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INSIDE MOREHOUSE, OCTOBER 2008
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Inside
MOREHOUSE
MY WORD
The Obama Effect
If Barack Obama becomes the
first African American president of
the United States, his message and
politics of “change” will have a huge
impact on the nation. But will his
nomination have any influence on
black boys in this country? As
director of Project Identity, a pro
gram devoted to keeping middle
and high school black males focused
on the college track, it is a rhetorical
question I have been pondering.
Barack Obama is certainly a piv
otal figure in today’s media regard
less of the city you live, the
newspaper you read, or where you
go to get your news on television.
His message of “change” has at
tracted a slew of new and young
voters. And for those of us in the
black community, this time is sig
nificant because he’s the first black
person in the history of America to
win the Democratic nomination,
and he has the strongest chance, I
believe, of becoming the nation’s
first black president. Significant, in
deed, when you consider that up
until the Voting Rights Act of 1965,
there were many barriers for blacks
to even cast a ballot.
But how will all of this impact
the state of black boys in this coun
try, many of whom are fatherless
(5.6 million of them), are growing
up poor (40 percent live in poverty),
or watch as black men languish in
jail (840,000 black males are incar
cerated in this country)?
Obama’s nomination should
motivate black boys to be more
confident about their chances of be
coming developers, doctors, sena
tors, writers, even presidents of
large corporations. Or even presi
dent of the United States.
But notice I said should.
The fact is, black boys - at least
many of the ones I encounter - still
see their role models living in the
“bling” lifestyle, sometimes as drug
dealers and gang bangers, rather
than politicians.
If you’ve never been to a housing
project or rundown inner-city
neighborhood, or not had any in
teraction with young boys from
inner-city neighborhoods, you’ve
probably not felt the kind of hope
lessness one experiences in such a
place. Many of the boys have given
up on school years ago and have be
come role models to a younger gen
eration of boys who may be
following their lead. I often wonder
if I will live to see the day when
black boys graduate from high
school at a national rate of. 70
percent. That’s a huge gap to bridge
as only 46 percent of black boys
graduate from high school today.
In a cultural setting such as this,
it doesn’t seem so outlandish that
black boys might not be as cog
nizant - or even care - about the
importance of November 4th. At
some point for these young boys, if
you listen well enough, the conver
sation becomes more about class
and less about race. They might be
asking the question that we all ask:
“Is there anyone in Washington who
cares about me?” So, although it
would be a moment of celebration
for most Democratic voters in the
black community - and even for
black Republicans - it might just be
another day in the neighborhood
for these boys, even if they were old
enough to vote.
Understanding where they are
coming from, my reason for specu
lating on how Obama being presi
dent will effectuate change in any
considerable way in the lives of
black boys, is justified. But I’m at
least hopeful. I guess I’ll just wait to
cast my ballot toward history in the
making, and walk away, ready to roll
up my sleeves for the eventual
“change” to come. Even better, I will
use it as inspiration and motivation
to become the change agent we all
should strive to be. ■
Danny Bellinger ‘92 is the Director of
Project Identity.
Director of Public Relations
Toni O'Neal Mosley
tmosley@morehouse.edu
Executive Editor
Vickie G. Hampton
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Editor
Add Seymour Jr.
aseymour@morehouse.edu
Calendar Editor
Julie Pinkney Tongue
jtongue@morehouse.edu
Photographers
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Deborah McFadden
Add Seymour Jr.
Graphic Design
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Inside Morehouse is
published monthly during
the academic year by
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Advancement. Opinions
expressed in Inside
Morehouse are those of
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necessarily of the College.
Thurman's Work Leads to Editors Calling
Recently, a friend asked what I
love most about working with the
papers of Howard Thurman. That’s
hard to answer - there are so many
things I love about my work. My
work is interesting, it’s given me the
opportunity to understand and
know an important historical figure
very well, I work with a team of bril
liant scholars and there is never a
dull moment. But, if I had to name
just one thing, I’d have to say that I
love what my work has taught me
about calling.
Calling. The word is tossed
around a lot these days. Calling con
jures up ideals of high-minded pur
suits and special favoritism with
God that makes most of us ordinary
folk feel left out. Howard Thurman
has taught me differently.
Before I came to the Thurman
Papers, I was an academic adminis
trator at a prestigious liberal arts
college. The position sounded fan
tastic on paper and put me squarely
on the presidential track. My proud
parents bragged to their friends. My
grad school friends were envious. I,
however, was miserable. I liked the
school, enjoyed my colleagues and
the students, but I hated my work
and I was bad at it. Very bad. Every
day at the job felt like I was wading
neck deep in water while lugging a
wagon full of bricks. Every fiber of
my being rebelled, most especially
my feet. By mid-day, no matter what
kind of shoes I wore, my feet would
break out in the most agonizing
itch. No amount of powder and
creams helped. It was the shoes.
I was sad. I felt like a complete
failure, consumed with self-pity. I
knew I had to make a move, and
soon - before one was made for me
- but I was too panic-stricken and
depressed to think clearly. Then one
day, I came across a copy of “The
Sound of the Genuine,” one of
Howard Thurman’s most famous
sermons that he gave many times to
audiences around the world. I knew
the name Howard Thurman, but
not much else about him. His words
were a sweet, gentle song: “There is
in each and every person a sound of
the genuine. Yours is a sound like
no other.”
Day by day, the substance of
Thurman’s sermon slowly worked
its way into my spirit, until at last I
could face the fact that there was
nothing wrong with the job, it just
wasn’t for me. I was not an aca
demic administrator. I thought
about what I was, though, which
came through on even my roughest
days. I thought about how I had be
come relied upon to be an able and
trusted editor of written work.
A few months later, I left my job.
A few months after that, I began
work as managing editor of the
Thurman Papers. I thought I had
arrived. I had found my true calling.
Smooth sailing, total bliss, no prob
lem, new shoes at lash
My walk with him has taught me
that after finding your calling, the
real work begins, and sometimes it’s
not pretty. Each day demands the
best and highest level of my creative,
intellectual and leadership abilities.
But no matter how difficult the
work or how long the days, I have
come to learn that in pursuing my
calling, I always find myself. No
shoes required.
And for that I am grateful. ■
Kai Jackson Issa is the Managing
Editor of the Howard Thurman Papers
Project.
Thurman 's Great Hope.