Ordinarily Extraordinary: Rafi Peterson Transcends Labels & Builds a Legacy

 

When I first began working with IMAN, I would always hear about the legendary Rafi Peterson. I would talk to people around the office, and in the community about their different experiences living on Chicago’s south side, but I was always told, “You should hear Rafi’s story.”

 Rafi’s a big man, with a deep, resounding laugh, honest eyes, and an endearing smile, but he also possesses a certain kind of intensity that implies that he’s no joke. One day, after a colleague insisted that I approach Rafi for a one-on-one, reassuring me that he didn’t bite, I finally got the opportunity I had been waiting for. Sitting in the living room of Project Restore’s Transition House, Rafi led me into the parallel worlds of prison, the projects, and what it means to be a black man in America.

 This is his story.

 

Growing up in the Urban Serengeti

Growing up in Chicago’s projects of Argyle Gardens – Rafi learned the game of the “Urban Serengeti” from a young age. Joining his first crew at the age of fourteen – which called itself the “AG mob” – he hustled in the drug trade to make ends meet. After being shot when he was sixteen, and having a recurring nightmare about his enemies uniting against him, Rafi decided to escape the hood by joining the military right after high school. Following his discharge from the army, Rafi went back to a life of dealing, leading a crew in his neighborhood.

After a relationship with a dealer went sour and his family’s life was threatened, Rafi was incarcerated in a state prison for twelve and a half years for murder. Upon entering, Rafi realized that the “system was just as corrupt in (prison) as it was outside (in the projects).” In the 80s and 90s, street gangs in the city were reinvented – “making the drug and banging scene at the top of its game, and Chicago the murder capital of the world.” During this time, street organizations ran the institutions. “When you came into the institutions it was gang leaders representing ‘folks’ and one representing ‘people’ sitting with the correctional officer assigning you to housing.”  Because Rafi was not part of an organization, he was assigned as a ‘neutron’ and put in the kitchen.

Big Muhammad

 While working in the kitchen one day, three vice lords (or street organizations) sent representatives to put Rafi “on count”; a way to indoctrinate other inmates into their gangs by forcing them to pay protection. Rafi refused, resisted, and showed them, “kill me or take something if you can.” Holding his own, the vice lords eventually backed off of him; but the fight got the attention of others in the jailhouse, including a certain “Big Mohammad.”

Big Muhammad was a “Big, huge brother, with a beautiful, beautiful smile, who wore eight long braids, and had a sentence of 2700 years.” Intrigued by Rafi’s fearless character, Big Muhammad “sent some brothers to holler” at him. Knowing that the vice lords would come after Rafi again, Big Muhammad had Rafi moved to his cell, taking him under his wing, and teaching him about Islam – lessons which changed his life forever.

Embracing Islam has deeply impacted Rafi’s life, and has guided him in every aspect of his work. Today, Rafi claims, “If I was not Muslim, I would not be breathing air today.”

Giving Back- Project Restore

In 1998, a year after his release, Rafi met Rami Nashashibi, the Executive Director of the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN). Together, they coordinated a “taleem service” in Cook County Jail’s Division 11, giving religious classes to brothers in prison. Through these encounters, they soon realized that such rehabilitation efforts went well beyond that of the prisons; that it was critical for ex-offenders to have a positive support system welcoming them back home to society once they were released, in order to keep them from going back to “the life.”

From these conversations, Rafi and others at IMAN developed Project Restore. Two years later, in 2007, the Transitional House was introduced, which houses “formerly incarcerated Muslim men who are focusing on community service, counseling and job training.” These brothers play a significant role in the community through their work with CeaseFire, doing vital violence prevention work with youth and street organizations in the hood.

A few years ago, Rafi was chosen as one of only six people across the nation to participate in the Muslim Integration Program under the State Department’s Institute for Training and Development (ITD). Interested in Rafi’s work with young gang members, the Institute invited him to hold workshops on youth empowerment in the Netherlands; a country in which the fastest growing groups going to prison are young, Moroccan and Turkish males who Rafi describes, “happen to look like me.”

