‘Twilight’ the Vampire Movie and Its Token Black

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By Alexis Garrett Stodghill, BlackVoices.com


MTV/Maverick Films

I came onto the whole 'Twilight' vampire craze rather late in the game. As a black woman in her thirties, I am not in the target audience for this mega-smash-hit, which was intended for the young adult audience. But personal experiences aside, objective observation attests to the fact that millions of teens, women and men of all races have read 'Twilight,' and fallen in love with Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. Despite its intended demographic, I personally have met people of all kinds who enjoy the sweet love story and engaging horror-action of the novel 'Twilight' deeply and intensely.


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But books are one thing, and movies another. Movies are engineered for mass appeal and maximum ticket sales. The main characters of 'Twilight' are all lily white, which is a problem, and I don't mean that as a pc judgment. Literally, every main interaction in the book occurs between white characters. This has certainly not hurt book sales, as the enduring experience of true romance is universal. But this is exactly the kind of one-sided on-screen representation that would have audiences outside of the rabid 'Twilight' fan base fuming.

As the point of the movie is in part to lure additional audiences into the 'Twilight' fray, the film has become an opportunity for the franchise owners to put a needed touch of diversity into this already successful mix. In a stroke of what could be marketing genius, a minor character, Laurent the Vampire, is being played by black actor Edi Gathegi. Is this a token gesture to appease the "of color" community? I shake my head and suppose it is so, although there is no way to read a Hollywood executive's mind.



A fairly seasoned actor with a string of TV and movie credits, Gathegi takes on the role of Laurent, who comes in rather late in 'Twilight,' displaying some sexy skin in a leather jacket, no shirt. The vampire in the novel is only described as French with an olive complexion. But "black" Laurent for the movie has huge dreadlocks, and is featured rather prominently on some versions of the movie posters, hopefully giving this tokenized actor some major shine.

As an avid lover of all four books in the 'Twilight' saga, I find this move on the part of the movie producers rather insulting and a little unnecessary. Pandering to the "of color" population in this way feels similar to the way McCain pandered to women by adding Palin to his ticket. It's a "nice," yet ultimately shallow and insulting gesture. I know everything in a movie version of a book cannot remain exactly the same, but this little alteration seems like a rather silly thing to have changed for minimal benefit. But then again, I think the casting for Eward and Bella sucks, too, and I am clearly in the minority.

Are you planning to see 'Twilight' the movie? Do you love the book as much as I do? Leave your thoughts below.

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Posted under Featured News by carhub on Thursday 20 November 2008 at 4:39 pm

Obama Picks Holder and the Vultures Start Circling

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Whodini once said that "the freaks come out at night." But in the case of President-elect Obama's cabinet picks, they'll probably be out closer to noon every day.

Case in point: on Tuesday news outlets reported that Washington lawyer and former deputy Attorney General in the Clinton administration Eric Holder would be Obama's choice for Attorney General when he takes office in January and the nation's first African-American to hold the spot.

COMMUNITY: Weighing In On Eric Holder >>>

Now, of course Holder should be held to proper scrutiny and vetting and the media should do its due diligence when looking this guy over. But it didn't take an entire day before conservatives (whom I thought were supposed to be regrouping after they got their gnads handed to them on election day) decided to blast the cybersphere with all sorts of distraction about Holder.

I can hardly wait until Matt Drudge goes on the attack. ...

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During his time in the Clinton White House only two controversies attached themselves to Holder, the first when he was originally appointed had to do with his opposition to the death penalty. Despite his opposition, he pledged to uphold the law as it concerned the issue, which he did.

The second was during the closing days of Clinton's tenure when the president pardoned Marc Rich, a commodities trader and Democratic contributor who fled the United States while being prosecuted for tax evasion and illegal oil deals with Iran. Clinton pardoned him on his last day in office in 2001.

Holder came into the picture when Rich's lawyer, Jack Quinn phoned Holder trying to test the possibility of getting a pardon. Later, he arranged a call between the White House and Holder asking for his opinion of the matter, which was neutral but leaned toward support of Clinton granting the pardon -- although the decision ultimately lay with the president.

