Celebrating 25 years of success, the Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) kicks off this week on February 9 in Los Angeles at the Director’s Guild of America located at 7920 Sunset Boulevard. Opening night features a red-carpet film screening of “King of Dancehall”, directed by Nick Cannon whom also stars in the film alongside Whoopi Goldberg, Busta Ryhmes, Lou Gossett, Jr. and Kimberley Patterson.
Opening night will also celebrate the work of famed actress Alfre Woodard with The Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by PAFF Co-Founder Ja’net Dubois.
Dubois founded the PAFF in 1992 along with legendary actor Danny Glover and Ayuko Babu who serves as the Executive Director.
Besides the opening night screening, all movie screenings and panel discussions will take place for two weeks between February 10 and 20 at the Cinemark Baldwin Hills Crenshaw 15 Theatre located within the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, at 3650 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. in Los Angeles. Woodard will share her journey with the PAFF audience in a hosted “Conversation with Alfre Woodard,” held on Sunday February 12 at 3pm at the Cinemark Baldwin Hills Theater.
PAFF 25 will screen 202 films, 124 of which are feature-length. The seventy-eight short films screened will be in consideration for Academy Awards as PAFF has been approved as an Academy qualifying festival. Representing 56 countries on 6 different continents, PAFF will proudly screen the largest selection of Black films ever screened at one event.
Having screened the first films of such prominent Black filmmakers as Gina Prince Bythewood (“Beyond the Lights”), Malcolm D. Lee (“Best Man”), Michael Jennings (“Moonlight”), Ava DuVernay (“Selma” &“13th”) and Academy Award winner Gavin Hood (“Tsotsi”); PAFF has also screened films by Raul Peck (“I Am Not Your Negro”), Oscar nominated Mahamat Saleh Haroun (“Gris Gris”) and many others.
The PAFF 25 Artfest will feature 150 major fine artists and clothes designers and jewelers from all over the world. The Artfest will also be held at the Baldwin Hill Crenshaw Plaza.
The Los Angeles Sentinel caught up with one of the founding members Ayuko Babu who is an international cultural, political and legal consultant specializing in Pan African affairs. Babu shared with the Sentinel in an exclusive interview the context of how and why the festival was birthed in 1992.
“There was a need after the 60’s decline we understood that we’ve gotten Black folks to a level to begin to call themselves Black, stop calling themselves negro, to be African-American,” said Babu. “We realized the next step was to raise people’s consciousness and to connect Black folks from around the world to understand our story.”
Babu’s consciousness was transformed and shaped from 1954 and 55 with Brown vs. Board of Education, Emmett Till and through the war on Vietnam.
He was part of the genesis of Black student unions that created Black studies programs on college campuses around the country. Babu shared that Black student unions played a pivotal role in the late great Muhammad Ali having the opportunity to travel and speak on college campuses when he was stripped of his boxing title, sentenced to five years in jail and forced to pay a ten thousand dollar fine. Ali earned tons of cash for his speaking engagements but it’s important to note that without the support of Black student unions across the country and the critical support of the Nation of Islam who supported Ali financially and physically by guarding Ali during the tumultuous time, we might not have witnessed Ali as being one of the greatest orators in modern history.
“I refused to fight in Vietnam they drafted me ten times,” said Babu. “The whole thing and we all said we were not going to fight. We would go to Africa if necessary. We supported the Vietnamese it wasn’t that I am against the war. The Vietnamese people were correct. It was their land; it was their country. They were right and they were using us to go fight those people and Ali and all of us all said we would not fight.
“We began to realize that this is why we pushed for Black studies,” said Babu. “I was one of the people who helped create Black study centers across the country and Black student unions. I was in SNCC (Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee) and the Black Panther Party and the Black Congress and then I also went to UCLA law school so I was part of that whole experience.
“We knew what was important in this historical moment was a struggle about whose story gets told. Because if you follow the wrong story you follow somebody’s else’s story and they deliberately created that in us to listen to somebody else’s story…and see the frames of us. We knew we needed to hear our story.