His Biggest Accomplishment

Working his way up from the projects and prison to getting two bachelor’s degrees, and becoming a critical leader in community empowerment initiatives on the Southside of Chicago and even abroad, Rafi is an incredible reservoir of willpower and experiences. When asked what his biggest accomplishment was, he proudly said, “My daughter.” Rafi’s daughter grew up visiting him in maximum security prisons, learning to braid hair by braiding Big Muhammad’s locks, and was often taunted by her girlfriends about “her daddy being in prison.” Today, she is a successful high school teacher, married, with a beautiful son.

Rafi’s proudest moment was being asked by his daughter to lead a violence prevention workshop at her school. At the end of the workshop, Rafi revealed to the students that he was their teacher’s father, much to their surprise. “For her to be able to have me come to her place of work, and not hold her head down in shame – that was a great accomplishment. That was one of the most joyous and prideful days of my life.”

Unstoppable

Today, Rafi serves as an IMAN board member and continues his work in reducing violence in Chicago Lawn. In early April 2008, Rafi was recognized as a Community Hero by LISC’S New Communities Program and next month, he will be honored with the “Excellence in Community Leadership” award by Holy Cross Hospital, where he does violence prevention work with CeaseFire.

He will also be beginning his master’s program this fall.

Transcending labels and building a legacy, Rafi is an unstoppable force – a dynamic, inspirational leader whose life serves as a moving reminder about the power of the human spirit, and one’s faith.

In Rafi’s Words:

 Lessons on the Urban Serengeti & the State

“The strong will always control the weak, but the wise will control the strong. So I learned over the years to become wise as well as strong. Out there is a food chain, it’s the Urban Serengeti. And the higher up on the ladder you are (on the street life), the better you can eat.” 

 “In the African American community you cannot tell if the prison is an extension of the community or the community is an extension of the prison.”

“They (the state) always allows a certain amount of dope to enter these institutions; that’s how they maintain control – to keep the inmates out each other. How do you keep rats from gnawin’ outta’ a basket? You keep the basket shakin’ and the rats turn on each other.”

Faith

“Allah is the best of planners. If I hadn’t went through what I went through yesterday, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”

“I was once a convict. I’m not proud of it, but that’s a reality for me. But I have went and gone beyond that, and I have gone beyond that by the graces of Allah, my Lord, and I know I have been blessed.”

Rafi’s Soundtrack.

Ordinarily Extraordinary: Alejandra Rolon-Campise Bridges Borders

I am constantly meeting fascinating individuals – people whose struggles and triumphs divulge a whole universe of inspiration. It was on my way to work one day – right there in the middle of the 94 California bus – that I had my eureka moment. I decided I was going to interview inspiring, “everyday” individuals; by sharing their stories, I would weave a human narrative whose common theme would be to propel us to engage the personal power within each of us to create change.

Among the first of these people is a good friend of mine, Alejandra Rolon-Campise. I first met Alejandra my freshman year of college in our Model UN class. The fact that English was not her first language, and that she was the eldest in a class full of 19 to 20-somethings did not seem to perturb her. Rather, she jumped right into our class discussions, filling the room with her knowledge, good humor, and love for learning.  

With her two young daughters in tow, Alejandra left her home in Mexico to be with the man she loved in the United States. It was here, she was forced to “reinvent” herself – taking ESL classes, getting her GED, and despite the hurdles of studying in a different language, she graduated in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in International Business from Benedictine University. That same year, she attained US citizenship, and was also accepted into UIC’s NEW Illinois Leadership Program, which seeks to promote women’s representation in the government.

Next up,  Ale plans to get her master’s in public policy and international relations with the hope of working for global women’s empowerment initiatives.

