Tuckahoe Village Departments

TUCKAHOE TALK
With Mayor John Fitzpatrick

United

January 21, 2010

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the 25th annual Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast celebration at Lake Isle. February may be African-American or Black History Month but the real kick-off for this month seems to start with the celebration of the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. I would like to say thanks to all the youth from our community that provided such inspirational entertainment.

Thankfully, I am never a speaker at this event since I don't do well early in the morning. But I was treated to at least one speaker, Rev. Dr. W. Darin Moore of Mount Vernon, who accomplished the difficult task of leaving listeners with a valuable message. Those who had the honor of speaking were usually equipped with a quote, which they felt best illustrated Rev. King's mission. Nevertheless, a prominent point for many of the speakers still included our current President.

Rev. King had a gift that many preachers and most leaders wish they possessed: the ability to inspire those around him with his words. King's gift went beyond even the typical definition of inspire, which can mean guide or motivate. His words moved many directly to action. He appears to be no exception to the interesting rule that the words of great men and women seem never to be for one race or religion or nationality but instead are for mankind.

Although King started his march into history as an ordinary African–American, by the time it ended with his untimely death he had reached the status of extraordinary. Circumstances combined with tools to deal with those circumstances are often that which lifts those to lead an extraordinary life. King certainly had both these going for him as an integral part of the uniting of Americans, long been divided due to color boundaries. However, forty years after his death, progress continues on closing this divide. Some felt last year's swearing-in of the first black American President was a culmination of this journey, but more believe the journey continues.

As I heard Dr. King's words repeated that morning I was filled with the same small sense of apprehension I had last year for our then incoming President Obama. It was apparent then and continues now that many Americans have higher than usual expectations for the man. Before he had done anything more than be elected, some were expecting him to be extraordinary. Perhaps our times have us wishing for an extraordinary person. For me, his election served to show that Americans as a nation can look past race in selection of those we feel are competent. But that was an accomplishment of the American people, not President Obama.

This last week I read a copy of a comprehensive study on racial attitudes a year after President Obama's election. This survey by the Pew Research Center (reprinted below) found an upbeat set of views on a wide range of matters, including race relations. Some of the most notable trends include:

• Nearly twice as many blacks now (39%) than in 2007 (20%) say that the "situation of black people in this country" is better than it had been five years earlier.
• A majority of blacks (54%) say they believe Obama's barrier-breaking election has improved race relations in America. A third of whites (32%) agree, while 45% of whites say his election has made no difference to race relations.

Many believed President Obama would be part of the uniting of Americans racially, so perhaps those numbers are correct. But I've noticed another bridge just as important has taken precedence. Spanning this particular divide may be too daunting a task but at the very least finding some common ground must be accomplished. I am speaking of the real estate between Republicans and Democrats. Democrats have been calling for a uniting behind the President but they were certainly unwilling to unite behind President Bush. Republicans are quick to point that fact out as if to justify their continued disdain for our leader. This appears to be an unbreakable cycle since we continually swing back and forth between party leadership.

With spin-doctors on both sides of any issue I am not convinced any President any longer has the ability to be an extraordinary person. In fact, I am not even sure that we allow extraordinary people to grow in the sunlight. I think, more often than not, the few from the last decades, generally toil in obscurity away from the scrutiny. The expectations we place on a few never diminish the quest of many to uncover some flaw. We worry if there was an affair or if they go to church enough or if they recycle or how many houses they own. Given the fact that most of us have shortcomings; lapses in judgment, and are not divine, one would think we would be accepting of some flaws.

So, how does President Obama go about uniting Americans if they don't want to be united? Politically, I mean. Well, I was thinking that the Pew Study is based on confidence, but confidence will only get you so far. It seems among rich people and poor people, Republicans or Democrats, many are fearful of losing their "stuff". Therefore I believe the common ground is "stuff" (jobs, houses, food, money, and toys). Some may point out that in that equation fear could be the common denominator, but while fear has certainly united us before, it just never seems to be a right reason. Ensuring that Americans get to keep all their "stuff" is a good way to go about uniting America. Hopefully the President can accomplish this with his plans. If he does, then I will nominate him for the extraordinary category with the other select individuals.