“And what that meant was a result of the slave trade and global colonization African people are spread across the planet so a little bit of our story is everywhere. A little bit of it is in Haiti, a little bit of it is in New Orleans, a little bit of it is in Lagos, a little bit of it is in Kenya, a little bit of it is in Papua New Guinea, a little bit of it is in New Zealand and a little bit of it is in Jamaica. We tend to get caught up in our own particular story.
“You can get caught up with, ‘I’m from New York, I’m from L.A., I’m from the Westside. We all get caught up in these little stories but that is just a piece of the story. And if you don’t hear what Lagos is talking about and you don’t hear what New Orleans is talking about than you haven’t heard the whole story and then you can’t integrate the whole story and have a better understanding.”
Babu was part of the great Black migration of folks going north. His parents went to Wyoming where he was raised in Cheyenne and the significant thing about being raised in Cheyenne was there were only 2,000 Black folks in the entire state and 1,000 in the city of Cheyenne which is the capital of the State.
“Raised in that situation we had to go 100 miles to get a Miles (Davis) or James Brown record down to Denver because the radio was all country western,” said Babu. “So we wanted to understand who we were, what we were about and understand ourselves.”
The journey for music gave Babu and his friends a better appreciation for Black culture and Black people because you they to go out and get it.
“One of the things we noticed and I’ve talked to Taj Mahjal about it, Taj Mahjal who was one of the great blues musicians,” said Babu. “Taj was raised in Great Barrington, Massachusetts like [W.E.B] Dubois. A whole bunch of Black folks come out of small towns. So was Langston Hughes, he was from Joplin, Missouri and so was Richard Pryor he was from Peoria, Illinois.
“So you sometimes think of these Black folks being from the big cities, they really came here because this is where Black folks were. So, what happens is you have more of an appreciation. If you are around a bunch of Black folks and the pathology of Black folks and all that confusion…we came here looking and hungry for the culture. And we also appreciated the culture and could distinguish between the culture and the pathology.”
Babu didn’t move to Los Angeles for the sunshine or for the palm trees, he came to L.A. because Black folks were migrating out here and he wanted to go to school. The next step was for him to travel to Africa and go to the Caribbean because he was on continual search for the African story.
Babu attended L.A. City College, graduated from California State Los Angeles and attended UCLA Law School.
“Being at the university what the university did was this, it brought all Black folks from around the world,” said Babu. “You get a chance to talk to Nigerians, you get a chance to talk to Jamaicans, you get a chance to talk to the Cameroonians, the aborigines because they are all there to get some information and some knowledge. And that’s what the whole universal space is about, information and knowledge. So, that informed us and that led us to join the movement.”
In addition to PAFF, Mr. Babu currently serves as a permanent member of the jury of the annual Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. AMAA is the world’s largest Pan African film awards event, covering the continent of Africa and its worldwide Diaspora. In 2016, Mr. Babu was appointed to the California Film Commission.
Currently he is developing formal ties with the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) of South Africa, a government agency whose mission is to develop and promote the South African film industry. He also works with the Africano Film Festival in Milan, Italy, the Zanzibar International Film Festival in Tanzania, where he has served as a member of the jury, and the Rwanda Film Festival in Kigali, Rwanda, where he served as a member of the jury.
In past years, Mr. Babu was a consultant to the late Bishop H.H. Brookins, of the African Methodist Episcopal Church when Bishop Brookins’ district covered southern Africa. He was also a consultant to the late Mr. Dick Griffey, President of the African Development Public Investment Corporation and SOLAR Records. In 1977, he was a consultant to Stevie Wonder and helped facilitate Mr. Wonder’s participation at FESTAC (the 2nd Festival of Pan African Arts and Culture) held in Lagos, Nigeria. At FESTAC, among other activities, Mr. Babu helped coordinate the satellite transmission of Mr. Wonder’s GRAMMY appearance from Lagos.
In 1984, he brought the famed Les Ballets Africains de la Republique de Guinee to the Olympics in Los Angeles. He was Co-Chair of the Program Committee for The Nelson Mandela Reception Committee at the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1990, appointed by Congresswoman Maxine Waters.
He has sat on the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Peer Grant Review Panel and the Los Angeles County Arts Commission Grant Review Panel. He has been a member of the Los Angeles Arts Loan Fund review panel. He is currently a member of the Mayor’s African American Heritage Month Committee for the City of Los Angeles.