Tune in to Alejandra’s interview and see what this “ordinarily extraordinary” woman is all about:

Music: “Mojado” by Ricardo Arjona

In Ale’s words:

On Women’s Education -

“I really, truly believe that if girls get educated, if they have access to knowledge, they will be empowered by themselves because they will find the strength inside of them, and then we can all change the world and change our country. I do believe women are the hope of this world, to become a better place in all countries of the world.”

On Immigration Reform -

“This nation is made for immigrants. And I think if you think about it, all the world is made of immigrants. That’s how humanity developed – we moved from one place to the other, to the other, to the other, and then we all ended up in so many places and we populated the world. So I don’t understand why this has been such a big issue in this country.”

Book Review: Rebiya Kadeer’s “Dragon Fighter” Unravels a Legend

I just finished reading Rebiya Kadeer’s autobiography. WOW. The title, “Dragon Fighter,” is more than appropriate. Rebiya Kadeer’s life story is the stuff of legends. Adventure, romance, horror, even moments of comic relief, encapsulate this epic about one woman’s “call for a nonviolent resolution that would allow Uyghurs to find peace with China.” I’m besieged with emotion: engulfed by rage and resolve; finding myself within the trenches of an overwhelming sense of empowerment. I closed the book after I was done and sat in awe for a good twenty minutes, trying to absorb the trip that I had just been on through those 390 pages.

I decided to pick up Kadeer’s autobiography after listening to an NPR segment about her story. What most struck me was not only her amazing human rights work, but that she was the mother of eleven children. That’s right – ELEVEN. Those feats combined told me I had to find out what this “Mother of the Uyghurs” was all about.

And find out I did. Quite frankly, she’s ridiculous; a powerhouse of a woman whose smarts, drive, patience, persistence, courage, compassion, and nearly prophetic faith have guided her in the numerous challenges she’s faced. She worked her way up tirelessly from the position of refugee child to being the wealthiest woman in China, the seventh wealthiest person in all of China and the Autonomous Regions, and a high official in China’s National People’s Congress – all with the dream of freeing the Uyghurs from the noose of socio-political oppression under the communist domination of The People’s Republic of China.

Despite the bruises after each adversity, she trudged forward, not waiting to allow even others to convince her to stop and lick her wounds. She endured public humiliation by Mao Zedong’s Red Guards; relocation and the poverty that comes with it; an abusive first marriage; childbirth; the added pressures and prejudices of being a woman; the loss of her business endeavors to government corruption several times; the insanity that is Chinese prisons; and an assassination attempt (just to name a few). After each page, I kept thinking, “Good God – who is this woman??”

I’ve found myself gushing about her relentlessly these days, excitedly retelling tidbits of her life I’ve learned. One of my favorites is the story of her birth:

“In Uyghur tradition, no sunshine is allowed to fall on the bloody linens involved in childbirth. For this reason, my father took the sheets and dug a hole near the rock-face behind our tent. He flung one spade of dirt after another into the air. Suddenly he stopped.

‘Gold!’ He shouted until he was hoarse. ‘I found gold!’

After he paid his workers their share of the find, he still had enough gold to build a whole new life for our family… From that moment forward, my parents saw my life as a gift to others: ‘You don’t belong to us, you belong to the people.’ What that meant for me I would find out only much later.” (Dragon Fighter, 11)

Her courage is envious – which she exhibits not only in her business and political ventures, but in her personal life as well. I couldn’t help but smile widely in disbelief as she told the story of how she approached her second husband, Sidik, who she often refers to as her “beloved.” Falling for him simply by hearing about his counter-revolutionary struggles, she traveled to his home-city to seek him out, and unabashedly told him:

“What I really want to say is that I’m twenty-nine-years old. Of the ten qualities that my future husband should hold, you meet nine of them. There is only one that’s still unknown. Do you think you can love me?… I don’t have less to offer than other women. I need someone who loves me and who also needs my love. It’s true that I’ve already given birth to six children and already been married once. However, my love is like that of an untouched maiden. I’ve been in love with you from the first moment I saw you.” (Dragon Fighter, 135).

