Opinion
African-American achievement in the age of Barack Obama
U.S. President Barack Obama delivers a speech at a Labor Day event sponsored by the Metro Detroit Central Labor Council September 5, 2011 in Detroit, Michigan. PHOTO/Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
In the age of Barack Obama, nothing seems out of reach. Up from slavery and into the White House, so the narrative goes.
But while we have come a long way, there are still far too many African Americans in prison, unemployed and disconnected from the larger society. For these reasons, the time is always right to think about the overall condition of our people. Even as we celebrate our shining stars, a glimmer of hope must remain for the rest of the race.
We should demanding excellence and see it as a rallying cry.
We must inspire our peers and the next generation to dream big and strive for excellence not so they may be better off than their parents, although they can; not so they may be on equal footing with every other race, although they should, but also because instilling a culture of excellence is beneficial for everyone.
