Who is the American Dream? Why this PA native will vote for Obama on April 22nd

MEMO: Ryan Barrett, Philadelphia-native / blogger / writer / laugher / dancer, endorses Barack Obama for President of the United States

I’m half African-American, half Italian. Being interracial is fun because you always hear insightful comments and questions like these:

“Interracial kids are always the cutest!” “I love how you have dark skin but a nice pointy nose!” “You’re black, but you aren’t really black.” “Why don’t you ever speak in Ebonics?” “You have weird crazy hair!” “So, like, what are you?”

I only have a few Black friends, and they’re mostly male. I have never quite clicked with Black women – when I've tried, I always seemed to laugh at the wrong times or disagree with the wrong points or date the wrong men. I do have a bunch of White friends here in Boston. They love to make Black jokes and laugh “with” me. Except I’m never laughing.

Needless to say, I’ve never fit in. Here are the few instances that have made me feel like I'm a part of something:

1. When in the company of my family.
2. When surrounded by my multicultural myriad of Philadelphian friends. As I grew up, we wove a web across the city, through Catholic schools and Quaker schools, public parks and Jewish Community Centers—tied together with our love of laugher, music, learning and each other.
3. When Barack Obama announced his candidacy.

Before you start calling me a “hope-monger” or an “Obamamaniac” or, by far the worst, “cultish,” let me say that I support Obama on a policy-level. I prefer his healthcare plan to Hillary’s, which would require everyone to buy healthcare regardless of whether or not they can afford it/want it. Obama’s plan makes healthcare affordable and available, and ensures that every person under 25 be insured. I love his idea to require community service in exchange for government-sponsored college tax credit. I want the war in Iraq to end—the Iraqi people do not want us there, our troops are dying, we are wasting billions of dollars, and for what? We need a systematic pull-out plan; one that does not leave the country in chaos but one that is sure to disengage us. Obama provides this plan.

And on the topic of national security, I find Obama’s path superior on several levels. He is ready and willing to defend our nation, but he isn’t going to jump into war blindly. He’ll use smart tactics to take out our enemies, not entire nations that weren’t even involved in the first place. In fact, The CIA recently employed Obama’s proposed plan to target al-Queda officials located in Pakistan. Implementing his plan (no Clinton, he didn’t simply propose to “bomb Pakistan”) – stealth, highly targeted missions that do not necessarily require the cooperation of the Pakistani government—resulted in the CIA taking out one of the senior al-Queda commanders, Abu Laith al-Libi.

Talk about solutions and results. In the primaries, at that.

But it goes deeper than that. To truly prevent anti-American sentiment, we need to squash this self-serving, narcissistic, power-hungry super-Nation rep that the Bush administration has used to alienate us from the rest of the world. Because of it, people really hate us. And not just al-Queda. Like, people who live in France. And England. Our “allies.” I know this because when I travel to Europe every summer people tell me, straight up, that they think the U.S. sucks. Point is, we need to sit down and talk with our friends and our enemies. We can’t act like we’re better than the rest of the world—because the sad truth is, we’re not. On so many levels. And I believe that the kind of diplomacy Obama proposes —hashing things out through discussion instead of acting like meeting with the high-and-mighty American president is a privilege given only to a select few—will help our international image.

Beyond the plans and policies, I support Obama on a life-level. When I read his books, I was so amazed that these words came from a “politician.” I was able to relate to so many of his experiences, including his identity struggle—one that led him down many roads, some good and some bad. What’s so inspiring to me is that his candidacy shows that a person cannot be defined as just one thing (white, black, rich, poor). And more importantly, his candidacy makes America the place for all of us complex people. How? Because throughout his campaign, Obama has answered the questions that have plagued me throughout my life—

“You aren’t black, you aren’t white, your skin is dark but you don’t speak Ebonics, your grandparents are White blue-collar Philadelphians and you’re dark but somehow they love you anyhow (to pieces!), your mom is very dark-skinned and attended segregated school in D.C. all through her childhood but now she’s a PhD and your father fell in love with this dark-skinned beauty despite the fact that he grew up in a stickball-and-hoagies Whiter than White neighborhood… so, really, what the hell are you?!” 

Obama's answer: I am the embodiment of the American Dream.

The truth is, we all are.

The fact that Obama’s campaign has helped me realize this is the reason why I’ll be voting for him on April 22nd in the Philadelphia suburb of Ardmore, PA.

