My street's flood rating is "excellent"???

At the encouragement of a friend, I just looked on the city's map for the upcoming 2012 bond package that is supposed to reduce flooding. I almost didn't because I was sure my street would be included.

See, my neighbor and I called the city 5 years ago...and even eventually got them to come out and take pictures. You can see my blog about it back in 2007 here: http://janetmorrison.blogspot.com/2007/04/realities-of-life-in-inner-city.html. Look down to the paragraph that starts with "no drainage." I emailed Leo Cheney then. A few years later I went to one of Carolyn Davis's town hall meetings and brought it up again because I noticed that they seemed to be fixing the streets across East Grand where the official Jubilee Park Community Center is. I thought it was odd that they wouldn't come across East Grand. She informed me that there was a bond package and they would be getting to our street...eventually.

Well, eventually hasn't come. I don't know what happened to that other bond package, but now here's another one. Maybe this is our chance. I looked up the map, fully expecting my street to be a yellow or a red line...or at the very most a green line according to this guide:



Instead, my street was given a purple!! See the map here:



Now, if my education serves me right and I can read maps and understand colors correctly, purple is for excellent. That doesn't make any sense to me. When I have visitors over to my house after a rain, they have to leap to get out of their car. In an early morning trip, a friend dropped her keys into the probably 4" water abyss (yes, I just measured it) and then had to reach into that nasty abyss to fish them out since we couldn't see anything in the dark.

Here are some photos so you can see for yourself:

To be fair, I walked on down our street and the further you go from East Grand, the less standing water there is. But just because half of the street drains for the most part, does that mean we on the other half have to deal with standing water, mosquitoes, and the mud and junk it brings to our front door?? 

On the cusp of greatness

In my mind, our nation and our world is at a definining moment. To this point, we have defined ourselves as individual countries within continents. We are are pitted with some and allied with others. We have decided who our friends and enemies are based on a few people within an entire nation.

We compete. We do our best to be at the head of the pack. We want the label of being the best and we want all of the blessings. "Buy USA!" "God Bless America!"

How does that language mesh with our spoken desire to help other nations? How does that language contribute to the good of people?

Our world today is different. Travel is easier, cheaper, quicker, and more possible. Speaking to someone overseas is as easy and costs as little as walking out our front door and talking to our neighbor (and we probably talk to more people overseas than we do to our next door neighbors!).

How can we use the tools we have to our benefit? How can we use our networking and connections in a way that brings us all together instead of pitting us against one another? How can we use our knowledge and technology to bring voices to the table across the globe so that people who are in situations of poverty, domination, and suffering can speak out about what they need to help them move forward? How can we bridge the gap to bring their knowledge of their space--whether in Meru, Kenya in Africa or South Dallas, Texas in the United States--together with others' knowledge of systems and politics?

I believe the possibilities are becoming more and more real. The real question is, will we do it? No...the real question is,

Do we want to do it?

Do we truly have the desire to be allies with people? Do we want to get to know the individuals behind the dictators? Do we want to hear the voices of the poor? Do we want to figure out ways to work together to make ALL of our countries stronger...or do we want to remain competitive and separate to see who's the BEST?

Right now our country is broken. But is because of that brokenness that I believe we are on the cusp of greatness.

But it all depends on what we decide to do with that greatness and how we choose to use the power that we still think we have.

Race dialogue--"you can't go over it, you can't go under it. You've got to go through it."

Meet the Press doesn't have the small segment I want...and I can't figure out how to edit the video...so if you'll let the video load, you can go to 45:05 (near the end) to listen to Michele Norris's comments about Eric Holder's comments I posted yesterday.

I have edited the transcript below the video so you can read her words.

David Gregory falls into the same trap that I mentioned yesterday. By saying that the Attorney General shouldn't speak so openly about race, we reinforce his comments about us being cowards. I appreciated Ms. Norris's points.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

MR. GREGORY: In our remaining moments, I want to spend a couple minutes talking about Eric Holder, the attorney general, first African-American attorney general. And he gave a speech about the national dialogue about race in this country, or lack of thereof, and he used some charged language. And this is what he said.