The bond she shares with Sidik is a near-mythical rarity, incomprehensible either by modern-day standards or even Uyghur tradition. Despite being separated for months at a time due to her business responsibilities (and later, years, when she was incarcerated), Sidik’s support of his wife is an inspiring tale within itself (take note gentlemen). She later says of him, “Sidik is such a noble man. In our two hearts, a strong love was to be our shared destiny. To this very day, it is inconceivable for me to be separated from him. I am sure that I would not have survived this struggle without him.”

Kadeer’s experience in Chinese prisons, I cannot even begin to delve into. You will have to read it for yourself. But I will share a few lines of a poem she inscribed into the walls of one of her cells:

“You should not underestimate yourself

In hell

One day the fire will go out,

Do not think that you will be here forever.”

To have vicariously experienced the awesomeness that is this woman through her words has, quite possibly, changed my life; altering my perception of potential obstacles to the limitless possibilities, and how I face them. Her autobiography is a guidebook of sorts, reminding us that “if one wants to achieve great things, one has to overcome resistance and take a leap of faith into the unknown.”

This book is a must-read for everyone. It is simultaneously an eye-opening tell-all about the oppression of a widely unknown ethnic minority in China, as well as a profound source of self-reflection. I would highly recommend it to women, but believe it’s an equally important read for men; for anyone that believes in something, for anyone who has dreams, for anyone who thinks she can’t. I’ve learned many things from Kadeer’s life-story, but perhaps the most important is the one she takes from her father’s fable about the little ant in the wilderness: “We each have the power to unlock the secrets of the world, as long as we have the courage and self-confidence.”

_______________________________________

Some current human rights and freedoms issues facing the Uyghur people today:

1. No freedom and self-determination/ either per the Chinese constitution or international law.
2. Severe religious and cultural repression.
3. Uyghur language suppressed in the region’s schools and children are taught only Chinese.
4. Forced abortion and family planning practices forced upon the people by the Chinese in grave violation to the Muslim religion’s idea that human life begins at the point of conception.
5. Forced land confiscation of Uyghur owned farms given to Chinese settlers in the region.
6. Forced transfer of the young Uyghur female population to work in China’s coastal factories.
7. Mass arrests of Uyghur people who peacefully seek human rights on fake trumped-up “terrorist” charges.
8. Massive ecological degradation of the region’s natural resources by the Chinese authorities.
9. Large scale above and below ground nuclear testing near Uyghur populated areas resulting in the deaths of many thousands and radioactive contamination and sickness of thousands more.
10. Chinese convicts are settled in the East Turkistan region bringing crime to a Muslim region that traditionally had almost no crime.
11. Prostitution and various other social maladies imported into the region by the Chinese authorities.
12. The torture and severe abuse of Uyghur nationals who become imprisoned by the Chinese for “political crimes”.
13. Large scale population transfer of Han Chinese into the region.
14. Uyghur people are not allowed to travel internationally and are not issued passports.
15. All political and economic power now held by the colonial Chinese authorities and Han Chinese and not by the indigenous people of the region.

You can find more information at: http://www.uyghuramerican.org/

UCCRO Breaks Barriers with Town Hall Meeting on Human Rights

On Thursday, August 20^th, 2009, members of over thirty of Chicago’s diverse communities gathered at the AFC World Outreach Center for a powerful town hall meeting on human rights. Much like an impressionist portrait, the crowd created a unique mosaic of colors and creeds, experiences and perspectives.

Organized by the United Congress for Community and Religious Organizations (UCCRO), the purpose of the meeting was to build relationships across racial and religious communities; to create linkages between the African American and immigrant communities, by sharing the experiences of ex-offenders and undocumented immigrants. Telling tales of unjust arrests, racial profiling, and the separation of families, attendees gained greater insight into the importance of “moving forward together towards a common vision of human rights for all people.”

