I Too Sing America Revisited

“To him, as to the man by whom salvation has been wrought unto our people, we are bound both by law and by his merits that our freedom may be still maintained, and by him, come what may, we mean to stand.”
-Declaration of Arbroath, Scotland 1320

Nearly 700 years ago, these words were inscribed on parchment declaring the support of Robert the Bruce and in doing so the independence of Scotland. It was a proclamation to set a country free from the tyranny of those who would subjugate it, oppressing its people to their own ends.

Seven centuries later, and we are again standing on the precipice of decision and behind a man who represents the best of us. A leader, a president, an American in the truest sense of the word. Not because of the color of his skin, but because of the content of his character.

We hold these truths to be self evident, but over the last four years, they have been anything but. From casual dismissal to blatant disrespect and disregard in scenes all too common to those of us who too “sing America”. But each step he has taken proudly, confidently and always on the tightrope of the “Color Line”.

For make no mistake, beneath all the rhetoric, pundits and campaign slogans lies the truth of the race…Race.

If you want to vote for Romney because you like his positions, economic policy or even his hair, By all means, do so. Support the candidate you believe in, but be willing to accept the consequences of your choice.

But if you’re voting for him to be against Obama, because you believe that the economy, unemployment or even Hurricane Sandy is his fault; if you believe that he’s a secret Muslim socialist out to destroy the American way of life, or because Chuck Norris or Rush Limbaugh told you the country would be destroyed if Obama was re-elected, then you have been hoodwinked, bamboozled and led astray. You have been duped by one of the oldest forms of subtle racism that permeates the tapestry of our country. It is interwoven into phrases like “taking our country back”, “restoring America”, and “class warfare”. And because our country cannot as yet, have an honest an open dialogue about the history of racism, Slavery and the impacts today, they are able to deny the very existence of this phenomenon…like some erstwhile Kaiser Soze or Someone Else’s Problem generator…we are scared to admit our failings and culpability, and so it is easier to blame it on fictitious assertions…it’s just not the truth. It’s not your fault if you fell into this, but it is your responsibility, once you are aware, to pull yourself out and refuse to go back in. To cast off the shackles of lies and misinformation used to create fear.

Most importantly, you vote should not be against a candidate but rather for one, one that you believe in wholeheartedly and will never regret. Too many generations fought for the vote, honor it by doing the right thing and voting for who you believe in.

I believe in Barack Obama.

I believe in him because he acts with honor and integrity. I believe in him because he puts the people ahead of his own agenda. I believe in him because I see the same nobility that was embodied in the Bruce, 700 years ago; I see the same courage that charged the field at Bannockburn for freedom.

I see the Warrior Poet.

And just as my Scottish ancestors, cast off the yoke of oppression, and refused to give in and submit to tyranny, so, too, must we cast aside the lies and misinformation and elect the person who is honestly and truthfully the best person for the job.

For “it is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.”

I will fight for my and America’s freedom today by casting my vote for honesty, integrity and truth. I will fight by voting for Barack Obama. Not because he’s the “Black man”, but because he is the "Best man".