More Info For Pennsylvanians
Pennsylvanians for Obama on barackobama.com
Philadelphia for Obama (who so graciously allowed me to use their logo on this post - thanks guys)

Comments

[Manny Stevens]

I find it compelling that you support him b/c of his policies AND because of the way he inspires you.

[rikyrah]

Thank you for dropping me a line. I'm glad that Obama inspires you this way. People want to dismiss us and say that we don't care or know about his policy positions. But, we know that you can have all the policy positions in the world, and if the right candidate isn't in front of you, then how will you get those policies passed?

I hope you get out and work in PA...Obama08 needs your help.

[The First Domino]

Your interracial characteristics disguise who you really are.

There's a You of you, far more comely than the you you see.

The you that you see is merely a shadow of the real,

and adds a physical complexity to what is simply God's most perfect creation.

Thanks for being you and You!

I'll drop in from time to time to see what's new with the both of you.

[Nikki]

Your endorsement of Obama is one I'll suggest my friends read. It is both intelligent and compelling. I'm an Obama supported, but I've rarely read or heard anyone who has expressed her (or his) support for the candidate as well as you have here. Obama and his surrogates (popular locution inspired by this primary season, btw) ought to read your blog.

[Kid]

Glad you like my man President Pookie. I call him that because of his stump speach. He tell the folks to get Ray-Ray and Pookie and get them to the voting booth.Now I can't call him by his nickname (Barry) its not that hard. I have a story for you . Me and my friend went out on a date. We went to the Flats, which is Clevelands' entertainment mecca. We were playing in the car when two white guys opened the car door and pulled me out . She said "wot's up wit dat"? They let me go and said I'm so sorry. She was black (I think she still is ,lol).She had strawberry blond hair and looked like Mirah Carey. The guys appologised . I said what if I was hurting a black woman ,would you do the same thing? They said were so sorry and proceeded to give me a bag of weed and a 12 pack of beer. I said so you want to give a black man some beer and this will go away? My friend said shut up, they giving us weed too.Now I don't mess with weed , but it was kind of funny. Richard Pryor said forget about it being hard being black, its hard to be a human being. Stay happy,later.

[Amin]

Change is demanded when people are dissatisfied. After 8 long years of deceit, corruption, force, violence, manipulation, greed, amandonment, and disgrace, the time for true change is past due.

We need a change in representation, that reflects the multi-dimensional fabric that is America. And with America being the most influential power in the world, we need a representative that embraces and reflects the fabric of all nations.

Obama represents this change.

[George]

Ryan:

Thanks for sharing. Honest and direct. My reasons for voting for Obama are best summarized in this commentary by Naomi Wolf:

Why Barack Obama Got My Vote
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/naomi-wolf/why-barack-obama-got-my-v_b_89017.html

If you haven't read Wolf's book, I highly recommend it.

If you are feeling isolated here in Boston, I am willing to introduce you to members of the local Boston chapter of Swirl ( http://www.swirlinc.org/ and http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SWIRLinc/ ). I think that you'll find many similar and fun multiracial people. I met them several years ago when I ran the InterRace Cruise Group. And, you won't get the racially-naive questions or the insulting jokes.

George

[MacDaddy]

Young Lady: I think you're wonderful: Beautiful and smart. Have fun, date whomever you like, and stay involved in the process to make this a better country.

I was a youth counselor for 5 years. Above all, I learned one thing: How cruel people could be. But no one was more cruel than teenage girls, not even male gangbangers. What they taught me was that no one can be cruel than an insecure person. That's some may have a problem with you. Just behind the angry looks, the poisonous mouth are people insecure ABOUT WHO THEY ARE.

On another topic, just between me and you, I think the super delegates are going to come to their senses, see Hillary for the overly-ambitious power hungry person she is and vote for Obama. It will be tough for a while, but, thanks in large part to beautiful, smart people like you, he's going to end up our next President. Blessings.

[J. Dakar]

Ryan, that was a great, well-written read! Keep up the good work.

Peace and blessings,
J. Dakar

[Sheena Harris]

Thank you for your comments and support of Obama. I agree with you 100%. Also, I'm saddened by the influx of insecurity within our communities. Many want to argue that Obama is not ready, but a counter argument is that Bush was.... That in itself is ludicrous. I also feel that because many people see Obama as a black man, those with deeply rooted insecurities have found it hard to support someone that looks like them, yet surpasses their achievements. I feel as though this too is very sad. I pray that upon elections people will look beyond black and white, jealousy and insecurity, and look towards the Truth in which Obama enbodies.