(Videotape of Eric Holder speaking on Wednesday)
MR. ERIC HOLDER: Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as a ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and we, I believe, continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards.
(End videotape)

MR. GREGORY: And, Al, his point is that the dialogue about race in this country is too stilted and it doesn't happen, and that people are still afraid to have it. Was that the right way to invite people to have that conversation more freely?

MR. HUNT: I think that he's absolutely right on the history. I think he makes a very valid point. I think the attorney general should not be making that point. I think it weakens him in some, some of the tough actions he's going to have to take to deal with race. So I think it was a poor choice of words, even though it's hard to quarrel with his history.

MS. NORRIS: You know, that, that almost--what you just said, though, seems to confirm the argument that he's making, that if he talks openly about race that he can't deal with race. He seems to be saying that we need to talk openly about race. I think if he had said Americans are uncomfortable talking about race...that Americans are skittish of talking about race, we probably wouldn't be talking about it at this table right now.

MR. GREGORY: So, Michele, what happens now? Is, is President Obama, the first African-American president, is he or should he be a catalyst for this conversation? Or rather, does this conversation, in a more open way, have to happen around our dinner tables and in other more casual settings amongst all of us?

MS. NORRIS: Well, you know, I was speaking to--we did a segment on the radio about this this week, and one of the things that was said that I thought was so striking is when someone calls for a conversation like this, people like us sit at tables like this and we have this conversation. But the places where the conversation really needs to happen is where that conversation generally doesn't happen, because it's really difficult to talk about this. It's fraught with landmines. People are afraid of saying the wrong thing or the right thing, so sometimes they don't say anything. It's fraught with anger and resentment and guilt and the need for apologies...

MS. NORRIS: Can I say one thing, though? I think that what, what you see here is perhaps a slightly different view of the need for dialogue. And I hear two very different conversations. And in some ways they're coming from two different camps, from people of color and from Caucasian Americans. And when you talk about the need for, or the move toward a more post-racial society, you don't hear that so much from people of color. And it's almost like that, that ship is heading toward an iceberg, because from people of color what you're hearing more often is let's now have a more open dialogue about race.

MR. GREGORY: Let's not shut the dialogue off because...

MS. NORRIS: ...you can't go over it, you can't go under it. You've got to go through it.

Ripple Effects of Community Organizing

During the 2007-2008 school year the community in Turner Courts began coming together to speak out about many of the injustices and inequities in their community. We didn't have the process perfected yet. Each time we had a meeting it was like pulling teeth to get people to come out. But, there were little victories won here and there and some community members gained a little more faith in the process. Click here and you can see many of the efforts we undertook.

Unfortunately, just about the time we were building steam...just about the time residents were beginning to feel a stake in the process and knew they had the ear of the city and the Dallas Housing Authority, the decision to tear down Turner Courts came through. Central Dallas, along with all of the residents, were forced to find other places to settle.

We have attempted to keep in touch with our friends and neighbors from Turner Courts, but we're often dependent on them calling us since their phone numbers often change pretty regularly. I think it is a testament to say that many have kept our phone numbers and call to check in every once in a while.

Yesterday the phone call came from Maria.

Maria has six kids. She makes sure that she takes advantages of opportunities, makes sure to attend Bible study 2-3 times a week, and wants to see her children receive the best opportunities possible. Maria is also enrolled in a GED program. If her car is broken down, she packs up the family (even the baby) and they ride the bus wherever they need to go...planning ahead to manage the extra ride time and the extra distance between where the bus lets off and where she needs to go.

Unfortunately, despite her best efforts, Maria struggles with her oldest two boys--one 16 and one 14. Both have found the "wrong crowd" and both hate school. Every morning, she drops them off at school. All day long she hopes and prays that they will remain there throughout the day. Often they don't. Maria now has more than $1500 in truancy tickets. She takes responsibility for her family, but she does not know what else to do. She is working hard to make sure her other four stay on the right path, but the tickets and the constant truancy issues keep distracting her from her focus on her youngest ones.

Maria called yesterday to get advice. She thinks her boys should be required to work in order to pay off the truancy tickets instead of her having to struggle to pay tickets and risk jail while her boys continue to skip school. She said the truancy officer explained to her that the only way things would change is if she talked to the people in Austin.