In later testimony, Holder said that he was neutral in the matter, but the then Republican-led House of Representatives which was reviewing dozens of Clinton pardons had an influence on Rich's pardon. But that was it, he was not reprimanded or punished by any law enforcement agency or governmental entity. He instead went into private practice.

Now, all this makes me wonder why conservatives couldn't give the same scrutiny to disgraced Attorney General Alberto Gonzales who was alleged to have perjured himself before a Congressional hearing and wound up resigning in 2007 over the mess he made in the Justice Department after seven US attorneys were fired for no reason. This controversy was the beginning of several including his gross misinterpretation of the constitutional writ of habeas corpus and the National Security Administration's eavesdropping controversy.

Perhaps the standards by which someone can screw up the most airtight legal organization in the world should be what we measure any new Attorney General nominees. Or maybe it's the opposite: maybe conservatives can let the vetting and selection process go through and then allow him to perform before he gets chided.

Rest assured, this is only the beginning.

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Posted under Featured News by carhub on Wednesday 19 November 2008 at 5:30 pm

Proposition 8 or Proposition “H8″? - Open Discussion

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S ince election night a few weeks ago, the passing of Proposition 8 in California--legislation that bans gay marriage--has become a hot-button issue among blacks, whites, Hispanics, etc... The reason: many Americans believe that freedom for all means the ability to marriage whoever you love, regardless of the gender. Others disagree.

Where do you stand?

Simply put, Black Voices wants to know if you are for or against gay marriage.

Let us hear your voices. Please take the time to vote in our polls and then let your voice be heard in the comment box below or continue the discussion in our message boards .


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Posted under Featured News by carhub on Tuesday 18 November 2008 at 4:26 pm

Obama Won’t Tip-Toe Into The White House

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I get the feeling most Americans would like to say an early good bye to the current White House resident and get an early start with President-elect Obama . And it's no surprise - given how vacant the White House has been the past year as the nation has tumbled into a financial ditch.

I think President-elect Obama feels the same way.

For a nation crying out for leadership and change, just having a president-elect who seems fully engaged for the difficult tasks ahead is a breath of fresh air and will should provide a needed psychological boost for us all during these dreary times. ...

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I heard a conservative radio talk show host earlier this week say that Obama's ego is what led him to pay an early call on President Bush at the White House to begin serious talks about the transition of power.
Nothing could be further from the truth.

The sense of urgency displayed by Obama is driven less by ego and more by need because the current economic crisis is threatening to swallow this country whole.

Obama will likely enjoy a shorter honeymoon period than other recent presidents because the challenges he faces are so serious and so great in number. So why not hit the ground running?

You would need a crystal ball to tell the ultimate look of Obama's cabinet and appointees but viewing the highest official he has placed to date, the president-elect has sent the clear message that he wants to get the job done and isn't worried if a few egos are bruised along the way.

Illinois Congressman and Chief of Staff designee Rahm Emanuel is a hard charger who is well versed from his days in the Clinton White House in how to pass out sugar or lashes to get his agenda passed.
It seems a lot of Americans want to sign on to help.

Obama's transition team website, Change.gov, has already received more than 150,000 applications from job seekers, according to published reports.

A couple of websites offer some interesting perspectives on the Obama transition.

The first is which offers policy recommendations from progressive non-profits in the areas of health care, economy, education, energy and the environment and foreign policy.

Another is from the New York Times that allows readers to pick Obama's cabinet nominees for defense secretary (Robert Gates is the current leader), secretary of state (Bill Richardson) , homeland security chief (Richard Clarke) , attorney general (Janet Napolitano) , and treasury secretary (Paul A. Volker).

+ Hillary Clinton Eyed as Secretary of State

_________________
Paul Shepard blogs the Democrat side of politics for BlackVoices. He has been a journalist for 16 years; on the national urban/minority affairs beat for The Cleveland Plain Dealer and for The AP in Washington, DC

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Posted under Featured News by carhub on Monday 17 November 2008 at 11:00 am

Haiti Needs Your Help - It’s That Simple

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For we in the Pan-African diaspora, the election of a black President of the United States has been something for us all to celebrate. But there are those who, despite our apparent victory, still don't have much to be happy about.

