I am writing this blog post quickly before heading to Heathrow airport for my flight to Washington DC for the Your Story coverage of Barack Obama’s inauguration.

To see a full line up of what we are doing please have a look at the Your Story Obama webpage.

To kick things off, here are some guest blog posts which come from the editor in chief and publisher of Hip Hop Republican.com.

richardrivory_187x100Richard Ivory is the publisher who is reported to have said that his heart is with Obama but his brain is with Mccain.

If he defines himself as a lover of hip hop music then there is no one more on a similar wave length than obama – as this video interview of Obama illustrates.

But this is Richard’s blog post for Your Story (these are his own personal views and in no way reflect the views of the BBC)

Unforeseen Occurrences Befall Us All: even a President

 

By Richard Ivory

 

Life is often filled with conundrums and contradictions. Life is filled nevertheless, even more so, with the unexpected. When President George W. Bush won election in 2000, he ran on a campaign of change and reform. He rallied against the wastefulness of big government spending and scolded the previous administration’s “nation building” efforts. Despite all of this, in eight years, President Bush inevitably became a fierce defender of both causes; that is, excessive spending and full scale nation building. I only mention this to say that history has a strange way of playing tricks on new charismatic leaders. Far from changing the direction of a nation, it is they themselves who have been changed by their experiences. A president who inherited an eerily similar situation as today was Franklin Roosevelt who came into office seeking to reform the economic and banking systems only to be defined by the Second World War. And who can forget Richard Nixon’s successes in the area of foreign policy only to be defined years later by a domestic investigation.

 

The truth is, just as other Presidents have sought to bring change to America, the newly elected President will encounter unforeseen events that will challenge him. Managing international demands and national domestic needs will not be dealt with in eight years no matter how skilled President elect Obama may be. The enormous tasks we face as a nation and as a world are tumultuous indeed. They range from Education Reform to the Economic Recovery Plan. It reaches into the delicate policy debate concerning Global Warming and new solutions regarding alternative energy. The unforeseeable task of solving global hot spots like the Israeli and the Palestinian conflict can take a toll on any President no matter how young or how hard he tries.

 

Nevertheless, these are the issues. With that acknowledgement, we must realize that such turbulent matters can unexpectedly change the direction of history; may even define a president. These issues cause many Presidents sleepless nights; but the only productive measures they can truly take are to wait, prepare and respond. I pray that the new President can catch the curve balls that politics will toss him and will respond with the wisdom of Lincoln, the energy of Teddy Roosevelt and the humility of Dwight Eisenhower. As the new President takes the reign of power I say “good luck to the man, God knows he’ll need it.”

Two Warring Souls Reconciled: In the Age of Obama

 

By Richard Ivory

 

At the beginning of the 20th-century the Black Sociologist, W.E.B. Du Bois in his classic work The Souls of Black Folk sought to summarize the state of affairs for people of color at the time. He captured the dual reality of the tainted loyalty and rage which many blacks felt towards a nation that embodied the land of dreams, but which treated them as less than human. Du bois wrote “One feels his twoness,—an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder”. As I wait in anticipation for this historic inauguration, I strongly believe Barack Obama’s ascendency to America’s highest office reconciles these two warring souls. In so many ways Barack Obama has shown black children in America and the world that never again will race pose as an obstacle to political ambition.

 

However, as a black Republican I do feel torn between my own political party and the historic nature of this election in seeing “Barack Obama do” what “Barack Obama has done”. I, like so many other black Republicans believe strongly in our beliefs of smaller, non-intrusive government and individual choice and liberty. Nevertheless, we would not be telling the truth were we to deny a sense of envy and shame that the “Party of Lincoln” did not bring forth the nation’s first Black President. Despite my emotions and ideological differences with the new President, I am extremely proud of him; but even more so, I am proud, proud to be an American.

 

The second guest blog post comes from Tiffany Shorter – editor at Hip Hop Republican.tiffany

These are her personal views and do not reflectthe views of the BBC

A Black Republican view on Obama as a World Example

Tiffany Shorter

 

Even as a black Republican, it is not surprising to find that many black Americans from both sides of the political spectrum are excited about January 20, 2009. On this day Barack Obama becomes the 44th president, the first black president, and the first American president whose father is of direct African ancestry. I may view the President-elect, as a likable politician whose strategies I disagree with, but people around the world see Obama as an inspiration because of his achievements despite his skin color.

As an American who has lived aboard, it is astonishing to find that Obama’s African heritage has become a source of personal victory for other minority groups abroad.

 

While many black Americans are confident that this nation has become a place of equality, black minority groups in Latin America and Europe are hoping that change will come to their communities. Race relations in other parts of the world unfortunately do not mirror American beliefs and practices of tolerance and empowerment. This is not to say that U.S. race relations are perfect with our wide salary and education disparities between blacks and whites; however, in the last ten years African Americans are successfully moving into higher political positions with greater authority. Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and David Patterson are some of the few black politicians that have broken the color barrier. Since November 4th, when Obama won the election, I have read British , French and Brazilian publications that question if their countries can too produce a black head of state. Race relations in America and the rest of the world greatly differs as racial politics fails to be on the political agenda abroad- at least until now. In Brazil, there are seven black political candidates claiming that they are the “Barack Obama” of their towns. I am sure that on January 20, all Americans and the global community will cheer for this historical moment, but after the celebrations are over I hope that blacks abroad will be encouraged to political action so they may accomplish the milestone we have reached. Meanwhile I am grateful to live in a country where I can have a sense of pride in my future president and disagree with him at the same time without fearing that I am pushing back race relations to the time of segregation.

 

 

 

Michelle Obama Black Family Role Model

Tiffany Shorter

 

 

I look forward to Michelle Obama becoming the new First Lady in only a few days because she and her family represents not only the ideal American family, but also the ideal black American family. Historically, African American families have been weaken due to slavery making it possible for families members to be sold separately to different plantations. Although slavery and segregation has ended, the African American community continues to struggle with building strong families ties. Over 40% of black men and women have never married and about 70 percent of children are born out of wedlock. Many black Republicans want to promote family values in Washington regardless that 2009 will bring a Democrat administration. Black Republicans and the black community at large can benefit from the constant example of Michelle Obama who has successful balanced the demands of politics with the needs of her husband and children. She can be the image that young black girls can aspire to other than becoming a teenage mom, which is a sad reality in our community. Although there are many successful black women such as Oprah Winfrey, Condoleezza Rice, Serena Williams and Mellody Hobson, none of them are married nor have children. Michelle Obama, regardless of partisanship, will be an exciting and motivating role model for black women and girls seeking to have stronger families.