My first reaction was that she shouldn't be shirking her responsibilities as a parent. She should be held responsible for her boys' actions. But, the more I listened to her (and I know her boys), I realized that she had a point. She is not just complaining; she has a solution to offer. And she wants to write whoever is making these laws to help them think about it differently as well.

It was because of our community organizing efforts in Turner Courts that Maria called. She wanted to know how to write the letter and who to mail it to. She has already started planning how she can go around to different parents who have truant children and get them to sign on to the letter.

I haven't decided if I agree with Maria's approach. But, the point isn't whether or not I agree. The point is that Maria has a problem and a potential solution and she is taking the initiative by using our democratic system to make her voice heard. My hat goes off to Maria!

Offering education can fight "terrorism"

Several years ago, I read a book called Children in Danger, by James Garbarino. I was amazed at his comparison of children in war zones of third world countries to the experiences children in the inner city of the United States of America face. The similarities were striking.

As I was reading Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortensen's comments about children in Pakistan made me, once again, think of the striking similarities between our inner cities and third world countries.

It also made me think of our absurd ignorance.

Here is an excerpt:

A Republican congressman from California interrupted Mortenson in midsentence, challenging him. "Building schools for kids is just fine and dandy," Mortenson remembers the congressman saying. "But our primary need as a nation now is
security. Without security, what does all this matter?"

Mortenson took a breath. He felt an ember of the anger he'd carried all the way from Kabul flare. "I don't do what I'm doing to fight terror," Mortenson said, measuring his words, trying not to get himself kicked out of the Capitol. "I do it because I care about kids. Fighting terror is maybe seventh or eighth on my list of priorities. But working over there, I've learned a few things. I've learned that terror doesn't happen because some group of people somewhere like Pakistan or Afghanistan simply decide to hate us. It happens because children aren't being offered a bright enough future that they have a reason to choose life over death.

In my work in the inner city, I, too, have learned a few things. Much like Mortenson, I have learned that the kids in the inner city aren't any different from other children. They don't grow up wanting to be prostitutes pimped out by their mothers or drug dealers who will spend a lifetime with a felony on their record. They are no more born to be violent than any other child. They do not simply decide to become criminals, hoping to terrorize people.

For the very same reason Mortenson spoke of, those characteristics and acts are results of children with lots of potential not being offered a bright enough future that they have a reason to choose life over prison or death.

Why can't we recognize this??

Getting to know the community is critical

I love this woman!



Just like with her husband, she is such a positive presence. They both set a tone of inclusion and valuing people. Monday she visited the Department of Education. Yesterday, they visited an elementary school together. Today she visited HUD. She is getting to know her community...ALL of her community. How cool is that?!

Here are some of her words that struck me the most:

So in addition to meeting you all here at these agencies, I’m taking time out, as well as Barack, to get to know the community that we’re in. We’re going to be visiting schools and neighborhoods throughout this area, because Barack and I always believe that investing in the community that you live in first and foremost is critical. And for the people here in this agency, we are now your neighbors.

So it’s important to remember — not that you need any reminding — but the issues that you’re working on every single day, in whatever way you are working on them, in whatever capacity, affect this community that we live in, as well. They affect you, your children, your grandchildren, your neighbors.

Obama signs SCHIP bill

One thing I truly respect about President Obama is his tireless dedication and commitment to ALL children...and ALL people.

Last week President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Act that will demand equal pay for equal work between men and women. This week he signed the SCHIP, a bill that will continue healthcare for 7 million children, provide healthcare to an additional 4 million children, and lift the ban on states to provide healthcare to legal immigrant children if they choose to do so.

In his speech, he committed to the children:

We are not a nation that leads struggling families to fin for themselves, especially when they’ve done everything right. No child in America should be receiving his or her primary care in an emergency room in the middle of the night. No child should be falling behind at school because he can’t hear the teacher or see the blackboard. I refuse to accept that millions of our children fail to reach their full potential because we fail to meet their basic needs. In a decent society, there are certain obligations that are not subject to tradeoffs or negotiations. And healthcare for our children is one of those obligations.

Despite the tax situations with his chosen leaders, I still say he's setting a good standard that ALL people should be treated equal--poor children and women included.

