Obama: "America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you, we as a people will get there."
I have reflected on that line a thousand times. I've always wanted to be part of that We. Not because I'm a U.S. citizen, but because I try to be someone who hungers and thirsts for righteousness. That "we" in King's speech could mean African Americans, it could mean decedents of slaves, it could mean people who are oppressed. It could mean people trying to act in a righteous manner: Toward a New Jerusalem. It quite certainly was not meant as a nationalistic flourish.
Last night in front of the White House, the chants were the predictable "yes we can", the mildly cleaver "two more months" -- and the ominous "U-S-A"..... As Rahm Emanuel is slated for chief of staff....
[originally published at husseini.org on Nov. 5, 2008]