Tune in to the Permanent Migrant’s podcast of the event below:

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Brave New Voices Slam into Chicago

After an unforgivably long hiatus, I have returned to the world of cyber psychosis and decided to reconnect with the blogging world. A number of things prompted this return, but most notably it was the incredible new things I’ve been experiencing and the inspiring people I’ve had the honor of meeting.

A week ago, on Saturday, July 18^th, I witnessed some of the most ridiculously gifted youth perform at the 2009 Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Finals at the Chicago Theater. Armed with their poetic zeal, these teens graced the stage with a kind of expressive strength, confidence, global consciousness, and relentless love for their art that touched me to my core. The fire and courage behind their words left me speechless, leaving me victim to what I would call “awediance paralysis”: wide-eyed, and open-mouthed, captivated by the creative power before me.

Through each verse, these brave new voices masterfully wove an intricate patchwork of our struggles, leading an all-out war against ignorance and indifference. Unabashedly delving into topics such as racism, homosexuality, drugs, aids, and rape, these youths took us on a roller coaster of emotions – schooling us on the power of the human spirit.

I’m still working on getting a hold of the audio podcast of the performance, but in the meantime, here’s a clip I found which gives a taste of the talent from that night:

Props and congratulations to all of  you. You have awoken the beast within.

Obama’s Name: Reversing America’s Melting Pot

We had a small family get together this past Sunday – my parents had invited my uncles over for lunch to celebrate Obama’s win. It was a dramatic, and incredibly comical, shift from people who once (like so many others) were absolutely disgusted with American politics, but who are today, using it as an excuse to have a party.

 

Among the many things that came up in our conversations was the president elect’s name: Barack Hussein Obama. As Indian Muslim immigrants, it was particularly touching that someone with a name implying he was far from a typical WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant), and especially with a “taboo middle name” we could relate to, was the new Commander and Chief of the US.

 

 

 

It reminded me of a Newsweek article I had read back in March which revealed that Obama didn’t always refer to himself as Barack, but as “Barry.” It was also his father’s nickname, who chose it upon arriving in the US from Kenya in the late ‘50s. “America was a melting pot, and it was expected then that you melt – or at least smooth some of your more foreign edges.” Obama senior’s decision to adopt such a nickname was, and remains, a common immigrant reaction; as changing one’s name is always the first step in assimilating into the dominant culture.

 

After repeatedly witnessing people slaughter my name, a colleague of mine jokingly suggested I change my name to “Amanda Wyatt.” It became a running joke in the office and a fond memory of a, or several rather, hilarious incidents. However, it got me thinking… about those who shorten or change their names because they’ve succumbed to the pressure to “fit in.” We see it all the time: Mohammed becomes Mo, Jasmindar becomes Jess, Song Lee becomes Sally, and so on. And when you ask people why, the most popular response I’ve found is:

 

“It’s easier.”  

“For whom?”

“For Americans.”

“I don’t get it… You’re American.”

“Naw man. Y’know… white people.”

 

I find this a running problem: when non-white Americans endorse the concept of “white folk” having a monopoly on “true American identity” beginning with how Anglo one’s name is. Another thing: Aren’t all Americans immigrants? Whether your name is Abdul-Rahman Quadri or Agnes Kowalczyk, we are all migrants – whether your ties in this country go back to 1980 or 1945.

 

 “But Obama (junior), after years of trying to fit in himself, decided to reverse that process. The choice is part of his almost lifelong quest for identity and belonging – to figure out who he is, and how he fits into the larger American tapestry.” By choosing to keep his original name – one which serves as a constant reminder of his African-Muslim heritage – especially as someone serving in public office, Obama has nullified the idea that anglicizing one’s name will allow him or her to become successful or be taken more seriously.