It's not new news to you that the tiny nation of Haiti is, and for years has been, in desparate trouble. The only reason it has survived is because of the fortitude of its people over the past two centuries. But things keep going from bad to worse for the nation, which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic.

Ravaged with poverty, hunger, and constantly beset by hurricanes, the latest tragedy is the collapse of a school there that killed 94 children because of the poor building construction allowed by lax enforcement of standards and a poor national infrastructure.

Now there's news of a second school collapsed in Haiti this week. ...

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It's time we black folk started adopting a global view and started looking at ourselves as citizens of an Africus Mundi and reach out to places that need help in becoming self-sufficient. Haiti is one of the poorest nations in the world because for so long it has been mired in internal strife, poverty, disease and hunger, much more so than its neighbors in the Caribbean.

The solution for any country to get out of poverty is to create an infrastructure that grows and strengthens resources that in turn establishes the ability to form markets to trade with other nations at a profit. Haiti, while a strong culture, has been hindered in its growth. But there is a chance to help the nation get out of the tempest it has found itself in over the past several generations.

The charities below are involved in helping the nation by establishing micro enterprises, providing clean drinking water, medicines, and sustainable development.

+ The Lambi Fund of Haiti
+ Yele Haiti
+ The Mangrove Fund
+ Hope For Haiti
+ Haiti Action Committee

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Posted under Featured News by carhub on Thursday 13 November 2008 at 6:00 am

Obama Effect Trumps Bradley Effect

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The Bradley Effect was supposed to be the ace in the hole for Republicans during this presidential election -- a dirty little Election Day factor steeped in white mistrust of a black candidate.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the 2008 presidential election results.

The Bradley Effect had no effect. Voting in the election pretty much mirrored what pollsters had predicted. Whites who told pollsters they were going to vote for Obama, in fact, did.

So for now, the Bradley Effect, the theory that says in elections between a black and white candidate that some white voters will express a willingness to vote for a black candidate to pollsters before the election but will ultimately vote for the white nominee, is left in tatters. ...

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The theory was born when Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, an African-American, led in the polls, but lost his 1982 bid for governor.

And it has been witnessed in more than a dozen major elections in Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and Virginia since then where a black candidate either lost an election after polls forecast their victory or a black candidate eked out a narrow win after a landslide victory was predicted.

Some believe Obama may have suffered from the Bradley Effect in his California primary battle with Hillary Clinton. Obama lost by a landslide 10 percentage points despite one late survey showing him ahead by 13 points and two others giving him a one-point lead.

One thing is certain. If any election was going to exhibit the Bradley Effect, this sure seemed to be the one.
First of all, it marked the first time a man of African descent was so close to winning a presidential election. Other observers predicted white voters would be scared off by Barack Obama's unusual name or perhaps the unsubstantiated yet widely spread rumors about him being a Muslim.

But Obama defanged many of the worries raised by his opponents because he never allowed race to become a defining characteristic of his campaign. In fact, the only time race became an issue was when his association with his former pastor Jeremiah Wright was unearthed.

And then, Obama handled the situation with poise and honesty in a speech on race which seemed to put the issue to bed for most Americans.

So while Obama took race out as a factor in the election, the poorly-run McCain campaign and its selection of the not-ready-for primetime vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin gave voters of all colors sufficient reason to say they would vote Democratic - and to follow through.
_________________
Paul Shepard blogs the Democrat side of the election for BlackVoices. He has been a journalist for 16 years; on the national urban/minority affairs beat for The Cleveland Plain Dealer and for The AP in Washington, DC

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Posted under Featured News by carhub on Tuesday 11 November 2008 at 6:00 pm

A Place Where Obama Didn’t Make Front Page News

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Far be it from me to criticize the decisions made by another editor in his own paper.

I've been in this business for a minute and I know people make news decisions based on the needs and demands of his readers. With that said, I've never heard of a news outlet actually deciding not to publish a story of international interest like the election of the US president.

Well, as it turns out, some goober journalists, if you can call them journalists, in Oklahoma decided to do just that. ...

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It seems that the Sapulpa Herald in Oklahoma decided to leave that news tidbit out. But watch this video , and check out the excuse this mental giant (insert facetious tone here) gives for omitting one of the biggest historical events of the last ten years. As Sarah Palin would say, what a bunch of "jerks!!"

