Profiles in Black History: Part 4 - President Barack Hussein Obama II

It's time to Break It Down!

Time passes. Sometimes slowly, often swiftly, always inexorably, time passes. In four days February will come to a close, and Black History Month with it.

Three weeks ago, I kicked-off this series of Profile in Black History by sharing the rudiments of Henrietta Lacks’ story. Ms. Lacks was a far too little known black heroine, who in death changed the way we live. Medical researchers the world over will be forever indebted to this young black woman from Southern Virginia.

Two weeks ago I examined the exploits of another little known African American; North Carolina’s own Alex Manly. Mr. Manly, by brashly refuting a female white supremacist’s claims, thrust himself into the center of a controversy that would become the Wilmington (NC) Race Riots of 1898. His actions, considered resolute by some and reckless by others, may be debated. What followed cannot. Wilmington endured a bloody insurrection that changed the composition of the local government, rearranged the demographics of the City, and spawned the advent of the Jim Crow movement in the South.

Last week, I concentrated on presenting the story another North Carolinian; Charlotte Hawkins Brown. Ms. Brown left the confines of the Tar Heel state as child, traveling to Massachusetts with her parents. She leveraged her time in New England to acquire the training that she would use to educate young black women back in her native state. Ms Brown founded the Palmer Memorial Institute (PMI) in 1902, and ran it until her retirement 50 years later. Her work in the field of education is largely unsung, but by no means unimportant. Over 1,000 black women were trained at PMI.

The stories of Henrietta Lacks, Alex Manly, and Charlotte Hawkins Brown are fundamental in their simplicity, and to a large degree, their obscurity. Sure, you may be a history buff, or someone who happened to see a rare television special about one of them. However, chances are most Americans, including African Americans never heard of them. They went about their business, dedicated not to fame or fortune, but rather to make life a little better…for others.

With that backdrop as a foundation, let us fast forward to the present. It is unlikely many among us are unaware of Barack Obama, or at least some facet of his story. As the 44th American to serve as our nation’s President, Mr. Obama is at the epicenter of national and world news coverage on a daily basis. His address, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, is among the most famous in the world; his title, Commander in Chief of the United States Armed Forces is one of the most revered. As President of the United States (POTUS), most people consider him the most powerful man on the planet.

In thinking about the essential purpose of the commemoration of Black History Month, highlighting the contributions of individuals who toiled unceremoniously in dimly lit spaces of our collective consciousness is a most appropriate undertaking. At the same time, taking a moment to direct our attention, and that of others, to reflect upon the signal accomplishment of the first African American POTUS is also most fitting.

Many of my previous posts have dealt with a variety of the political issues that buoy of drag on this President. This discussion, however, is not about saving Health Care, closing Guantanamo, troop build-ups in Afghanistan, exiting Iraq, Iran's nuclear ambitions, the Jobs bill, or Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Almost certainly I will resurrect those issues and more in the future, but today, as Black History Month is winding down, I ask you to join me in saluting President Barack Hussein Obama II.

The Obama story is quite compelling by almost any measure. Many years ago, Don King popularized the phrase, “Only in America!” The expression was intended to convey that some things were such tall tales that were you not witnessing them, you wouldn’t believe them; that in fact, they probably could not happen anywhere else in the world.

The meteoric rise of Barack Obama to the Presidency has that kind of dramatic flare and feel about it. In just over four years, a relatively unknown Illinois State Senate candidate went from bursting upon the scene as a spellbinding July 27, 2004 Democratic Convention keynoter, to accepting the Democratic Nomination at the August 28, 2008 Democratic Convention, to greeting a crowd at Chicago’s Grant Park as the nation’s President–elect, shortly after midnight, November 5, 2008.

This unlikely ascent is a uniquely American phenomenon. I could recite countless reasons why that is true. But this moment is for capturing the mountaintop spirit of triumph, not for dwelling in the valley of recrimination. Embrace the moment as you consider this “Profile in Black History: President Barack Hussein Obama II!”

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama

http://www.loc.gov/wiseguide/feb09/swear.html

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

http://www.otpvideo.com/

http://usliberals.about.com/od/extraordinaryspeeches/a/ObamaSpeech.htm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/28/barack-obama-democratic-c_n_122224.html

http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/11/obamas_grant_park_speech.html

http://www.ny1.com/6-bronx-news-content/special_reports/black_history_month_2010/

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/michelle-obama-meets-black-history-month-essay-winners-9877289&tab=9482931§ion=2808950&playlist=2808979&page=1

http://monroeanderson.typepad.com/joyce_owens_on_art/2009/02/from-president-barack-obama-on-black-history-month.html

http://gblsharing.app.aol.com/pop-up/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1249864/Black-History-Month-Barack-Obama-Morgan-Freeman-celebrate-music-civil-rights-movement.html

http://www.galeschools.com/black_history/bio/obama_b.htm

http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2010/02/137044.htm

http://www.biography.com/video.do?name=barackobama&utm_source=google&utm_medium=CPC&utm_term=08+election+barack+obama+problem&utm_campaign=barack+obama&keywords=08+election+barack+obama+problem&paidlink=1&paidlink=1&vid=BIO_SEM_Search&keywords=obama%2Bhistory&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=political%20figures&utm_term=obama%20history

http://hnn.us/articles/61218.html

http://www.bukisa.com/articles/24945_black-history-month-and-barack-obama

http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/president-obamas-first-year-progress-but-a-long-journey-remai/19294477/?sem=1&ncid=searchnew00000005&otim=1266982023&spid=35473866

http://www.history.com/genericContent.do?id=61734&milestoneid=41

http://www.prurgent.com/2010-02-13/pressrelease78252.htm