Magic is in the air

| 5:17 pm EDT August 22, 2024
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“Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those ‘Black jobs’?” Elegant as ever, Michelle Obama took the stage immediately before her husband, and she did such a fantastic job that Barack Obama said he hated to speak after her. I would have too. She very calmly and gracefully stuck it to Donald Trump numerous times. As Michelle said during her speech, there seems to be some type of magic in the air. You can feel that something magical is indeed happening. Neither Michelle nor Barack Obama pulled any punches, adding to the event in a way we’ve never seen them. One of the things Michelle Obama said reminds us of one of the many reasons Donald Trump should not lead our melting pot of a country: “For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to make people fear us. His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly educated, successful people who also happened to be Black.”

Therein lies the root of Trump’s (and his followers) unfounded fears of people who don’t look like them. They want Black folks to “stay in their place” which is beneath them, but nothing could be further from the truth. Part of what makes America so great (without Trump’s help) is that we all can study hard, work hard, and make something of ourselves, and race is not and should not be a barrier. All the mean, spiteful, unnecessary things said about the Obamas while President Obama was in office result from nothing more than racism and, perhaps, a little jealousy. Even though people of color find this behavior hurtful, the way in which Michelle Obama laid it out gave us a moment of healing and the chance to reflect that we belong in this country as much as anyone else. Actor Wendell Pierce reminded us of the bad old days as well.

Pierce said: “There’s blood on that ballot box. Remember those who died in the rivers of Alabama and Mississippi. For them, do the honor and vote.” He went on to say that Black men should not be fearful of Kamala Harris’s rise to the top. “Any Black man that has an issue with a Black woman rising, they have to look at their own inadequacy. What would make you so fearful of someone who was so beloved of you, who was so loving to you, like your mother and your grandmother and your aunts and your sisters, that you cannot be proud and embolden yourself when you see someone from your community rise up?” His words, along with those of Michelle and Barack Obama added to the magic of the night, magic that no one can take away.

Donald Trump can continue to rely on donations from his billionaire friends. They can’t help him. Georgia MAGA electors can keep trying to make it harder for us to vote, and MAGA cronies like Matt Walsh can keep sneaking into the convention. None of this is going to help them. We have the magic, and nothing can stop that. Keep looking to the future; that’s where we are headed.