Barack Obama Speech: working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and that in fact we have no choice if we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union

From florajasmine

I think locations are critical to the words that are said there.  Locations have meaning, have tradition, have a suggested sense of permanence.  It is not too much to ponder whether locations or building hold stories and even spirits.

The location for the speech was the National Constitution Center , a history museum on Independence Mall.  It openened in 2003 and is the only museum devoted to the U.S. Constitution and the story of we, the people.  Their mission is to:

disseminate information about the United States Constitution on a non-partisan basis in order to increase the awareness and understanding of the Constitution among the American people

It is striking that this speech was in a building on Independence Mall, an almost sacred place in the American civic religion. A park spread over 45-acres whose location embodies:

freedom from the control, influence, support, aid, or the like, of others

It is striking that it took place two blocks from the Liberty Bell, one of the most prominent symbols associated with the American Revolutionary War. Almost an icon in the American civic religion, this 2,0o0 lb bell is one of the most familiar symbols of independence within the United States.  It serves for many as an international icon of liberty and justice for all.  It is 70% copper, 25% tin, small amounts of lead, zinc, arsenic, gold and silver - a composite of many different substances, like the country that it rang into existence on July

The Bell achieved an iconic status when abolitionists adopted the Bell as a symbol for the movement.  It was, in fact, the abolitionists who gave it the name "Liberty Bell," in reference to its inscription. It was previously called simply the "State House bell."  In retrospect, it is a remarkably apt metaphor for a country literally cracked and freedom stolen for its black inhabitants. The line following "proclaim liberty" is,

"It shall shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family."

The Abolitionists understood this passage to mean that the Bible demanded all slaves and prisoners be freed every 50 years.

This past fall, a punk rocker from Dublin stood at the very same podium and said these words as he accepted the Freedom Medal:

you do not have to become a monster to defeat a monster. Your America is better than that. Your America is the one where Neil Armstrong takes a walk on the Moon because he can. Your America is the one where so many Irish people discovered their value. Your America is the one where a brave military fought and died for freedom in places like Omaha Beach, and in the Pacific, where president number 41 here -– a true World War II war hero served. Your America gave Europe the Marshall Plan. Your America gave the world the Peace Corps, JFK, RFK, MLK, the Special Olympics, Bill and Melinda Gates, Warren Buffet, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen -– the bard and the boss –- Steve Jobs, local hero Will Smith, the meditations of Mark Rothko, the poetics of Allen Ginsberg, Edward R. Murrow, Miles Davis, Quincy Jones, Mary J. Blige, Frank Gehry, of thee I sing, all of thee.

Hey, these are the reasons I'm a fan of America –- and one more. America is not just a country. It's an idea, isn't it? It's a great and powerful idea. The idea that all men are created equal. That "we are endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." These are great lyrics, Mr. Jefferson. Great opening riff. The Declaration of Independence has a great closing line too -– "we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor."

Today, the son of a Kenyan father and an American mother stood in the midst of that mall, close to that bell.  He rang out freedom- and responsibility.  He rang out hope - and rage.  He rang out we are all not so different, and we can still come together as Americans to form a more perfect country.  He embodied truth-telling, for me most powerfully in this passage:

In fact, a similar anger exists within segments of the white community. Most working- and middle-class white Americans don’t feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience – as far as they’re concerned, no one’s handed them anything, they’ve built it from scratch. They’ve worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when they hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed; when they’re told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time.

The anger he speaks of has fueled American politics almost since the bell first rang.  It has consumed us, separated families and faiths, robbed us of some of our greatness and some of our greatest leaders. 

The speech Barack Obama gave today was incredibly moving, deeply personal and very complex.  I am convinced that his name can be added to that litany that Bono spoke of, to the patriots that Independence Mall celebrates.  I believe that Liberty Bell rings through Barack Obama, through the hope he embodies, the direction he calls us to, the challenges he talks of so openly and lovingly.

I'll leave it to pundits and voters to parse the impact of the speech in the middle of the storm that is raging. For me, this speech finds its location in the midst of the great mystics of faith and their thread of God moments around our interconnectedness (exceprt from Wayne Teasdale's The Mystic Heart):

 

Comments

[Mike Chapman]

I just finished watching the first two episodes of the HBO special John Adams. Politics drives history. Obama is not separate from politics, obviously. So the speech was brilliant and appropriate to the situation, including current events and their historic context. Politically, it achieved what it was supposed to, i.e. shoring up the supporters and addressing concerns of the undecided Super Delegates. Historically, he did so much more than I could have expected. He actually used honest language to address a reality that has bothered so many of us for our entire lives. I think it was an amazing event.

[Jacob]

Hello Bob, although we have tried, we have not been able to meet yet. I wish we had though, because you would be more likely to read this comment as one seeking to be filled with grace rather than just someone trying to slam Obama or yourself. Please read these words as an honest reflection of the issue and not just the unthinking knee jerk reaction that is so prevalent in many comment sections.

I felt it was a nice political speech. Those who love Obama will overlook the situation and still love him. Those who don't love him, still won't.

Bob, my concern is that that I wish it had been many years earlier. I wish that Obama would have stood tall and spoke this way at any point over the past 20 years instead of participating in the spreading of anger and distrust. The timing of it just rings hollow.

And what you loved about the setting, seemed to be a manipulation tool. While the historicity of the setting is truly remarkable, we must not be confused and enamored by his standing among such greatness.

Politically, his speech today was genius. It was well stated, pulled on all the heart strings and invited everyone (white, black, immigrant, male, female, etc) to feel victimized. However, I feel like his unrehearsed remarks over the past five days are more representative of his position.

As for your thoughts on Obama, I was struck by your comparing Obama's speech to the great mystics of faith and their thread of God moments. It seems like untimely high praise as something like that is better determined in history.

A question I have had for many democrats is how they have so easily moved from fear of a theocracy to embracing Obama who uses such religious rhetoric and imagery. Is it possible that as long as their theology agrees with the democratic agenda, then it is ok? And yes, I fear the same for the republican side as well.

Thank you for posting your thoughts Bob. It is encouraging to be able to discuss such complex issues openly and with respect.

[Luna]

To be sincere I felt manipulated more than inspired. The setting, the manufactured speech instead of a spontaneous session of "nagging" questions and answers as well as the touching story of little Ashley and recalling the Constitution. Maybe it was just a bit too much.