King jr. paid a supreme sacrifice for voicing too loud his dream that has today transformed into Obama’s white house. No wonder it appeared so unbelievable that religious fanatics termed it a miracle of God. Others say that Obama is predestined to be president of America.

But these two beliefs are most unfair to both president-elect Obama and American electorate especially the white voters who displayed utmost magnanimity in their voting pattern whereby race was not an influence. If these majority white voters had behaved otherwise by voting along racial lines, Obama would have ended up where his fellow black earlier runners ended that is not even winning the party ticket. Therefore the world at large have a lot to learn from this event (1)To eschew all forms of discrimination, segregation,marginalization and religious bigotry/intoler ance. (2)To accept that all men have equal rights. (3) To be aware that no condition of a people is ever permanent and that it is only a matter of time. Ofcourse Obama’s strong message skill and hardwork, toiling night and day across the lenghth and breadth of this vast continent-size country USA can not be played down as contributory to his success.

With this great lesson open for emulation by those countries where one form of discrimination or the other is still in full force like Germany, Russia, India, Italy,Nigeria, Sudan etc. the unacceptability of those inhuman behavior to fellow man would be better appreciated and soon become a thing of the past.

By Erasmus U Ikedilo