 

Two exciting things to look forward to:

1. Hearing Obama’s full name being announced at inauguration as he takes the Oath of Office.
2. Not having to change my name to Amanda Wyatt after all.

Congressman Gutierrez Holds Urgent Press Conference on Comprehensive Immigration Reform

 

Two days ago, Congressman Luis V. Gutierrez  (D-IL) held a press conference in Chicago on Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR). Gutierrez called the urgent meeting on Ya Basta (or “Enough is Enough!”) in light of the election of Barack Obama to the presidency. Calling the US’s current immigration system “broken and overwhelmed,” Obama has expressed support for the legislation, reportedly telling the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials that, “I want to come back to you, during the first term of my first year and sign comprehensive immigration reform.”

 

Surrounded by mothers, Muslims, priests, community organizers, families, and children holding signs reading, “I was born in the USA, please don’t take my mommy away,” the congressman reaffirmed his commitment to keeping families together and continuing the struggle against ICE raids and deportations, which have intensified over the last several years under the Bush administration’s “War on Terror.” The Guardian recently reported that “The U.S. Government arrested and deported a record number of illegal immigrants, nearly 350,000 in the past year.”

 

Splitting speaking time between Spanish and English, Gutierrez shunned the “political actions” taken by this administration to “feed that thirst that the very right wing elements of American society have, the xenophobic elements.” Of undocumented immigration he further went on to say: “It’s a misdemeanor, not a criminal offense. Stop criminalizing it. Make them pay a fine. Put them on probation for a few years. Let them work, and toil away, and learn. Make them learn skills, make them take English lessons. Let them deserve it.” In response to Homeland Security’s premise that it is protecting its borders from terrorists, the Congressman argued, “Then, stop raids on the woman who windexes store windows at 1 am to prepare them for you to go shopping. We know she’s not dangerous. These people are not a threat.”

 

I decided to make an impromptu trip to the press conference upon receiving an invitation from the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN), and I’m glad I did. It reminded me of those I had left behind in Tijuana, Mexico – a place I was fortunate enough to explore in the Spring of 2007 during Global Exchange’s “US-Mexico Border Tour.” Among those I learned tremendously from were the migrants at Casa del Migrante, who put a human face on an issue which is largely misunderstood by those who are unaware of the unjust loopholes of NAFTA – a trade agreement which, though it claims to be about “free trade,” does not honor “fair trade.”  Over the dinner they shared with me, these men shared stories of their struggle to make ends meet for themselves and their families – forcing them to travel through rough terrains and risk their lives to cross the border into a country whose policies have long-defended the unjust actions of its corporations in Mexico, while simultaneously viewing Mexicans’ desire to work and survive as a threat to its national security. All I have to say is four words: Ningún Ser Humano es Ilegal… No Human is Illegal.

 

I was able to capture two clips of Guiterrez’s press conference. In the first, he supports Obama’s pick for Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, saying that he would be “effective” and “get things done.”

 

In the second video, he censures the current administration’s “hypocritical” policies and practices, and also expresses his hope and desire to work with Mccain again, who (to my surprise), once supported CIR but who (not surprisingly) distanced himself from the issue during his run for the presidency.

 

Gutierrez later affirmed to reporters that he was interested in Illinois’ open senate seat, but emphasized that working for comprehensive immigration reform was his top priority, a statement which was met with resounding applause and cheers from the group around him who was probably thinking, “Si Se Puede… Yes We Can.”

 

On a side note: The Sunlight Foundation’s  Open Congress project is an excellent source of up to date information on current legislation going through Congress; in effect, it uses the power of the Internet to create greater government transparency and accountability. Check it out!

Crime Wave Hits Japan… by the Elderly

 When I first heard this on NPR’s BBC World News segment, I couldn’t help but laugh; hilarious images of grandmothers in ninja suits mugging seven-elevens while their fellow “golden girls” waited in the getaway car smoking hash flashed across my mind. The somber tone of the news correspondent as he dutifully reported that “criminality among the senior citizen community is on the rise” didn’t help cure my chuckles.

