The Obama Phenomenon

BARACK OBAMA! Wow! That is a bombastic name. Who is the man behind the name? Whither Barack Obama? The meteoric rise of Obama to national prominence and stardom in the USA is the story of the first decade of the new millennium. It is unbelievable! Who would have thought that a man by that name would rise to prominence in the land of the free and the home of the brave? Not even the greatest optimist would have been able to predict this anomaly.

Well, believe it or not, Barack Obama is here to stay. Before he addressed the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in 2004, he was a relative unknown entity. The speech he presented at that convention catapulted him to a place of national prominence. Nothing and no one could have stalled or stopped his speedy movement towards the higher echelons of the democratic party and national leadership. What a fantastic story Barack Obama's is! Simply phenomenal!

Back to the major question under consideration. Who really is Barack Hussein Obama? Yes, his middle name is Hussein! According to Wikipedia, Barack Hussein Obama "was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawai to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. (born in Nyanza Province, Kenya of Luo ethnicity) and Ann Dunham (born in Wichita, Kansas)" Wikipedia adds that Obama is "A graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, Obama worked a s a community organizer, University of Chicago lecturer, and civil rights lawyer before running for public office and serving in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004. After an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, he announced his campaign for U.S. Senate in 2003." There is much more on the website- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama.

Many people claim that his mixed background, having been born to a white American mother and a black Kenyan father makes him an interesting person. I'm not sure he is fully accepted in any of the two historically segregated communities- the white and black communities. However, he brings with him perspectives from both. He understands the white way of life and the black way of life. He identifies with both worlds. This makes him eminently qualified to serve as president of the United States of America because he is close to the two most prominent communities in the country.

Barack Obama does not have the kind of years of experience in positions of national leadership that John McCain and, to a lesser extent, Hilary Clinton do have. However, he brings a fresh message; a new style of politics; an unconventional approach to governance. He brings a message of change and hope that resonates with Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, and Asian Americans. Hope cuts across all ethnic, racial, sex, and class barriers, especially in a world that seems destined for self-destruction and nothingness. Barack now serves as a kind of black-white "messiah"- one who could make a significant difference in and change America and the world. Is America and the world ready for Barack Obama and what he stands for? YES, THEY ARE.

Eirene!

Your E-Pastor

Earlmont Williams