Published: July 10, 2008 07:42 pm            

HAMILTON: Measuring Obama, Jackson and us

There is no question about the fact that a Barack Obama presidency will, for better or worse, change America. How will his possible presidency change you? is the question.

I found myself on Sunday morning having the most delightful conversation with a lovely, young waitress whose soul was as beautiful as her face. During the course of our conversations, I asked her if she intended upon remaining a waitress or if she had other ambitions. Even though she had a child at 22, the 25- year old explained that she intended to go back to Niagara University and finish her degree in hospitality management. She also sadly pointed out lack of job creation in the area and the difficulty in finding other suitable employment.

Her situation made me think back to something that the Rev. Jesse Jackson had said to my nephew, Michael, during a 1987 banquet in Niagara Falls. I shared Jackson’s words with the young woman to give her hope; which, ironically, was his presidential theme. After which, I thought about the differences between Jackson’s and Obama’s messages.

It is not often that I will praise or defend Jackson, but this is noteworthy and pertinent to not just the young waitress, but to most Americans who find themselves anchored to the mucky, weeded bottoms of their shallow harbor of circumstances.

At that banquet, I asked Jackson to give to Michael, and the other young people in the room, some words of encouragement so that they might aspire to do some of the great things that Jackson had done in his life. Michael, with the fork still stuck in his face, though stunned that the attentions of Jackson and the other 700 banquet-goers were now focused upon him, listened intently to the presidential candidate’s words, as we all should.

Jackson said, “One: Stay in school and get a good education.

“Two: Stay away from drugs.

“Three: Don't drink [alcohol].”

“And four: The job that you are looking for may not exist – you may have to create it yourself.”

Like Michael, the waitress assured me that she stayed away from both drugs and alcohol, and that she would go back to school for that education. In fact, as I quoted Jackson's fourth point, she mouthed those very words.

After marrying and serving in the Air Force, Michael now lives in the Phoenix area and works for Honeywell as a metrologist, which is the calibration of fine measuring devices. While his senator is now presidential candidate John McCain, the very devout Christian is not looking either to McCain, Obama or Jackson to make much difference in his life; but it is worthwhile to take a moment and measure the differing messages of Obama’s and Jackson’s messages of hope.

When Obama defeated Hillary in South Carolina, Bill Clinton gave Obama the same measure of respect that he gave Jackson after Jackson's victory there in 1988. While Michael thought it significant, Clinton thought little of it.

Obama’s message of hope is seemingly a top-down message of changing America, much as was President Ronald Reagan’s ‘trickle down’ policies. Both will initially work, and both may reach those stuck in the steep valleys of stagnation. But once such policies gel, it does little to help change those most in need of change.

Whereas Jackson's message of hope was one of bottom-up change. He launched his first presidential campaign on the theme that his running for the presidency was not about just him running for the White House. He said that it was about people at every level running for public policy positions, from the Senate, through sheriff and school board and down to dog-catcher. “If you have your fair-share of representation at the local level,” Jackson said, “then you can live with anyone in the White House.”

In other words, if you don't change yourself wherever it is that you find yourself, then no external change will have any positive effect upon you. The Bible suggests that a person dwells at the same level as their thoughts, be it in an inner-city housing project or in a fine house in the suburbs. They can only change their location by changing their thinking.

Too many of us think that Obama will primarily change white America’s view on race, which is a much-needed and evolving change. His successful presidency may do just that. But Obama can never become president unless enough whites have already changed their views and vote for him, such as Iowans did.

Even still, many African-Americans, even under a successful Obama presidency, will remain exactly where they are unless they, too, change their views on both race and themselves. But even doing that is not enough. We must also, like the waitress and my nephew, heed Jackson’s words and understand that our ultimate goal is to set about creating jobs for ourselves.

That is the true measure of success.

Ken Hamilton is a Niagara Falls resident. Contact him at Kenhamilton930@aol.com.

        

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