Peace and Love

[Sheena Harris]

Thank you for your comments and support of Obama. I agree with you 100%. Also, I'm saddened by the influx of insecurity within our communities. Many want to argue that Obama is not ready, but a counter argument is that Bush was.... That in itself is ludicrous. I also feel that because many people see Obama as a black man, those with deeply rooted insecurities have found it hard to support someone that looks like them, yet surpasses their achievements. I feel as though this too is very sad. I pray that upon elections people will look beyond black and white, jealousy and insecurity, and look towards the Truth in which Obama enbodies.

Peace and Love

[RyanB]

Hi Guys –
What insightful comments you’ve posted. I’m actually a bit nervous about PA myself (it’s a strange state full of clashing groups of people…), and so with this piece I am hoping to influence some people’s thought – maybe just one or two, but maybe that’s enough.

I was watching this made for TV movie about Sally Hemmings last night, and as the movie made me angrier and angrier, it also made me more and more proud of where the African-American community is now, in 2008. My heart leapt from my chest when Obama so overwhelmingly took South Carolina, and this quote from Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye came to mind:

“...we were not strong, only aggressive; we were not free, merely licensed; we were not compassionate, we were polite; not good, but well behaved. We courted death in order to call ourselves brave, and hid like thieves from life"

These words often come to me, sometimes while sitting on the bus watching a single mother carry her two babies. Sometimes while watching an old man lean and sigh against the bus window. But in 2008, there’s proof that we’ve flipped it. We’re strong, we’re free, we’re compassionate, we’re good – we’re not hiding. We’re brave.

Much love,
Ryan

P.S. - This post will be printed in Philly Daily News and posted on their website on either Wednesday or Thursday of this week (the 12th or 13th). I'll put a little update on the post, but keep a look out!

[Katie]

Great piece here. Brace yourself for an exciting next 6 weeks of courtship :) . We've already had people knocking on our door campaigning.

[JWZ]

Ryan -

Thank you for putting your thoughts and feelings out for all to benefit from.
The strength of the responses shows the strength of the original post.

PA is tricky - but that is the joy of hope....we always get to believe we can, and in fact then we do. Stay positive, stay hopeful, stay connected.

You have the ability to move others clearly. Use that. Be honest, be open, be real...in short ...be like Obama, to help him, help us, to help ourselves to a better tomorrow and a better world.

(Your Voice+Hope) * Action = Obama

All the best-
JWZ

[natalie]

Hello to you my bi-racial brethren. This is a post I understand completely and wish I had written first. I think "What are you?" is my favorite question in the world.

[Aurelius Tjin]

This is very interesting! I have enjoyed reading this very insightful post. Very engaging and informative. Thanks for sharing.

[Kate]

Hey girl - this is totally not related to your post (tho, yes, go Obama '08!), but I just wanted to let you know that I discovered a kick ass TypePad widget that automatically loads all my links in a new window (including my Flickr badge!). I don't know about you, but the fact that all links opened in the same window drove me totally nuts. Here is the link to the widget & its a breeze to install (it takes a while to show up tho). Also, if you have a redirect, there may be some issues; I don't and its working perfectly for me, but I'd recommend testing it thoroughly. http://www.sixapart.com/typepad/widgets/weblog-enhancements/open_links_in_a.html

[ventureblogalist]

great post. great blog!

here are some other reasons in his favor....

better management of a campaign, people choices
getting better as campaign goes on

is better at creating agreement among parties/intl using persuasion

would be a good cheerleader/rhetoritcian in addresses and understands responsibilities to the world and one another/re-establising or national heritage

self doubt, constantly re-evaluating himself

novelty of breaking in/enobles him his achievements within the meritcracy

ppl look at america differently if he is elected, he has a great stance on america should be greatest place for americans and to get rid of this we are better than anyone attitude

more PA obama workings..
http://baratunde.com/blog/

[Aj]

Oh Obama, If only you had deliverd as you initially promised. Still waiting on more jobs, still waiting on giving college students a break from these overbearing loans, still waiting on my 4 hours in line back.

How's that nuclear energy bill you just signed going? Nice to know building more weapons of mass desctruction is still on the list of things to do.

People, it doesn't matter what color Obama is. Ok, it was a smoke screen for the things to come.