The Obama groundswell efforts continue

The election is over and we have a new president...or we will have in 69 days.

I am excited about President-Elect Obama. Barack Obama picked a team of people that ran an absolutely amazing campaign. He inspired young and old alike. He rose above many of the stereotypical and racist comments and insinuations throughout the campaign. His campaign staff used technology in ways no other campaign thought of. He encouraged all of us to believe that WE are the government...that it takes US to make change happen.

But now he's elected. Will those same inspiring efforts continue?

What's exciting to me is that I don't see this changing!

I am still getting emails from http://www.moveon.org/ asking me to host house parties so that we can come together and offer our ideas to the incoming administration.

Color of Change is still collecting our stories...stories that help define who we are as a nation and what we are going through as individuals who make up this nation...with the goal of informing our political system.

Barack Obama's staff continues his ground swell efforts through the internet by allowing people to apply for jobs in his administration, share personal stories with him, or just keep up with what's going on with his transition.

I have high hopes that these groundswell efforts will continue and we will continue moving toward the day when the United States is not about one person in charge, but is a collective of voices from all different perspectives, socioeconomic statuses, ages, religious beliefs, and genders.

Who's really running for President?

Some of my Republican friends have explained to me that Sarah Palin *could* be ready for the presidency and would eventually make a good president. I've heard several talk about hoping that if this election doesn't go their way, they hope she will continue in 2012. None of them have spoke with confidence about her *current* abilities though.

Maybe we all need to re-think who is really running for president on the Republican side. Evidently, from a rally in Florida, it isn't McCain.

As Sarah Palin was speaking, several people had on McCain/Palin t-shirts and hats, but the overwhelming majority of signs being waved said either "Country First" or "Florida is Palin Country."

What happened to McCain???

See the CNN article:
McCain's name nowhere to be seen at Palin rally

Spotlight moments

This month I have had several moments I'm very proud of.

The first one came when one of my friends IM'd to ask me to send some of the pictures I'd taken of the Chemistry Camp our kids attend with her each spring. After I sent her the pictures, she explained why she needed them. She had been chosen as one of the 100 women for the White House Leadership Project.

A couple of weeks later...

...voila! The picture I'd taken ended up in "O" Magazine, along with a great article on my friend, Jennifer Stimpson, explaining her chemistry program.

Not long after, I was asked to write an op-ed for the Dallas Morning News. It was published this past Monday, drawing a variety of positive and negative comments.

Then, earlier this week my friend, Shawn Williams (who blogs at Dallas South) asked me to be a guest on his Blog Talk Radio segment. You can listen to us talk a little about my life in South Dallas, a little commentary on the op-ed I wrote, and my thoughts and observations about the political candidates and campaigns and how I feel they have affected rural America by clicking here.

It's been a busy month...but very productive and fun. Are we really already in November???

Vote!

“Go vote now. It'll make you feel big and strong.”

~Bob Schieffer’s mother

Early voting in Texas is from October 20-October 31. You can vote at ANY early polling place.

Are we ready to move to the next level of race relations?

John Lewis, Rep. (D-Ga.):
As one who was a victim of violence and hate during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, I am deeply disturbed by the negative tone of the McCain-Palin campaign. What I am seeing reminds me too much of another destructive period in American history. Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse.

During another period, in the not too distant past, there was a governor of the state of Alabama named George Wallace who also became a presidential candidate. George Wallace never threw a bomb. He never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged vicious attacks against innocent Americans who were simply trying to exercise their constitutional rights. Because of this atmosphere of hate, four little girls were killed on Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama.

As public figures with the power to influence and persuade, Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are playing with fire, and if they are not careful, that fire will consume us all. They are playing a very dangerous game that disregards the value of the political process and cheapens our entire democracy. We can do better. The American people deserve better.

John Lewis has always been a hero of mine. I admire his wisdom, his work, and his perseverance during the Civil Rights movement. In my mind, he was a more important person than he gets credit for in many history books.

Though it may mean little for me to say that John McCain and Sarah Palin are stepping over a line, creating unfounded fears and provoking untruths, John Lewis lived through the climax of racial tensions, fear, and hatred. He experienced the results of fear-filled people who were provoked by strong voices in our country.

