Late on November 4th the United States of America voted into office the first African-American President. Many consider this action the culmination of decades of struggle by the black civil rights movement. Even I am impressed by America's ability to move towards a 'post-racial' era and elect a first term senator whose vision of hope and change inspired voters from all backgrounds.
Despite this proud moment in our nation's history, it is much too soon to celebrate.
On the same day that our nation achieved this civil rights victory, Florida, Arizona and California passed measures that deny marriage rights to couples of the same sex. That's right, the day our nation moved forward from a history of oppression towards one minority group in our country, three more states chose to deny equal rights to another minority group.
One point that is getting a lot of attention about this issue, is that in California, 70% of Black American voters voted for 'proposition 8', the question that , now passed, will define marriage as a union between one man and one woman. I am not one who will blame black Californians for this. Nor, despite identifying as anti-theistic, will I blame the Mormon church, which raised something like $25 million in support of prop 8. However, what a tragedy it is that the majority of these two groups would vote to take away the rights of their fellow Americans and place them into second class citizenry. Both these minority groups have a history of struggle against oppression in America. That any voter would do this to their brothers and sisters is a tragedy against the principles on which our country was built. That members of a historically oppressed group would do this is a tragedy to mankind itself.
As soon as I heard the news of these results on the afternoon of the 5th, when the final votes had been counted. I cried. I cried because our nation as a whole elected a new leader whose message of inclusion and unity inspired a landslide victory, while voters in three states cast their ballots to oppress their fellow citizens and to keep from them a right which is granted to all other members of this community. Marriage.
So, while I am proud that we have come together to elect a president who represents hope after years of darkness, I will not be joining my comrades in a victory chant. I will not celebrate until our nation can stand up and show that the values of 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness' is more than just archaic literature. The time has come for us to roll up our sleeves and make changes, and we may not yet relax and bask in our progress until the civil rights movement achieves real victory.
"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. "
-Martin Luther King Jr.
Despite this proud moment in our nation's history, it is much too soon to celebrate.
On the same day that our nation achieved this civil rights victory, Florida, Arizona and California passed measures that deny marriage rights to couples of the same sex. That's right, the day our nation moved forward from a history of oppression towards one minority group in our country, three more states chose to deny equal rights to another minority group.
One point that is getting a lot of attention about this issue, is that in California, 70% of Black American voters voted for 'proposition 8', the question that , now passed, will define marriage as a union between one man and one woman. I am not one who will blame black Californians for this. Nor, despite identifying as anti-theistic, will I blame the Mormon church, which raised something like $25 million in support of prop 8. However, what a tragedy it is that the majority of these two groups would vote to take away the rights of their fellow Americans and place them into second class citizenry. Both these minority groups have a history of struggle against oppression in America. That any voter would do this to their brothers and sisters is a tragedy against the principles on which our country was built. That members of a historically oppressed group would do this is a tragedy to mankind itself.
As soon as I heard the news of these results on the afternoon of the 5th, when the final votes had been counted. I cried. I cried because our nation as a whole elected a new leader whose message of inclusion and unity inspired a landslide victory, while voters in three states cast their ballots to oppress their fellow citizens and to keep from them a right which is granted to all other members of this community. Marriage.
So, while I am proud that we have come together to elect a president who represents hope after years of darkness, I will not be joining my comrades in a victory chant. I will not celebrate until our nation can stand up and show that the values of 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness' is more than just archaic literature. The time has come for us to roll up our sleeves and make changes, and we may not yet relax and bask in our progress until the civil rights movement achieves real victory.
"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. "
-Martin Luther King Jr.