So I need to share something. D1 and I went to lunch with the hubs, and then I dropped him back off at work. Right about then, the M. Signorile show on Sirius XM Progress replayed the entire speech made by President Obama at #Selma.
And so we sat in the car and listened to it.
I, for one, was so incredibly proud of our president and my heart swelled with pride. I was crying. When the speech was over, D1 and I talked about what the anniversary was for, why the President made the speech, and what the Selma march meant.
She said, "Mommy, that doesn't make sense. Why would anyone think anyone was bad because of the color of their skin? We're all the same inside."
Yes we are, baby. Yes we are.
We talked about how so many people are eager to believe the worst of this president, eager to embrace lies, half-truths, innuendo, and hyperbole (yes I had to explain those) simply because of the color of his skin. We talked about the fact that there are people who have said horrible things about his wife and his children. And yet he still believes in America and in Americans.
This man has been given every reason to be beaten down, to throw in the towel and declare that he's had enough, yet he hasn't. He has maintained his dignity, he has weathered extreme racism, intolerance, and outright hatred with a grace that few of us could muster. I don't agree with everything he does. I don't agree with the TPP. I don't agree with his lack of emphasis on fixing the issues facing our education system. There are other things. Yet this man has done everything Romney promised to do, and the right wing continues to degrade him.
I called in to Signorile's show and shared my thoughts and the fact that I was listening with my 9 year old daughter, and how much that meant to me. I shared my frustration at those on the right who are skewing his speech to fit their own agendas. If you need an example, go on over to American Thinker. I will not post the link. The blog written about this speech is asinine enough, but the comments will make you question humanity.
Having been born in the early 70's, I do not know what it's like to go to a restaurant and see the "For Whites Only" signs. I cannot comprehend how anyone could be ok with segregation, with telling someone they can't drink from a water fountain, with expecting an old woman to give up her seat on a bus to a very able white man. I don't get thinking you're better than someone else simply because of the color of your skin.
No all arguments against the President are because of his race, I'll admit. The majority are.
Here is the link to his speech. If you haven't listened to it in its entirety, please do so.
President Obama's Powerful Selma Speech on...
YOUTUBE.COM