In 2008 we have come to a new turning point in our country. We are experiencing a new era that is leading us to deal with our prejudices and discrimination head on--whether it's women, African-Americans, Muslims, Mexicans, spanish-speakers, gays/lesbians, and a number of other cultural groups.

As happened in the 60s, the current culture clash is leading us to show our colors.

I have hope that, like the 60s, these confrontations will ultimately propel us on to the next level. I pray that as we work toward that next level, however, we will not have to go through the same tragedies in order for us to realize how ridiculous our fears and actions were.

Racism affects the intelligence of people

My friend sent me an email saying, "Janet, what is wrong in our world?" and attached this picture with its inaccurate and offensive caricature and misrepresented stances of Barack Obama's policies.

For a brief moment I wanted to believe that surely someone had photoshopped this picture and put it on the internet. But experience has told me it was probably real. I wondered where in the world would people put a sign like that!

I was taken aback as I read down in the email and saw that the sign was from West Plains, MO! I guess I shouldn't have been surprised.

See...West Plains is only 40 miles from my home town....so I am very familiar with it. Like I said, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. After all, when I was in junior high or high school I remember that a cross was burned in front of one of the black churches in West Plains. At the time, I didn't know what a burning cross meant...and I really didn't know that we even had black churches in our area!

I know it sounds naive, but I want to believe that things like that are not so overtly ingrained in all of us who grew up there. I know and love my friends and family who live there. They are good people...very kind, helpful, church-going people. But racism and racist comments carried through the generations has affected them, despite their willingness to believe it.

Someone from my home town told me the other day, "98% of black people are only voting for Obama because he's black." I explained that their comment was insulting to the intelligence of black people. I explained that although I'm sure there are probably some who are only voting for Obama because he's black, I can't think of a single [black] friend of mine who is voting for Obama for that reason. Every black person I know has watched the debates and can talk about the issues with which they agree/disagree. So unless all of my friends account for the 2% of that equation, something is wrong with that statement. But, see... it's easy to make a statement like that when you don't know or have conversations with people who are black. People in my hometown rarely even see someone who is black. So their information about black people comes from what they hear.

What troubles me so much is that the statements made and the fear that results is created by people who do not know the people of the religion, the ethnicity, the country, the language, etc. who they talk about....yet, they are still willing to repeat, perpetuate, and exacerbate the comments. What further troubles me is that many of the people I know who are perpetuating the racism are good people...intelligent people...but their comments demonstrate that their intelligence has been compromised. Because they don't know people of different cultures and different religions, they have completely bought in to the hateful, inaccurate comments and are content with speaking to character (of which they can only assume) instead of issues.

I'm waiting, Sarah Palin

I believe John McCain's pick was more brilliant than he even he realized it would be. I know the response has completely taken me by surprise. So many conservatives weren't thrilled about their McCain as their Republican pick...but now they have a hard-line conservative...and a woman at that! So they also demonstrate their ability to go outside of their white, male box.

I also have to hand it to McCain for stepping aside and allowing a woman to completely take the spotlight. I have found that is often hard for men to do. I find it a little strange in this situation since McCain *is* the one running for President, but I do think it's cool that men are taking the backseat for a change because women are the ones people want to hear.

I think for conservative women who have worked hard alongside their husbands...as stay-at-home moms...or as corporate business leaders who still managed to take care of their family, Sarah Palin now puts a spotlight on their ability to do it all. The conservative men recognize Sarah Palin as someone familiar and are also falling in lock step behind her.

But, for the last week and a half, I have been listening to find out what Sarah Palin is all about.

I vetted her myself last Monday during Labor Day. I saw the gossip and speculated on its truth. I looked at the fact that she was 44 and inexperienced in national government affairs and wondered what would happen if something happened to John McCain on day one (instead of after year two, as everyone seems to suggest is when she would've gotten the hands-on experience she needs from being in the White House). Her quick wit has surprised me (some good, some bad), but so far quick wit is all I've seen. Is quick wit the primary characteristic we want in a potential president?