“I am part of continuum of Black folks that has been going on since Ancient Egypt to protect our story and tell our story and be part of that.
“My legacy is I was a good soldier. Doing what I was supposed to do and thanks to other people showing me what to do in life because there is a way on how you organize your life to end up working on Black folk’s business. I really didn’t want to work on white folk’s business.
“The legacy of the festival is that we are trying to do our part in this period to pass the story on and help expand because we got to really have our own film industry.”
For the PAFF 25 schedule listing and ticket information visit paff.org.
Congressman Cedric Richmond has been a Congressman in New Orleans for the past 6 years. During his tenure he has experienced some of the best and worst times in the country and has had a front row seat for all of the action. Now the 43 year old congressman has taken on a new challenge as the newly elected chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus one of the most powerful coalitions in the nation.
When asked why he decided to take on this role the congressman explained, “I have always been interested in serving as chair of the Caucus but over the Thanksgiving Holiday I began to contemplate what life was going to look like in the new environment of the Trump Administration and realized that the CBC was going to have to take the lead role in insuring African Americans have a loud and active voice”. The congressman felt he was up to the challenge and in November his colleagues in congress and in the senate voted him as the Chairman of the caucus.
Richmond knows that the next 2 years are going to be crucial and the only way things are going to get accomplished for African Americans and other disenfranchised communities is if the leadership and members of the caucus have strategic thinking, strategic planning and strategic execution.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi asked that all Democrats defer to senior members in crucial leadership roles. Richmond didn’t see this request as a deterrent.
“The CBC has never been an organization led or deferred to by seniority and I believed I was best suited to take on this role,” stated the three term congressional leader and obviously, his colleagues agreed.
As part of Richmond’s leadership he has vowed to support the Black Press and Black Media throughout the country. He has formed an alliance with past NNPA Chairman Danny J. Bakewell, Sr. and NNPA President Ben Chavis to insure that African American media is included and plays and active role in getting the message of what is going on in the national government to the communities that they serve.
He is a supporter of the Black Press and when asked why he feels it is necessary to take on this challenge the congressman had this to say.
“Black Media and particularly the Black Press play and extraordinary role in getting our message out to our communities, print media especially plays an important role because the Black Press is highly regarded within our communities and people have a greater trust on the information that they receive via the Black Press”.
“Now that we no longer have a president (Obama) who can or is willing to call a press conference and get information out to our people we must be strategic in working with the Black Press to get our information and our story to the people,” he added.
Richmond understands the power and role the federal government plays in supporting all media, and he feels that supporting the Black Press is a key tool in insuring that the African American Community is not ignored in this process.
“The Federal Government Is the largest advertiser in the country and for us to ignore, not support or cripple our Black Newspapers would be a travesty. If we don’t advertise in the Black Press we are missing and not taking advantage of a way to communicate to the millions of African Americans throughout the country. We cannot allow the Black Press to go away or be weakened and I am committed to working with Danny Sr and the NNPA to get the Federal Government more active in advertising in Black Newspapers.
Diversity is a word that in today’s political climate is thrown around in almost every government and corporate office, but rarely have we seen African Americans benefit from the roles or discussions about diversity. Chairman Richmond intends to hold everyone accountable to making sure African Americans are part of this diversity discussion. “Just as we discuss and take diversity very seriously within the house in regards to employment we must also lobby for diversity in advertising and take that just as seriously”.
Chairman Richmond is not stopping at the Black Press in moving forward the agenda of the CBC. He recently met with the national leaders of most of the major African American Civil Rights Organizations and they have agreed to meet regularly to organize and function in unison to move forward the Black Agenda. “I have also reached out to the leaders of the major civil rights organizations across the country and we have agreed to meet regularly and work together to sustain the and uphold the things that are important in sustaining a quality of life for African Americans. We have been through tough times before and this is no different”
When asked what is the agenda for his CBC administration the Chairman was not shy about what he intends to fight for and get done over the next two years. He said the goals of his administration are not much different than the agenda that the CBC has been fighting for since its inception.