 

 

 

Yet, all jokes aside, it turns out to be a serious problem in a country with one of largest elderly populations in the world.  Officials from Japan’s Justice Ministry found that, “Elderly crime is a serious problem that our society must shoulder in the years to come. With baby boomers becoming elderly within five years, we have reached a state where we must make a fundamental review of anti-crime measures in a fast-aging society.” When asked in the NPR interview why this was happening, a Japanese spokesperson gave three reasons: economics, loneliness, and unstable living environments. She went on to explain that most of the elderly that were committing these crimes, particularly shop-lifting and pick-pocketing, were doing so because they felt that they would receive better care in prison. The Japan Times reported that, “In August, a 79-year-old woman went on a slashing spree in Tokyo’s bustling shopping and entertainment district of Shibuya, wounding two female passersby before being arrested by police. The attacker reportedly said she was homeless, had no money and thought if she committed a crime the police would care for her.”

 

It’s not that they are necessarily crazy, but lonely desperation is definitely a factor. With “over one-fifth of Japan’s population of 128 million is now aged 65 and over,” a figure which is “expected to double by midcentury,” Yahoo News detailed that “rising elderly crime has also affected Japanese prisons, forcing them to renovate their facilities, modify forced labor and provide nursing care.”

 

 

 

The fact that this problem exists in Japan was surprising. A tendency for elderly neglect is something generally associated with the West rather than the East – a part of the world where elders’ wisdom and age-old traditions are placed on a pedestal, rather than in a nursing home. Although, this discussion could easily nose-dive into a debate on the impact of the westernization of Japan, globalization, and some Japanese’s concern that the country’s losing its core values and long-nurtured traditions as a result, I’ll put geopolitical history on the backburner for this one.

 

 

Ultimately, the rapidity of globalization coupled with an unavoidable natural phenomenon has led to a failure of the traditional support systems for the elderly. Although I have yet to hear of a wave of violent purse-snatching grannie brigades in other countries, questions of adequate elderly care has become pervasive not only in Japan, but across Asia.

 

 

It looks like the Japanese government has some work ahead of them to start building and equipping more old-ages homes, but is the possibility of  relying on the traditional family support system completely lost?

 

President Obama: New Man, Old System… What will this mean for Change?

I woke up the morning of November 4^th feeling a strange surge of excitement pulse through me, one which I have never felt: an excitement about American electoral politics. Who would have thought that I – with my revolutionary-esque banter and permanent global-migrant status – would be remotely invigorated by the politics of a country which, especially over the last 8 years, has aggravated every jaded bone in my body with its persistently abusive policies both domestically and abroad? And yet there I was in Chicago’s Grant Park in what a friend called “a sea of humanity”: standing in long lines and tight crowds, waiting on my feet for hours, jumping up and down, and cheering alongside the rest of those who were waiting not only to witness history, but to be touched by a single moment.  

 

And when that moment finally came, it was marked by leaps of joy, incredulous laughter, long-overdue tears, hugs from strangers, passionate embraces by loved ones, continuous applause, and phone calls to relatives announcing, “This is what victory sounds like baby!”

 

I haven’t fully absorbed the historic and momentous significance of that moment; the fact that it will soon be on AP History exams, let alone in a flood of newspapers, academic journals, and legal documents across the world. However, I gradually began to the next morning after speaking to a relative, a leftist-leaning academic and self-prescribed cynic, who expressed surprising levels of excitement and jubilation about Barack Obama the man, and what this election may mean for the future, especially potentially for third party politics. His 20+ years dedicated to public service in which he was actively engaged in community organizing, makes me trust him far more than most who have been in public office for much longer. It was striking that a man who was once living in a small apartment eating out of soup cans and whose mother was once on welfare, had broken the cycle of upper-middle class white presidential politics not just as a black man, but as a black man with the middle name Hussein in a post 9/11 world.  Ultimately, his diverse, often dichotomous, life experiences have made him a compilation of the American experience and an embodiment for reconciling historically opposing forces: white vs. black, Anglo vs. African, privileged vs. poor, and perhaps even America vs. the world.  