I keep waiting for that moment when we will hear her debate or talk off the cuff, but it hasn't come. Today a piece of her stump speech as she and McCain travel around. I was sorely disappointed. The segment I heard was absolutely word for word what her nomination speech was...only shorter. It told me nothing.

I understand what they're doing. The campaign knows she doesn't have experience. So they're prepping her. I heard one commentary that said they wouldn't let her talk until the media was ready to respect her. If I were running a campaign, I would do the same--make up as many reasons to keep her hidden while prepping her behind the scenes. But two things here:

1) Do we really want a presidential team where the man running for president isn't really the one people want and the one running for VP is someone who has to be coached by the campaign so much that they keep her in hiding?

2) There are less than two months left of this campaign! One poll has John McCain up by 10
points. People are struck by her. Do we really want to elect someone who we have heard one speech from?

Our country needs to know what Sarah Palin knows. Our country deserves to hear how she thinks.

It's time to get in the game, Sarah Palin. In order to form an educated opinion, we need to hear from you!

Jailing journalists

Award winning journalist and host of "Democracy Now" Amy Goodman was arrested on Monday by St. Paul police while covering a protest outside the Republican National Convention. Though clearly identified as press, Goodman was charged with "obstruction of a legal process and interference with a 'peace officer.'" Two of her producers were arrested for "suspicion of felony riot."

Goodman and her producers were released Monday night. AP photographer Matt Rourke was also arrested and released after police doused him with pepper spray and forced him to the ground, scraping up his elbows and knees.

Charges are still pending against all of these journalists simply for trying to do their jobs.

Here is the video of her arrest:



Here is her report on Democracy now today:
http://www.democracynow.org/

I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

Let's get out the vote!

I am extremely excited about the way this election has gotten young people interested and engaged in the issues. However, I admit I fear complacency in November.

I am truly hoping that my fears will be baseless. I have heard so many of my friends discussing ways to get others engaged in the process through registration, deputization, running for office, and many other politically engaging activities. That excites me!

Below is a video you can watch, pass along to friends, or post on your own blog. You can get it from http://www.twovoters.com/. Then, if you're not registered, use the "Rock the Vote" link on the sidebar and get registered. It's really that easy!

In Texas, the last day to register is October 6. Let's not let this date slip by in our efforts to get people registered!

I would love to hear if any of you register as a result...and if you register others. This campaign is OUR campaign. Let's take back our voice in this country.

Barack Obama has integrity

"So what do you think about Palin?"

I keep getting the question.

So here's what I think. As I mentioned before, I was offended by McCain's choice. I assumed he made a random pick because he needed someone that would make himself and the Republican party "diverse." ...and his choice has definitely made a splash in conservative circles. I have talked to several conservative friends and family (men and women) who say, "I really like her!"

I knew they would say that. And I can almost guarantee they will stick by her no matter what. I can't quite describe it. Maybe it's less about following through on the morals they profess than it is the professing of them.

Here is the moral code: Profess high morals, leave no room for messing up and no room for grace, but then if it happens to a family member (or a campaign), cover it up or "make it right." Then, all is well.

I don't know who created the definition for "right" in these situations or when the definition was created, but I know how it works. I grew up with it. As long as a situation is "made right" (no matter how wrong it seems...as in to have a teenage daughter marry a teenage boy...or, even crazier, to have a mom secretly take over the raising of their daughter's child), it is accepted. That is the code that I saw growing up. To "make things right" you do whatever it takes so that your family is not publicly shamed (even though people whisper about it and know the "real deal"). (By the way...that can even mean abortion as long as no one knows about it.)

My biggest frustration with this whole debacle is not that the daughter is pregnant or even that this may be her second child. My biggest frustration is that the "religious right" is so adamant about speaking out against these things and would completely ridicule and condemn others on this issue, but when it becomes one of their own, they smooth it over and downplay it.

I appreciate the integrity of Senator Obama's response. Instead of stirring up the hype, he very succintly and pointedly said:

"People's children are especially off limits. This shouldn't be part of our politics. It has no relevance to Gov. Palin's performance as a governor or her potential performance as a vice president. So I would strongly urge people to back off these kinds of stories."

He then went on to say,

"We don't go after people's families. We don't get them involved in politics. It's not appropriate and it's not relevant. Our people were not involved in any way in this and they will not be. If I ever thought that it was somebody in my campaign who's involved in something like that, they'd be fired."