- Restore the Voting Rights Act
- Create more economic opportunities for African Americans
- Fight for raising the minimum wage – We cannot allow these tax cuts for business to be on the backs of poor people
“We cannot not let this administration strip away the safety net which provides services and support for many of the people residing in our communities,” he said.
Chairman Richmond knows that raising the minimum wage is essential to creating a stronger foundation for families. “We want to work and find ways to preserve the family unit. We must fight for real criminal justice reform so that people are actually given a 2nd chance and have real opportunities for employment so that they can live productive lives and create more stable family environments.”
- We cannot allow for injustice to occur as it relates to the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare). 20/30 million people rely on this program to provide quality healthcare
- Right now we have a number of single parent households lead mainly by women who make 60 cents on the dollar in comparison to a man
- Then we blast the teachers for not providing a quality education to the children. Well how can a child get the support they need at home if the mother is working two jobs. She can’t help him with his homework, she can help him study for exams or make sure that he starts and ends each day with a good healthy meal.
- The income of parents plays a vital role in the well-being and cause and effect of the family unit’s
Congressman Cedric Richmond knows that the CBC will continue to fight for the same things they have been fighting for since its inception in 1971. “Unfortunately, it appears that President Trump does not take these things seriously so we must fight harder and not to allow the progress we have made go backwards and continue to make strides in moving our community forward.”
A native of New York City, Vin Diesel is one of Hollywood’s hottest movie stars. In addition to his huge box-office success, Vin is a prominent producer and filmmaker and has been honored with both a Hands and Footprint Ceremony at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre as well as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
“Furious 7”, which he starred in and produced, grossed more than $1.5 billion in worldwide box-office and is the #1 grossing film in China’s history. In 2013, he starred in and produced the box-office smash hit “Fast & Furious 6”, which grossed almost $800 million worldwide.
He is also set to star in the highly-anticipated “The Fate of the Furious” which will be in theaters on April 14th and in Disney’s “Guardians of the Galaxy 2” which will be released in May. Here, Vin talks about reprising the title role in “xXx: Return of Xander Cage.”
KW: You did sequels to Pitch Black and The Fast and the Furious, but previously declined when it came to the xXx franchise. What made you finally decide to reprise the role of Xander Cage?
VD: The reason I declined in 2002 was sort of a silly reason. The studio had promised me that I was going to be able to direct “Hannibal”, and they wanted me to do xXx 2 before Hannibal. But the script wasn't strong enough for me to do that. It had become something other than xXx. It was more like “Three Days of the Condor” without the fun of xXx. But, in truth, a large part of my decision was based on my feeling that I had been promised that I would be able to direct “Hannibal the Conqueror.” After I produced the fourth Fast and Furious film, and saw the success of that, I was inspired and challenged by the idea of creating these sagas, these franchises. It took about another seven years to get it right. so, it was about 2009 when I made the decision to do it, and it took from that time 'til now to realize it.
KW: Well, it was worth the wait, because it really brings you back to the original xXx in terms of the special f/x and the stunts. I also love how the dialogue is laced with all those double entendres reminiscent of 007.
VD: [Laughs] Totally! It is America’s answer to James Bond, for sure.
KW: It even has a bevy of beauties in Deepika Padukone, Ruby Rose, Nina Dobrev, Hermione Corfeld and more, xXx's equivalent of Bond girls.
VD: I remember when we were in production. there were some articles written saying that this was the best cast ever assembled. It's so eclectic. The women are so strong and formidable and beautiful. They kick ass in their own right. And then it's novel and cool that this is a multi-cultural, global cast from different film markets from all over the world. It marks the start of Hollywood venturing beyond the confines of Hollywood to recruit talent. We now have a global audience. It is no longer the case that we’re just making movies for America. Now, we're making movies for the world. So, why not invite celebrated talent from those respective markets into your global film?
KW: And they all mesh seamlessly, here. I’ve seen my share of movies with international casts where there’s no chemistry.
VD: That’s fair to say, Kam.
KW: But you’ve pulled it off successfully.
VD: Yeah, it’s exciting. Thank you.
KW: Vin, what would you say was your biggest challenge in returning to the role of xXx?
