“America Will Never Elect a Black President.”

The title of this post is a quote from The Black Independent, a website, newsletter, and blog published by Stephen Frazier. He first said it in 2000. He repeated it in August 2008. It’s no doubt been said for many years by blacks and whites.

But the inaccuracy of this statement is beginning to sink in. The Bradley effect hasn’t materialized, and we’re going to have, for the first time in our history, a black President (barring a Truman surprise, circa 1948).

Small towns across the country know it’s coming, but they doubt they’re ready. Take West Plains, Missouri, where a billboard at the town’s main entrance contains a cartoonlike drawing of Senator Obama wearing a turban above this message: “Barack ‘Hussein’ Obama equals more abortions, same sex marriages, taxes, gun regulations.” There’s been little opposition to the billboard from town citizens who believe that America’s best years have come and gone.

And take Teigen, Montana, where there’s no black history — never a black schoolteacher, mail carrier, or law enforcement officer. Of the 945,000 residents in Montana, only 0.4 percent are black, and there are only chance encounters with blacks. As a resident of a small Montana town honestly says, “Never could I have anticipated . . . a black man being at the top of the ticket.”

The sentiments expressed in these small towns aren’t limited to those places — or even to small towns. As much as many Americans would like to believe we’re ready for a black President and post-race America, this dramatic change will cause tremors.

But we’ve felt them before. When schools were integrated. When the first blacks were admitted to universities. When blacks were allowed to be patrons at restaurants and guests at hotels. When blacks began to break barriers that allowed them to become college presidents, members of Congress, Supreme Court justices, governors, state legislators, managers and supervisors, and CEOs. Let’s not kid ourselves. Whether black or white, having a black President will be strange for a while. But our country will march on, just as schools, governmental bodies, and businesses have marched on — sometimes for the better and sometimes not.

Two things bother me about this election. Millions of people will vote against Obama because he’s black, and millions of people will vote for him because he’s black. This year, there are plenty of issues, policies and philosophies that could cause one to vote for or against Obama, even if he were purple and his roots were Martian.

Just as I’ve encouraged you during the course of this campaign to prevent racial, gender, religious, and age preferences or prejudices from spilling over into the workplace, I encourage you to be vigilant in this regard between now and inauguration day. We have many challenges ahead of us, and there’s no need to allow our employees to create more for us because they don’t like the way the election turned out. We all know the rules. Let’s abide by them.

1. 

   Cultural Offering says:

   November 4, 2008 at 11:31 am

   Well said.
2. 

   ACU Frank says:

   November 4, 2008 at 1:07 pm

   Oddly, West Plains Missouri is the home of state Attorney General Jeremiah “Jay” Nixon, the presumptive Governor-elect, who just happens to have similar views to Obama. Why isn’t Nixon on that billboard? Oh, yeah… he’s white.
3. 

   John Phillips says:

   November 4, 2008 at 2:34 pm

   Frank,

   You’re just too perceptive.
4. 

   Nae says:

   November 5, 2008 at 2:56 pm

   Frank you missed another important point. Jay’s middle name isn’t Hussein. Prejudice isn’t just about skin tone. It comes in many forms.
5. 

   John Phillips says:

   November 5, 2008 at 3:09 pm

   Nae,

   Thanks for your comment. So, Frank isn’t as perceptive as I thought?