He shut them down and he made certain that his staff was shut down on this as well.

I admire the way Senator Obama handles sensitive issues. I don't know that his consideration of people will get Barack elected. It seems as if the overt condemnation of people (despite the hypocritical nature) wins more votes. But his response definitely adds to my reasons for believing he is the right man for the job. Senator Obama creates the moral and political leadership our country needs.

For those out there who believe in his moral and political integrity, trust me, we have a lot of work to do to get him elected. It is not going to be easy. Any mis-steps Sarah Palin might make will not be enough to hand us the election.

Nominating a Black presidential candidate doesn't change everything

For the last week, Democrats have been basking in the hope and possibility of change... politically, ethnically, relationally. But make no mistake. Just because Barack Obama has been nominated for the presidential position does not mean all is well. We need to be careful to not get too complacent and comfortable thinking that we have arrived now that we have nominated a Black man into our country's highest position.

Let me tell you about three things I experienced this week that I think need to be brought to our consciousness:

1) While I was still in Denver, Hurricane Gustav began forming. As I listened to The Weather Channel, I listened to the man explain Gustav saying, "Gustav!...It sounds so much more scary than Fay!"

Why is that? Why do people get more afraid when they hear a name like "Gustav?" Do we think about what we are saying? Would he have said Hurricane George was scarier than Fay? I wondered how my friend Gustavo, one of the nicest and calmest young adults I know, would feel if he was told his name was "scary."

2) I sought to purchase memorabilia that might be worth something one day. I came across a Barack Obama action figure. I liked the idea of an action figure a lot better than I did a Barack Obama bobble head (they had those, too). I bought the action figure despite the name brand, Jailbreak Toys. Now I wish I hadn't.

Though the website has some other action figures of White people, it's inconsiderate and insensitive to associate Barack Obama, an African-American man, with "Jailbreak toys." I sought to figure out why they call it "jailbreak," but to no avail. I have written the company to find out, while also expressing my feeling that sensitivity and recognition of the message their name sends is very important to consider. You can do the same by emailing them at info@jailbreaktoys.com.

3) I noticed that even Virgin Records had a political display of items so I thought I'd check them out as well. I ran across a book of Obama paper dolls. What a cool thing! I picked it up thinking I might get it for my niece and nephew or my friend's little girl. But as I flipped through the tabbed clothing, I had to double-take to make sure I was looking at the right book. The tabbed clothing had arms and legs that looked about my skin color.

I flipped to the front of the book and, sure enough, it was Barack, Michelle, Malia, and Sasha, but all four of them had a light ivory skin color. If anything, Barack's skin was shaded slightly darker than the other three. As I look at the Obama family (see photo above), each of them have different shades of skin color...and none of them have the appearance of light ivory. I plan to write the company (you can do the same by clicking here) to let them know that not all Black people look alike...and it is important to represent that. Our society needs to do a better job of recognizing that. It is not appropriate to ignore a person's skin color by portraying everyone as White. It's insensitive and offensive.

In the 1940s Dr. Kenneth Clark did a doll test with White dolls and Black dolls. The majority of the children preferred the White doll. Kiri Davis replicated this test and found the same results in 2005. We have got to assert our voice so that the test won't be replicated in another 50 years with the same results.

The reason I bring this up is not about being "politically correct." It's about being aware. It's about being sensitive to other people. It's about recognizing the message our language and our actions send. But we have to listen to people who are different than us in order to understand those different perspectives.

If this election can lead us to do that, no matter who becomes president, we will be stronger individuals and a stronger country as a result.

McCain-Palin ticket...why???

Being at the DNC over the last week has not just inspired me for the Democratic party, it has inspired me to pay more attention to the Republican National Convention as well. It is important to be educated and know "why" we make choices.

So, I woke up Friday morning, anxious to find out who McCain would choose as a running mate.

I can't completely say I didn't see it coming, but I was definitely surprised by his choice of a 44-year old, pretty much unknown, 1 1/2-year governor (since December 2006)...with no other experience than the local city council and the mayor of a small, suburban town...from the remote state of Alaska, Sarah Palin.

