I liked Michelle Obama's speech Monday night at the Democratic convention. She came across to me as being very intelligent, yet comfortably plain spoken. The time or two I'd heard her speak before did not resonate that well with me, but I can imagine some of the pressures the spouses of candidates go through. They are unable to perform well all the time. I think many in this country have unspoken reservations about their color of skin and how dangerously close the Obama family might be to inhabiting the White House.
In some ways we can't be faulted for having reservations. As children we were raised in a culture that taught us songs like "Ole Black Joe," made us laugh with radio characters like Amos 'n' Andy, and read us stories like "Lil Black Sambo." Reservations became learned,then ingrained. I had a comeuppance on a cruise ship headed to Alaska nine years ago. Just prior to a big formal dinner event, we found ourselves riding in the ship's elevator heading to the dining room deck. Mary wore a nice dress, and I pulled on a blue blazer jacket thinking I was well enough dressed for the occasion. A black couple rode with us, he wearing a tuxedo and she a formal dress. I knew there was a rental shop on board so I casually asked him if he had rented his duds. He spoke in a very cultured voice when he answered. "No, I brought it along." I felt embarrassed for thinking the lesser of him. I've only worn a rented tux two or three times in my life; this gentleman owned one. When we entered the dining room we noticed our attire fit in with many of the diners, but we had all been upstaged by this couple. Later that evening in the ballroom I again noticed the well-dressed couple having a great time with their friends, all of whom were dressed formally.
Prejudice is a two-way street. It comes back at a person. I worked many years in a setting where I was in the minority and suffered through their put-downs. Ask Native Americans how they like Tonto. Ask them if they like celebrating Columbus Day. Ask Japanese-Americans if they were fond of being sent to internment camps during WWII. Ask Black-Americans to say nice things about their slave heritage. As time passes, and with room for even more open-mindedness, I do think strong feelings of the past have begun to moderate, and that can only be good for all of us. Go Obama!
