Dare to Hope the World Can Be Different

Who would have thought we'd be wondering who's won the New Hasmpshire Democratic Primay: a black man or a white woman? Things have changed! I'm beginning to permit a seed of hope sprout: maybe the the citizenry don't have their heads buried in the sand.

Read this interesting commentary in this Sunday's NY Times:
"Whether the results of the Iowa caucuses on Thursday will be seen by future generations as a threshold moment of change or a footnote to a story yet unwritten is anyone’s guess, of course. The victories by Barack Obama, the Democratic senator from Illinois, and former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, a Republican not in the traditional mold, are tiny steps on a long road that may not lead to the White House for either man.

But there’s no doubt that for one night, in one state, Americans dramatically changed the subject. Race didn’t matter — even though Mr. Obama was an African-American running in a nearly all-white state — but talk of unity and common ground did, as Mr. Obama galvanized his supporters by promising to toss historical and political division aside."

See more at: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/weekinreview/06johnson.html?scp=1&sq=negro+

Do you think we can turn the political scene around?

Watched two interesting c-span book tv interviews this weekend with intelligent, dynamic women. The first is a black woman from NJ, one of six daughters all of whom are successful women who put themselves thru college as an instrumental band, The Thornton Sisters. She wrote a book of her life icalled "The Ditchdiggers Daughters" in case you're looking for something to read. The other is a black historian and educator who taught at Princeton and has a cv a mile long. Her name is Nell Irvine Painter and she's fascinating. Check out her web site www.nellpainter.com. She's written several books and might be a good resource for Braddles if he still plans to major in history.