I watched and listened to Barack Obama’s speech, and have since heard the pundits spin the speech to the point of unrecognizability. I will tell you right now that I sincerely believe that was the most honest, clear, sincere speech that I believe that I have ever heard from not only a politician but from any person short of one, as I will explain later in this particular writing. If I weren't a fan already, I absolutely became one upon watching him and hearing what he had to say. People who know me know that I always attempt to look past what I see and hear, to the heart and intent of the person. I am most times right, not always, but most times. Senator Obama spoke from the heart, spoke from both sides of his heritage, he spoke on behalf of those not empowered with the mike, he spoke about those who are empowered with the mike and misuse it, he spoke about what has to take place if anything in this country is to truly change. He spoke on behalf of what makes up the real United States of America. He spoke with courage and with truth, his truth, not as a poised sound byte.

I attend/belong to a church that is majority Anglo American. There have been times that statements were made letting me know that the given speaker forgot that Black folks were in the room. There have
been more times that I have felt invisible in the social interactions of the same church. So why stay, why not distance myself? Because the true definition of church is that it is a group of people with
common spiritual beliefs. And the spiritual beliefs of this particular church are as close as I can get to what I believe about who God is and how He wants me to worship Him. Do I think that personal paradigms get mixed into the sermons given? Absolutely. Am I less of a Christian because I don't agree with those paradigms? Absolutely not.

I am not held responsible for any other person's point of view; I am held responsible for my point of view and how I react to the points of view of others. It is no different for Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or any other person or persona in the public headlights. But Senator Obama raised some important points and invited dialogue about the issue of race in this country, so I want to follow his lead and do the same: Why is it that the media, and many in Anglo America, even to a certain extent many of non-Anglo America, believe that what one Black person does or doesn't do applies to every other Black person in America? Why do you assume what happens in one Black church happens in all Black churches, what one person does that fits a preconceived stereotype, fits every other person of color, no matter the race? Whether its in arts, education, entertainment, politics, corporate life, communities, the belief that one person's point of view, behaviors, actions, creativity, beliefs, culture do not fit all just because of the color of his or her skin. More often that not the media bias has ascribed to the continued perpetuation of this paradigm. Or is the perception that credibility is contingent upon who has the power of the microphone? If one were to take away the church component, how indeed are Wright's contemptible comments any different from Pat Buchanan, Rush Limbaugh or Bill O'Reilly's diatribe?  And I am adding to that list Lou Dobbs.  For all of the feigned demeanor of concern {also known as white paternalism), Dobbs is no different than the aforementioned gentlemen who happen to have the power of the mike to spew their poison of supremacy.  

The media associates controversy with Black America. To Senator Obama's credit, he has met every attempt at creating controversy and negativity head on; not only has he done so with integrity but with
an honest courage I haven't seen is some time. And if you, as a reader, have never made a questionable comment about another person's race, sex, shape, color, religious beliefs, looks, life choices, etc., then you have an absolute right to cast a stone or two. But I suspect you can't; I know, I'm human too. But more dangerous in this technology laden society, is the ability and the blatant attempt of the media to put fear in the hearts of the white male voter. To have them second guess themselves in the hope of swaying them to any decision other than Barack Obama. My immediate question and concern is when did news networks decide that they had the right to slant the truth to create a specific outcome?  And who told them that regular Americans would believe whatever they choose to deliver as credible news?  What happened to objective journalism?  Should we not begin to demand unbiased reporting, lest we ultimately rehearse the worst of this world history?  You see, the media has a stake in this game; not only has the media become a corporate arm of larger business conglomerates – rather than the unbiased conduit of news theystarted out to be ages ago, when journalism was much more honest – it is a test for us all of its increased ability to define how we think. Do we seek truth or do we continue to allow any given sound byte, looped or skewed, slanted for or against our own paradigms, dictate how we think? Have we given our points of view, our decision making ability, over to those who want to dictate how we should think? I hope you have the courage to think for your self, weigh the facts, not go with what's popular, as you turn your full attention to who's left on American Idol, what Brittany Spears is doing for the cameras today or what Paris Hilton thinks is "hot".

Listen to what Barack Obama said today and decide for yourself, YOUR self. If you can't access the video, go to Start thinking for yourself and what you really want out of being a citizen in this country; do you want change or more of the same, just repackaged? The future of this country depends on your decision. As the media hype over race continues to be played up in this presidential campaign, why is it there isn't a case made for the undeniable fact that Barack Obama is not just a candidate of color and African descent, he is equally an Anglo candidate? Or does that matter? If his African descent is a factor in his capability and competence to successfully lead this country, can one also a case that his Anglo heritage matters just as much? Or doesn't it mean that all of this issue about his race means nothing at all? The character of this or any man or woman is what really counts and what you should be looking to when you make your choice behind that little curtain in the coming weeks.

One last note: There is another reason why I stay in the church I'm in: my brother is a minister in this church and he embodies a lot of the character traits I saw displayed in Senator Obama as he spoke
today. I know his heart and how sincere he is about what he teaches – the Bible in its purest possible form -- from the pulpit. He and my sister have also taken a lot of grief, when I have verbalized my
points of view through my writing –because, like Senator Obama and others of color and African descent have experienced -- they were held accountable for another individual's thinking and expression of a different point of view. I have a tremendous amount of respect for them both and for the courage they have displayed.

The bottom line: For the first time in a long time, I actually have hope that things could actually change in this country, when it comes to its long legacy of racism, of bias, of prejudice that continues to
tear at the fabric of the very reason for why the United States came into existence in the first place. It is time to truly become a unified people, with the common goals and objectives that will allow all of us to rise.