What They Should Have Said

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
The Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, 1776.

The 15th Amendment grants the right to vote to every citizen without regards to their race.

The 19th Amendment to the Constitution grants Women the right to vote, and declares that there be no denial of voting rights depending on their sex.

Post-election thoughts have consumed me lately. I spent a few hours discussing the issues at hand with a family member of a close friend who is a registered Independent and has been since she turned 18, more than 20 years ago. I felt the tension in my face over a dinner conversation discussing regulations, the government’s involvement and the dreams of our forefathers.
So let me begin by saying this: I love this country. I love every reason that this country began. I believe that we are a country that is made of immigrants; my father and grandmother are two of them. I also believe that while the Declaration of Independence was written long before equality was fought for, before we even understood its importance, it said much to what the future of our Country would/should be one day.

Do sexism and racism still exist today? I would argue that they are greater and more alive and well today than they ever have been. Did Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin attempt to ‘shatter the glass ceiling’ or did they make my battle for respect as a woman more difficult? Did President Elect Barack Obama end racism as we once understood it or has he merely continued the trend and throw oxygen to the fire?

With every ounce of respect for the role and the job of the Presidency there are things that Barack should have said. With every respect for the position of Hilary Clinton, and the possibility of her being our Secretary of State, and the role of Sarah Palin as Governor of Alaska and the VP hopeful – There were things they should have said.

I hate racism. I hate sexism. However, I feel that it is the people who claim to fight against these ideals that merely discuss the issue, are the ones who allow it to continue.

In his address to the American people on March 18th, 2008 on the issue of racism President Elect Obama told his personal story. He discussed the issues with his former pastor Rev. Wright. He addressed slavery, suffrage, equality, segregation and the like. He has lived a life that I cannot claim to understand. I waited for him to say what I imagined he might say, what I imagine would be a statement that we as Americans would remember forever.

I waited for him to say something like this: I ask for your vote today. I do not ask as an African American or as a graduate of Harvard Law School, as a Christian, or as a husband or father. I ask for your vote as an American. As an American who has fought to bring this country together with regards to politics, policy and social issues. I want to give you my word that I will work to keep every promise I have made to you, and I will work every day as your President to continue to deserve the trust of those who voted for me and to earn the trust of those who did not. I want you to vote for me because I deserve it, because I earned it. I don’t want your vote because we would make history electing the first African American President, I don’t want your vote because you feel some sort of responsibility for the oppression of minorities in the past. Please, Please, if that were your reason for casting a vote for me, I would ask that you do not vote. I believe that it is ideas such as these that enable racism to continue. This should be about the best person for the position, the most qualified and the one who has proven them self to the American People. If we are incapable of removing race from the equation and allowing it to be a factor – negative or positive – we are incapable of overcoming the mistakes of the past. If I cannot be elected to the Presidency because I am personally qualified without playing the ‘race card’ then I have no desire to be the President, then I do not deserve to be the President.”

I claim to be nothing of a speech writer, but imagine what would’ve happen if Barack Obama told people that he refused to accept a vote that was cast because of his skin color? That he believed that any decision in which race plays the determining factor – both for and against him – is a poor decision, one without grounds and one that should be reconsidered.
It would be a statement such as the previous that would be one that I would say actually did something to fight against racism. We must recognize that racism is an act committed by everyone. At any moment in time that a particular race prides itself as greater than another, racism flourishes. Ah and this happens in every culture, every race, every nation country and state. None are exempt.

Sarah Palin prided herself as a ‘Hockey Mom’, and even embraced such attributes commonly known as the ‘Pit bull with Lipstick’. She and Hilary Clinton spoke time and time again about shattering this ‘glass ceiling’ that exists. In their actions they sought to strip sexism of its power. Were they effective? Perhaps they gave young women a desire to strive for more for their futures; perhaps they gained respect from men who had thought lowly of women in leadership positions. What could they have done better?

If I were Sarah Palin, if I was Hilary Clinton, I would have asked to be considered for my position because I was qualified, because I earned it – not as a woman, but as a working and sacrificial citizen who sought the well-being of my country above all else. I would ask that no one would vote for me merely because I was a woman, and we would be making history. I would discourage even the talk of the milestones made. It would be my dream that I would be considered on the same level as those male candidates. Just because I was a woman, or just because they were men doesn’t grant either gender any superior qualifications, and then therefore neither deserve any special treatment or press exposure.

This is how we kill sexism. As long as one sex or the other is demanding, or just merely excepting of special treatment, we enable it to continue, and this I am more against than anything else.

Would they have been given more respect? I believe so. Would they have been an even greater example to young women? To put more effort into their work, knowing that we must earn our respect and the trust of others? Yes. Would it have gained them honor while maintaining the honor of their male counterparts? Indeed. All with class, hopefully.

I cannot help but desire that those in leadership, that those given the role of guiding our country to greater things, would be active an effective in breaking barriers that consume and demolish the unity of the ‘United’ States of America. Leaders should always sacrifice opportunities to feed their ego in order to do what is best. They should forego compliments and praise with the greater priority of doing what is right – always. This is my dream, and I believe the dream of our Forefathers – the men who warned against corruption, who warned against a two-party system, against socialism and those who warned against government itself. Let us all take opportunities granted to truly fight against the issues – not merely to discuss them. Let us remember that positions of leadership hold the purpose for positive influence and require a humble spirit and a listening ear. They are not for the purpose of manipulation and the exercising of power over another.

Pray for our leaders.