My own editors at BlackVoices.com gave me permission to call these people a$$wipes just this once. Let's leave it at that.

The sad thing is, this is NOT the only newspaper in America that either made this same call or downplayed the significance of Obama's win. Meanwhile, copies of other post-election newspapers, including the New York Times and the Amsterdam News , are being sold on eBay for a profit.

Check out newspapers, in the gallery above, that decide to bask in this historic moment with the rest of civilized society.

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Posted under Featured News by carhub on Tuesday 11 November 2008 at 11:00 am

What’s In A Name? Barack Hussein Obama

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By Angela Bronner Helm, BlackVoices.com

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There will be repercussions of this election for years to come - a more informed and active citizenship, a more "color blind society," Supreme Court placements, and, of course, the fact that the most prominent African American on earth is not a rapper, athlete or actor.

One of the more obscure but no less significant changes will also be for those whose names fall outside of the "norm" - a significant portion of the African American community, and probably the world - that they may be judged a bit more for the content of their character and not for the name they were given.

The election of Barack Obama means more to children named Hayat, Jabril, Karu or Ayaana than can be estimated. And as the mother of two children with those names, it means a lot to me.


I chose my children's names because they are bold, unique, and culturally and personally significant. I made the choice that my children's names were going to be reflective of who we are. I never once thought that these lovingly, carefully considered names could hurt my beloved. Recently, there has been a movement among some people of color to choose less unique names like Madison, Kennedy and Britney to counteract a percieved impediment to their success in America. Name discrimination is very real.

There was a report released some years ago which showed that job applicants with "white names" had a 50% chance of getting a callback over those who had African-American names -- a rate equal to an additional eight years of experience. Another study showed that in housing applications traditional white sounding names elicited 89% of positive replies. A foreign sounding name brought in 66% of replies while the African-American name took in 56%.

The name Barack means "Blessing" and was given to Mr. Obama by his Kenyan father of the same name. There are many that make the point that Barack means something whereas Anfernee, Phakisha or Beyonce may not. Don't be fooled, we confer meaning on things -- not the other way around. After all, the name Micha-El, though ancient, was made up by somebody.

Clearly, the president-elect's name erected hurdles most presidential candidates don't have to clear. For some it maginified his otherness to a troubling degree. To be honest, he is other. There are not many among us extraordinary enough to lead a nation during these troubling times. The embodiment of American exceptionalism could not be contained by a foreign sounding name.

This could not been an easy road to travel. We know for sure that Barack Senior Americanized his name to "Barry" when he immigrated to this country as a student in the late 1950s -- just as Mee Hung Lee becomes "May," Serafino becomes "Sam" and Jose becomes "Joe." But Barack Jr., conversely, began to ask to be called by his given name during his college years.

So by the time he ran for office, it was Barack Obama. Take it or leave it. We took it and him to the White House. So even though I estimate that the name Barack will not be an anomaly for much longer (how many children do you think will have this name in years to come?), it also paves the way for those who are not named Mary, Kate or Jack or John.

We are NOT our parent's generation. His election alone proves that this is not the same country it was a generation ago. The fact of the matter is that most adults today have gone to school with children with strange names - unique, unapologetic and yes -- even made up names. They played with them on the field and studied with them in the classroom. They will live, love, learn, trust and confide in them for years to come. For them a unique name is just that-- no more, no less.

Be unique, be smart, be you. What's in a name? Anything you want. Ask Barack Hussein Obama, 44 th President of the United States.

Rate Your Name Here:
http://www.behindthename.com/rating/



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Posted under Featured News by carhub on Friday 7 November 2008 at 3:55 pm

My Wild Election Night in Times Square

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By Bonnie Biess , Special to BlackVoices.com

I arrived in Times Square around 11p.m. just, before CNN called the election, and the crowd was just going wild. People are jumping up and down screaming 'Yes we can! Yes we can!'