VD: Time! these other studios can get very Mafia. Universal never wanted me to make this movie. They would just love to keep the golden goose at Universal, and just keep turning out their billion-dollar franchise, from my being the brainchild of it, to then going on set and producing and acting in it. So, it really was a matter of time where I had one little window of opportunity at the beginning of 2016 where I could go make the movie. And we just went for it! To be 100% honest, that how Hollywood is nowadays. Most people don't realize that. These studios can be very proprietary.
KW: Really? I had no idea. I thought the studio system ended back in the Forties.
VD: You wouldn’t think it, because Universal would never admit it. I’m not their movie star. I’m their George Lucas. I’m the person creating the saga through many, many pictures. But they’ll never tell you that. They’ll pretend that I’m just coming to the set and driving cars. They’re not going to acknowledge that I’m also the one who’s creating this full, intricate saga, and DMing it over the years. Anybody that’s on the inside would tell you that. Hollywood can get ruthless. I just shared some of the inside scoop, since I’ve known you for a long time. But that’s how Mafia this is.
KW: Thanks. You know who else was great in this movie? Tony Gonzalez, the former NFL star.
VD: Wasn’t he good? He’d never acted before. This was his first feature film. You’re talking about one of the best football players in history, and he walks onto the set and just kills it! Tony Gonzalez was incredible. He enhanced the picture.
He brought something to the table. His work ethic was dope! And when he wasn't filming, you’d find him standing around the set trying to learn everything he could. You could see what a winner he is, and why he was a winner in his field.
KW: I think he was even a star basketball player in college.
VD: He was! When you have that dedication it shows. He did not hold anything back. I’m so proud of what he accomplished.
KW: The rest of the cast was good, too.
VD: I’m proud of all of them. Hey, I’m gonna share this text from my sister [Samantha Vincent] only with you, Kam, since I know you so damn long. She produced this picture, and produces the Fast & Furious franchise. Hold on a second, man... Here it is. She goes: “Seriously, in all my years working with you, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a unified, hard-working cast. It’s literally the most hopeful, open, optimistic, present group of people ever.” That’s from my sister who’s always on the set and producing all these movies. Ain't that hot?
KW: Absolutely! Thanks for the exclusive, Vin. Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: With so many classic films being redone, is there a remake you’d like to star in?
VD: Oh my God! Just hearing you ask that makes me think of a bunch of remakes I’d love to do. It Happened One Night... On the Waterfront’s is one of my all-time favorite films. And there’s something to be said for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. I’d love to put a multi-cultural spin on all those movies.
KW: Ling-Ju Yen asks: What is your earliest childhood memory?
VD: Well, the first movie I remember was a picture called The Thief of Baghdad. It was directed by Michael Powell and starred an Indian actor named Sabu. When I was a kid, we couldn’t afford to got to concerts or Broadway plays. That was way out of our price league. But we could go to the movies. we'd go to 42nd Street, and share a $1.50 bowl of chicken lo mein before going to see a movie. Since we lived in Manhattan, we'd walk home afterwards. And while walking home, my father would always break down the movie we just saw. He started doing this when I was just 5 years-old. that gave me the ability to be a producer. As you know, before I did “Saving Private Ryan”, I directed Multi-Facial and Strays. I would never have gotten Private Ryan if I hadn’t made those movies. And in some ways, I never stopped directing.
KW: The Viola Davis question: What’s the biggest difference between who you are at home as opposed to the person we see on the red carpet?
VD: Wow! That's a great question. When I’m at home, I’m just Daddy. I’m at peace, and not self-aware at all. On the red carpet, I’m a commodity. I realize that, for that moment, I belong to the world, in a way. I try to maintain my truth and my individuality, but I’m mindful that anything I do or say could easily be misconstrued. They’re two very different worlds. I don’t even know if I could articulate just how different they are in one conversation. The person I am at home is so at peace. But even my family knows that once I go out those doors I belong to the world.
KW: I would guess that you have to be even more careful about what you say and protective of your privacy between the 24-hour news cycle and the snarkiness of internet trolls. .
