The End to Black Politics?

There's this idea floating around the United States (of America, not Anthony) that Obama's nomination will be the end to "Black Politics." In other words, African Americans will not be able to "complain" about inequalities in the United States. If this is why some people are voting for Barack Obama, they've messed up in the worst way imaginable.

First of all, the realization of a President Barack Obama does not magically end inequalities in this nation nor is it proof that we're beyond the problem. Inequalities still exist across the board. The problem with this nation is tokenism. Too many people believe that just because there's one person in a specific area, it's the end of inequality in that area. One token does not equate to general equality.

Take a stroll through any corporation in this nation. You'll find plenty of African Americans. The question is at what level in the company are we going to find them. Janitors, cooks, and repairmen make up the bulk of African American positions in corporate America. We haven't even gotten to the actual corporation yet. Climb up the corporate ladder and even from the first step, the air is thin for African American lungs. And, It only gets thinner the higher you go up. Is a Barack Obama presidency going to equalize corporate America?

Let's just take a look at the (lack of) justice system. If we relied on statistics alone, African Americans would be some of the most vicious people on this planet. What's funny about this is that there are non profit organizations that are dispelling this myth by exonerating wrongfully convicted persons. In those exonerations, they've uncovered rampant wrongdoing - racism, cover ups, brutality, evidence fabrication, lies, deceit. Even when African Americans are truly guilty, the punishment is by far the worst. Sentencing for crimes is outrageous. Just look at the Rockefeller drug laws in New York City. African Americans were serving huge amounts of time in prison compared to whites for the very same substance but in a different form - crack cocaine vs powder cocaine. Is a Barack Obama presidency going to equalize this broken justice system?

We can go on and on and on about inequalities in this nation. It doesn't just exist for African Americans. Women suffer. Latinos suffer. The disabled suffer. The elderly suffer. And, yes, whites suffer as well. I say this because there exists an inequality in economy. Travel to the Appalachians where whites are just as poor and disenfranchised as anyone else. The rich of this nation have sapped those communities by sending jobs overseas. They increase their on profits at the detriment of hardworking Americans all around this nation.

Inequalities affect us all. We can't start putting different groups in more favorable positions only to appease our own misperception of reality. It's arbitrary, unfair, and still unequal.