They had this huge screen set up next to a selected crowd of people on bleachers at the end of the Square when all the sudden, "CNN Projection: Barack Obama Elected President" appeared on the screen. Out rang this cheer that could wake the dead. I'm surrounded by this mass of tears, smiles and screams of joy. People were hugging and dancing all over the place, while others let out more tears and what appeared to be deep sighs of relief. This kid next to me dialed his cell phone: "Mama! Mama! Wake up! There's a black man in the White House!! We did it! We finally did it!" ...

Amidst the craziness we all stood patiently and waited for our new President-elect to arrive in Chicago and address the nation. Just as he finally appears and walks to the podium, he opens his mouth to speak and... The cable goes out. All around I'm hearing random sounds of confusion and 'Are you 'bleep'in kidding me!?!?!?'

The screen continued to menace us with its rainbow stripes and all the sudden we look to our left. We see our new President giving his speech on the big screen, only it's on the complete opposite side of Times Square. We looked at the screen, looked at eachother, and everyone just started bookin'. The crowd on the bleachers started haulin' out, fast as hell, but thankfully it was more in pride march form rather than violent stampede. People stopped taxi cabs that were still in motion to lean their heads in and hear the radio, still keeping their eyes on the distant screen.

We finally get to the other end and the chaos goes silent. Everyone stops in their tracks to watch and listen. The crowd slowly begins to thicken as dancing stragglers join in on the electric glow. Toothy grins from ear-to-ear continued in silence as cameras focused on our new President, often cutting to a tearful Oprah and Jesse Jackson. That beautiful speech came to an end and this overwhelming vibe of peace and confidence just poured through the Square. The celebration continued as people made their way into the city streets. People posing for pictures, break dancing, and emotional screams of 'Yes we did! Yes we did!' could be heard from miles around.

On the way home, the Subway had this sense of calm to it, but not the usual late night "man what a long day" calm. Just calm. You could see it across the faces of the crowd. We are finally heading in the right direction.

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Posted under Featured News by carhub on Thursday 6 November 2008 at 1:00 pm

World Is Watching President Obama

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The effect Barack Obama's victory Tuesday had on the world was profound and immediate. His father's country of Kenya has called a national holiday and you could probably hear the unified celebration as far as outer space. Not since the end of World War II have so many people on our planet been overjoyed in simultaneous celebration. The rousing reaction is not just a reflection of how citizens of the world view the United States, but a reflection of how we NOW look at ourselves. Obama was right all along. This election was about us, Americans, not him. ... ... We have elected a different man to the highest office in our land, someone who has inspired hope, energy, unity and optimism in these most difficult time s. "Your election raises great hopes in France, Europe and the rest of the world." -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy. "I have just sent my warmest congratulations to Sen. Obama." -- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Until recently, the position of US President has been the most respected in global politics for generations. We restored that respect this week, but not entirely. Not unlike dejected McCain supporters here at home, there are Obama skeptics from Spain to Syria as well. While newspapers and TV stations around the world were mostly positive, in Syria and other newspapers in the Middle East have firmly stated that there's no difference between Obama, Bush or McCain. In the elegant fashion we expect from our 44th President, Obama had this to tell citizens of the world in his acceptance speech : To all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. Obama also put our enemies on notice. To those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you.
Top Election Discussions
Magazine Covers Collection
+ Obama Is The 44th President of The US
+ An Open Apology To Obama
+ Obama BEATDOWN + Hello President Obama, Goodbye America
+ Come One, Come All
+ Obama Is Our President
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Posted under Featured News , World Affairs by carhub on Wednesday 5 November 2008 at 6:00 pm

A Black President: It Was Going to Happen

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...For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Galatians, 6:7
Years from now, students of history will debate with their professors the probability of America electing a president who is different in ethnic background than its founders who drafted laws that would expressly guarantee that anyone could rise to the nation's highest office.

Some will argue that it should have happened shortly after reconstruction, thereby avoiding years of institutionalized racism. Others will say after World War II, when a relinquishment of antiquated values could have reflected America's rise as a world power. Still more would say the outset of the 21st century was the perfect time, as the world became smaller, more connected and entered a global economy, ripe for pluralistic mindsets.

Many today are crying "I never thought I'd live to see the day..." But they should not say that. No matter when the nation elected a black man to the White House, it was inevitable. ...

