Anything Is Possible

If I heard this phrase once in the last 3 days, I heard it 100 times. Everyone from Mariah Carey to people on the mall before the Inauguration kept saying it. “This shows us that in America anything is possible.”

I guess that they all meant that because an African-American has been elected, anything is now possible.

What I am curious about is:

Was “anything possible” when Clarence Thomas was sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice some 18 years ago? Where was the fanfare from the black community, heralding such a tremendous accomplishment? One could make the argument that Supreme Court Justice is nearly as powerful in the American landscape ( not world ) as the President, and the effects of their decisions are generally longer lasting.

Was “anything possible” when Condoleeza Rice was made Secretary of State? She has been the face of America to the world ( good or bad ) for the last four years. I would say that is a very prestigious seat to hold. Yet, there were no black celebrities heralding this event as a crowning achievement in the Civil Rights movement.

I think it’s all well and good that Barack Obama is our President. He is not my choice, but I will live with it just the same. And I personally don’t care if he is black or white or some other color. I care only about what he stands for, and there are many areas we disagree on. However, I know that it has been a long time coming for those that have fought the history of racial division in the U.S.

I only wish the same amount of praise had been lavished on other very fine people of color that had different political views. If it is truly about advancing the cause of racial equality, surely someone’s political ideology would not matter. From what I have seen in the last few days, you have to be the “right kind” of African-American in order to receive the recognition of triumphing over racism.

When I see conservative African-Americans receive the same kind of accolades from the black community as our new President, then I will truly believe that “anything is possible.”