VD: Yeah! Who the hell knew we were going to have to become governors of our fan base, and have to manage so much social media, and decide what you're going to share. A decade ago all this didn’t exist. Now, you'll find Samuel L. Jackson feeding his social media.
KW: I’m glad you brought him back for this sequel.
VD: I had to. Sam was just to important to me and to the franchise. After I signed to headline the first xXx, one of the proudest moments of my life was when I heard he was coming aboard to co-star. I felt such a huge sense of validation. And the pride he took in the project gave me the faith and the confidence to keep going in this industry.
KW: This movie has a number of great twists that it would be unfair for us to spoil.
VD: Yeah, the twists are fun. You can go to the movie and have a blast, but there is also a message after the dust settles.
KW: Lastly, as Samuel L. Jackson asks in the commercial, what’s in your wallet?
VD: I don’t even have my wallet with me. I’m not joking! I’m just one of those kids that’s just all creativity. My mind is just focused on creativity.
KW: Thanks again for the time, Vin, and best of luck with this film .
VD: Always good to talk to you, Kam.
To see a trailer for xXx: Return of Xander Cage, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQEFmHsseaU
Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th and first Black President of the United States has been called many things. He is considered an adept orator, a man of consummate grace and prodigious intellect; the President who made healthcare coverage a reality for millions of Americans, as well as the President that said “the last person Osama bin Laden saw on earth was an American and hopefully, at that moment, he understood that the American people hadn’t forgotten the 3,000 people he killed”. 
He moved an entire nation when he sang Amazing Grace and made us beam with pride as he extolled the beauty of Black love and fatherhood. His comedic timing was flawless; he could roll with the best of them. He is unflappable, cool and steady – a baller, full of swag. He grooves to Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind, & Fire, Beyoncé and Jay-Z.
He was a President free of any personal scandal, a scholar, who demonstrated patience, class, and strength. As we prepare to say goodbye to 44, we are left wondering - where did the time go as we remember his rise and the many, accomplishments of his historic presidency.
President Obama burst onto the national scene in 2004 at the Democratic National Convention. The Democrats had convened at the FleetCenter in Boston, Massachusetts to confirm then Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) as it’s presidential nominee and former Senator John Edwards (D-NC) as its vice-presidential candidate. But it was the democratic senatorial hopeful from Illinois that stole the proverbial show. Think of it as the day America met Obama.
On Tuesday, July 27, 2004, Obama galvanized convention delegates and electrified the nation speaking of hope, encouraging us to embrace “hope in the face of difficulty, hope in the face of uncertainty, the audacity of hope. In the end, that is God’s greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation, a belief in things not seen, a belief that there are better days ahead.” It was the son of a White mother and African father; a Black man by way of Honolulu and Jakarta, Indonesia, who emphatically told us “there is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America; there’s the United States of America. It has been written that his speech, all 2,297 words, that took approximately 17 minutes to deliver, made him a household name.
From that moment, Barack Obama seemed destined to impact the world. A Harvard trained lawyer, Obama, had a history of firsts long before he became the occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. While a law student at Harvard, Obama was elected the first Black president of the Harvard Law Review, its first president of color in its 104-year old history. Speaking of his election, Obama said “The fact that I’ve been elected shows a lot of progress. It’s encouraging. But it’s important that stories like mine aren’t used to say that everything is okay for Blacks. You have to remember that for every one of me, there are hundreds or thousands of Black students with at least equal talent who don’t get a chance.” His considerable skills would lead him back to Chicago where he would marry his girlfriend, a Harvard trained lawyer by the name of Michelle Robinson. It is in Chicago where he put his stakes down and became a community organizer, registering approximately 100,000 new voters in the Black community.
It wasn’t long before politics came calling and Obama was elected to the State Senate in Illinois. After successfully serving two terms, Obama would run for the Congress in 1999. He lost that election by a margin of 2 to 1 but it would be the last political election he would lose. In 2004, Obama was elected to the US Senate, the second Black person to represent the state of Illinois, and the nation’s fifth Black Senator. He soundly beat (receiving 70% of the vote) his Republican opponent, a Black man who questioned his Blackness. Of his mixed heritage, Obama said, “I was raised as an Indonesian child and a Hawaiian child, and as a Black child, and as a White child. I have benefited from a multiplicity of cultures that all fed me.” Acknowledging that the world saw him as a Black man, Obama said, “To be Black was to be the beneficiary of a great inheritance, a special destiny, glorious burdens that only we were strong enough to bear.”