CNN explained that the Republicans wanted to, "Shake things up." The New York Times called her a "novelty."

Talk about Affirmative Action in the worst way!

I hope people understand that nominating Barack as our party leader was not simply to "shake things up." Barack Obama was chosen because of his leadership abilities, his vision, his ability to reconcile on many different levels. But what I think many people overlook is that Barack Obama was chosen for his intelligence! Barack Obama taught Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago! You can't teach constitutional law and know nothing about the constitution.

On the other hand, Sarah Palin asked the question in an interview with CNBC, "What is it exactly that the V.P. does every day?" Though it may be just a soundbyte...and though she may have been trying to be humorous, it was a statement that I have to wonder if it was based in reality. I mean...seriously...don't we need someone who could potentially be the President who at least has a vision for the job?

I have always said that I think despite the media's portrayal of Barack's "lack of experience," he has the vision, the intellect, and the understanding of how to get things done. He may have been in the Senate for a limited amount of time...but Palin has rarely even been out of Alaska! (she got a passport in 2007 so she could go see troops in Kuwait and Germany).

I think it is interesting that this election has changed the tide. Women and people of color are now the critical people to have on your side. White men are no longer the unassumed choice. Women and people of color are now seen as strengthening the ticket. I believe the events of this election are going to launch us to a new level of thinking in our country. That's amazing and interesting.

However, we can not allow people to diminish the abilities of women or people of color by choosing less than qualified people. There are plenty of very intelligent and qualified people without choosing some obscure person. If we allow that, we reinforce the thought that women and people of color are truly not capable.

I am extremely excited about the way this election has changed what our future will look like. However, I do not want to accept a minimization of women or people of color's abilities or intelligence. That is insulting.

Let's get started!

The energy at Invesco Thursday night was electric!

Let the commentators call it what they may..."Kum ba yah," "All about the celebrities," ...whatever. It was an ingenious way to organize supporters, engage people, and reinforce the message Barack has communicated all along, "...this election has never been about me; it's about you."

From the very beginning of the evening, I was intrigued. As we got settled in the stands, the jumbo tron flashed, “What is the name of Sen. Obama’s comprehensive early education plan?” and asked us to text our response of E1, E2, or E3. The correct answer? Zero to Five. (The E2 option was, "No Child Left Behind for Real"...which I thought was pretty funny.)

And then (you can click the picture to enlarge it and see the question better)...

The answer? $4000.

I wish I would've thought to record Ray Rivera's explanation of the texting. He asked us all to text in messages to Barack. On the jumbo tron they showed a map of the United States which, he explained, had stars on every state. In real time, the stars would get larger as the number of text messages from that state came in.

The campaign's use of technology is amazing and forward-thinking...which is exactly what we need for our country.

Unfortunately, my phone died near the beginning of the evening. I wasn't able to text and call friends like I'd hoped. But I know people who were "twittering" and blogging in real time to keep everyone up on what was going on.

So what's next? Will people continue with the energy they felt Thursday night? Or was it really just a "celebrity" event?

Personally, I think it's more than some "high" or inflated sense of excitement. I think Barack Obama inspires people to be a part of change.

At IHop (where we went after Invesco), the server sat down and talked to us about the convention.

When I got back to the hotel and finally got enough "juice" in my phone for it to power up, I had several texts and voice mails from friends in different states, of different ages, and even of different political parties who were paying attention.

The morning after, I got a text message from a college student I rarely hear from telling me that McCain had chosen his VP. As we text'd back and forth, she expressed her desire to help get Barack elected.

As I was walked around Denver the day after, I ran into a guy who was standing on the corner registering people to vote. I really wish I would've stopped to interview him and find out where his motivation came from and what the response had been so far.

I have chatted with random people as I walked down the street, into stores, and as I walked through the airport.

There is a sense of camaraderie in the air. There is a sense of community.

What I like about Obama is that I think he realizes our country shouldn't be about a certain few making decisions for the entire country. Democracy is "government by the people in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system."

We are the government. The power is vested in us. It's time that we really consider who we want to elect based on which of the two candidates embody "we, the people" in it's true spirit?

(Pics to come later...as well as more reflective posts about this past week).