The 44th presidential inauguration undoubtedly saw more excitement and enthusiasm than the last inauguration. Many claim that history has been made in a variety of ways. But is history in the making because we have elected our first black president, or because we have elected a president with progressive campaign promises?
The media coverage for Obama’s inauguration showed clip after clip of rejoicing Americans. What I saw was a predominance of blacks in these clips, despite the fact that everyone noted how the crowd was the most racially diverse in history.
We all know the inauguration took place the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is coincidental with the election of our first black president. Ironically, the spirit of the crowd portrayed by the media seemed to be rejoicing the supposedly solved racial issue seen many decades ago even though Obama barely mentioned race in his inauguration speech.
Our new president has brought a new sense of political spirit to the nation, especially among minorities. He stands as a beacon of racial progress and hope that racial inequities will be demolished. Though his campaign rarely mentioned his race or racial progress specifically, many citizens have come to think Obama’s election will resolve the racial injustices of the nation. People have constructed these high expectations for this “hope,” not Obama; one man can do very little to solve this deep-rooted problem.
Obama ran a campaign beyond race. The only time where race was mentioned was in his speech, “We the People,” in response to the controversial racial remarks made by Obama’s former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright. His remarks were “racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems ““ two wars, a terrorist threat, a failing economy, a chronic health care crisis and potentially devastating climate change; problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian, but rather problems that confront us all,” Obama said.
Obama’s message of unity was clear in this speech: Regardless of racial diversity in the nation, everyone must come together to solve the greater problems that are much more prevalent than racial difference.
On the day of Obama’s inauguration, I attended my interracial dynamics lecture, where one of the main topics was race and the election. My professor talked about how this election was progressive in many ways. The first potential female president and first potential black president ran in the Democratic primary. Despite both candidates’ powerful campaign promises, there are individuals who were strongly drawn to either candidate because they identified with Clinton’s gender or with Obama’s status as a minority. A sense of connection was established with minorities, which was crucial for their vote.
The next day was my discussion for this class. Many important questions were raised regarding to this election, one of which included “Would the election have turned out differently if Obama was not black?”
Paige Madison, a first-year political science student, was one of the people who shared their opinions in class.
“I voted for Obama because he is black. However, the fact that he is black was not an external factor, but an internal factor in my electoral choice,” she said. “Psychologically, I can identify with Obama. I also was raised in a single-parent home and endured similar struggles as a middle-class citizen.”
Though Obama’s race was not the only factor playing into Madison’s vote, it still played a big role in her choice for president. Unlike Madison, not everyone in this nation is politically informed, so many are inclined to cast their vote for the person they can identify with most. Another girl in my discussion mentioned how her parents, who are Mexican immigrants, do not speak English but became involved in the election for the first time because they identified with Obama as a minority. Thus, racial identity has in fact played a huge role in this election.
That said, despite people’s voting methods, citizens should not expect Obama to magically solve racial inequities in his four-year term. It is true that a lot can change in four years, but one person should not be expected to perform miracles just because he is a racial minority and holds that symbolic status. Until we see real change in race relations in America, the American people should not invest too much hope in Obama as a miracle worker for these inequities.
E-mail Ghoogassian at cghoogassian@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.