Four years later, Barack Hussein Obama would become the first Black President of the United States, defeating Republican Senator John McCain and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. His victory was propelled by young voters and Blacks who believed that change could happen and the “Yes, We Can,” campaign slogan became the rallying cry for the nation.
Obama’s election made him the first commander-in-chief of color and one of the nation’s youngest presidents. In his 2008 acceptance speech at Grant Park in Chicago, before tens of thousands of Americans, Obama talked about possibilities. “If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.”
Obama said that had never been “more hopeful” than he was on that night and borrowing from one of his idols, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., he promised Americans that “we would get there (putting people back to work, and opening doors of opportunity) as a people.”
Obama’s mother and father did not live to see their son elected to the highest office in the land. His maternal grand-mother who helped to raise him would make her transition one day before the 2008 election.
In 2012, Obama was re-elected to a second-term, defeating Republican nominee and former governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney and his running mate, the current Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan. Obama expanded his demographic reach, continuing to perform strongly among African Americans; taking 69 percent of the Latino vote and wining by double digits among women. Grateful for a second term, Obama said, “We have fought our way back. And we know in our hearts that, for the United States of America, the best is yet to come.”
As President Obama leaves office, many have weighed in on his place in the history of America. What most Americans agree on is this: President Barack Obama and his family have served this nation with grace and eloquence. Their collective dignity is unsurpassed. His accomplishments are too numerous to list for this article but we celebrate his leadership and courage, beginning with Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare).
Under the Obama presidency, 20 million of previously uninsured Americans now have healthcare. 13.7 million new jobs have been added to the economy and this past October, unemployment rates fell to an all-time low of 5 percent. President Obama said it best, “I can say without any equivocation that the country is a lot better off: The economy is stronger, the federal government works better and our standing in the world is higher.”
Because of President Obama, men and women can enter the military without fear of retribution based on their sexual orientation. Because of the work of the Obama administration, same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. Under Obama’s leadership, the auto industry was turned around, saving thousands of jobs at General Motors and Chrysler. He ended the Iraq war, ordering all US military forces out of that country and significantly downsized our presence in Afghanistan. He ordered the capture of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan resulting in bin Laden’s death and the acquisition of a treasure trove of al-Qaeda documents. He regulated big banks with the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act.
Under Obama, the US Embassy in Cuba was re-opened, setting the stage for normalized relations between the two countries and allowing the American flag to be flown there for the first time in 54 years. He created Race to the Top, rewarding states for reforming education. He nominated and placed the first Hispanic and third woman to serve on the US Supreme Court and placed a fourth woman to serve on the court as well. He expanded hate crime protections, and health coverage for children.
President Obama brokered a nuclear peace agreement with Iran. It was President Obama who led global efforts to finalize the International Climate Agreement reducing carbon emissions and increasing carbon trading with other countries.
And did we mention that he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his extraordinary efforts to “strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” He celebrated what is great about America and Americans. In his farewell speech, Obama reminded Americans that we were the change. And because of Americans, “America is a better, stronger place than it was when we started.”
As we say goodbye, we get to celebrate the man whose love for his wife and children were always on display. We cried with him as he thanked his wife, First Lady “Michelle LaVaughn Robinson, girl of the Southside,” for her “grace, and grit,” for excelling in a job that she never asked for. We clapped and cheered as he praised his daughters for being smart and beautiful young women as they navigated the teen years with the eyes of the world upon them.
And when he said it was his honor to serve us, we collectively said, no – we thank you because the pleasure was all ours. He asked us to believe one last time in our ability to bring about change and now we get to say, “see you soon” to our 44th President, a man with whom we “share the same proud title: citizen” of the United States of America.
And because he knew this goodbye would be painful for us, he comforted us with these words one last time, “America is not the project of any one person. Because the single most powerful word in our democracy is the word ‘We.’ ‘We the People, We Shall Overcome.’ ‘Yes, we can.’”