 

For me, Obama’s greatest source of trust is his background. The fact that he has lived in and has relatives from other countries, that he has met not simply with world leaders, but more importantly that he has had personal interactions with people overseas, makes me less uneasy about the foreign policies he will implement – one I hope will be defined by negotiation and diplomacy, rather than “let’s bomb this place back to the stone-age”; one that will not blindly defend state policies guiding the deaths of millions of children simply by saying, “it was worth it.”

 

Based on the world’s reaction, I’m not the only one who feels that way. Whether it was people joyfully marching through the streets of Kenya and Paris, school children singing in Jakarta,  or Egyptians congratulating American tourists – people around the world reveled in Barack Obama’s victory, embracing him as someone who could potentially alleviate symptoms of the catastrophic plague which the Bush administration so graciously presented us. Even those in Pakistan and Iran – two countries which the US has deeply censured and isolated itself from – are offering their congratulations, saying things like “Mu-Barack ho!” A student of Farsi made me aware of a Persian saying which can be transliterated and translated as follows: “o-ba-ma wa ma-ba-o” or “He’s with us, and we are with him.”  And you know President Barack Obama’s won big when people around the world have pledged their support for him by becoming his ”facebook fans.”

 

It’s all definitely super-exciting. But as the confetti gets cleaned up, the euphoric crowds go home, and the quiet of everyday life sets in, I can’t help but begin to have concerns; about what the words hope and change will come to mean. Although I believe in Obama, his abilities, and his intentions – I’m weary of putting both feet in the pond and trusting the political machine backing him.  My elation has been unfortunately short-lived, tinged with a sense of realism when announcements were made recently that Obama has asked pro-Israel hardliner Rahm Emanuel to serve as his White House Chief of Staff. It’s unfortunate, but considering the long-standing parasitic relationship between the United States and Israel, it’s not unexpected.  

 

Something else worries me: that the election of a black president will make people believe they can go into a state of comatose on the issue of race in this country. The weekend before the election, I attended a conference by the United Congress of Community and Religious Organizations here in Chicago on “The State of Race: Redefining Identity, Building Power, Changing Communities.” Their key-note speaker was the anti-racist activist and author, Tim Wise, whose op-ed piece “white privilege” became a popular pass-around in cyberspace. One of the many things he said which stands out in my memory was: “A black person and a white person can have a black baby. But a black person and a white person cannot have a white baby.” It’s a simple statement, but packs a lot – foreshadowing the unfortunate reality that Obama’s slip-ups as president will most probably be analyzed and censured more harshly. It made me think about my own ingrained notions of race, and the dynamics of a social construct which I unknowingly endorse. As one panelist articulated, “We are dealing with the world the way it is, rather than the way it should be.” Although I was unfortunately unable to film his entire speech, I was able to capture these important five minutes where he discusses Obama and the impact of race in his presidential bid. Perhaps his most memorable quote at the event was: “Hope without truth can be dangerous.”

 

I admit:  I have joined the ranks of Obama’s groupies… daring to hope and latching onto the belief that a new day is on the horizon, that anything’s possible. I never thought I would so publicly support an American politician, let alone a politician in general. However, given his story and the story of the future filled with countless possibilities he so poignantly illustrates for us, hope, trust and belief in better days are impossible feelings to defy. Yet, I tread cautiously into such aspirations, not wanting to fall into dangerous delusions of expecting perfection, not wanting to be unrealistically greedy that I should want more so fast from a man and his supporters whom, in many respects, have given us something so great already… a first step.