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Doubtless, there are detractors who will snipe that President-Elect Barack Obama breezed into his position, never having had a formidable challenger, never facing tough questions from the press, never answering for his past associations, elected by blacks who didn't care about anything but race.

I say nonsense. Obama's election was no less difficult than Abraham Lincoln, who inherited a nation destined to split; or Franklin Roosevelt, who came into office as the Great Depression was worsening; or Ronald Reagan who was handed the presidency from a nation weary of 60s counterculture, and bent on a conjured fear of Islam; or George W. Bush, who got the presidency only after the Supreme Court, rather than the voting population, decided he should have it.

This moment has been building through the 400-year history of this nation. The seed was planted when a black indentured servant came to these shores and worked in fields in order to secure his freedom. It germinated when enslaved Africans secretly found ways to teach themselves to read. It sprouted when a Mississippi minister was the first black elected to the US Senate . It flowered when debates between intellectuals, activists and agrarians arose on the direction blacks should be taking during the turn of the last century. It sprouted when a seamstress became part of an organized plan to stand up to discrimination using a court case against a Southern city bus system. It seemed, for a while to be cut at the roots when within the space of five years, three charismatic young men were murdered by people who hated the very notion of black empowerment worse than they hated black people.

But new roots grew when the followers of those young men decided to let the momentum of their martyrdom spur them into elected offices around the nation. It flowered again when blacks entered the economic and social mainstreams of the nation, paving the way for everyone who came behind. It knew new sunlight when a man imprisoned for 27 years for standing up for the rights of his countrymen walked out of prison and took the helm of his own nation.

And on a November night that was unseasonably warm across much of the nation, the plant was harvested.

My grandparents' grandparents were born into slavery. It was an agriculture-based institution that was designed for the economic viability of this nation. Slaves suffered injury, humiliation and death as they sewed seeds they were never able to reap. They thought they were only putting vegetation into the ground. They may never have imagined that what they were really planting was a future in which any one of their descendents could stand straight up on the very Earth they tilled and know there are no virtually no barriers to their lives, and that they could determine what their very existence would be.

America, on this day, has done well. It has harvested its greatest bounty.

Top Election Discussions


Magazine Covers Collection



+ Obama Is The 44th President of The US
+ An Open Apology To Obama
+ Obama BEATDOWN
+ Hello President Obama, Goodbye America
+ Come One, Come All
+ Obama Is Our President


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Posted under Featured News by carhub on Wednesday 5 November 2008 at 2:00 pm

Glorious Day - What Does It Mean to You? Open Thread

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"And since my Father, Mother & Grandmother couldn't be here in the physical, I took their pictures (and spirits) with me." -- SloeWyne


It feels good to be in love with my country right now. Oh, I always love her. But sometimes we fight and we don't get along as well as I'd like.

Even though divorce is never an option for us, right now we're like newlyweds. I envisioned an Obama win, but I could not have fathomed the breadth of the wind behind him. I did not imagine so many, many, many people would take taxis, wait for hours and practically crawl to get to the voting booth to cast their voice for change. I saw it up close.

One woman even came into vote in labor. Many severely disabled came in to vote too. And the very elderly, who could barely see or hold the voting pen, were determined to cast their votes as well. I am not exaggerating and I will write more about all of this later. ...

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What I saw at the poll I supervised yesterday moved me beyond what I will ever be able to express to you in words. I got home at 12:15am after dropping off the ballots and equipment. I am still groggy and only starting to experience feelings coming up to the surface.

My first call this morning was from my beloved Mom who never thought she would see a black man elected president in her lifetime. We talked of how when she went to bury her grandmother, she could not go to the dining car on the train or drink from public water fountains because of the color of her skin. I can't imagine what it is like to see this through that frame. But it makes me cry nonetheless. How are YOU feeling? What was your voting experience like? Please share stories here.

Black Voices Community Reaction

Did Anyone Expect A Landslide?
" YEP...two weeks ago I said that Obama was going to get at least 335 electoral votes." - Deep-Cover


Jesse Jackson Tears
"Now I don't want to offend anyone but I cant help feeling Jessie Jackson's tears were fake! I feel he was crying more cause he wished it would of been him and not President Obama! I don't no but that's the impression I got when the cameras kept zooming in on him! Just my evaluation!!!" -