As the build up to the election approached, I could not help but think of how men like D.W. Griffith (“Birth of a Nation”) must be turning in their graves at what is taking place in their beloved country, while the restless souls of the thousands of nameless people who lost their lives during the middle passage to this country in cargo ships, discarded overboard like trash, those souls of individuals who did nothing wrong except be born with the wrong skin color and were hung from trees; or the internal and external wounds inflicted on the freedom riders, how they must have danced and shouted at this monumental occurrence.

In between answering the barrage of text messages I received from my athletes, friends, and family, my feelings were put on ice. I wish there was something in me that could produce tears of gladness, but alas there were none. There was just this sense of surreal numbness and a discreet pessimistic eye watching the TV screen as the poll numbers kept streaming by. I was anticipating something or someone to come in and pull the plug on the entire festive moment. Any moment someone was going to come on the air and say “wait a minute we have a recall,” or “large numbers of voter fraud have been discovered,” the next president elect is not Barack Obama but John McCain.

As a black man in my forties, I grew up hearing and thinking there will never be a black person as president of the United States in this lifetime, and until recently that statement was true. Outside of the fictitious characters in television and movies, even then I had a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea that an African-American president was something that could actually happen, so what changed? I’ll tell you; the young people of this generation changed, they said enough is enough, they asked the question that many of us never did: “If not my generation then when?”

They answered the bell. They helped to propel Obama over the top. Given his credentials, if he were a white male, this race would not have been a race at all. But a large segment of the population could not get past his race. Leave it to the youth to show us the way. This generation for all of its criticism stepped up and got to work. “Yes we can” was not just a catchy slogan on a button or t-shirt, it was a blue print of how to roll up your sleeves and integrate the small parts into the larger sum.

They didn’t want to listen to another sermon, speech or lecture about the pie in the sky fallacy of how one day this country will rise up and come together or how they should be change agents. They made it happen now. While I’m at it, lets give a loud round of applause to the women of this country who refused to have the Republicans insult their intelligence, by simply placing any woman on the ticket.

As a coach, I know there is always a defining moment for any team during the season. The point in the season that reveals the true character of the individuals in the room and determines if we’ll accomplish our goals by sticking together or just play the string out, looking forward to the end. For the country, that defining moment will forever be marked as November 4, 2008. Barack’s transition to the white house will be met with great challenges. There will continue to be fears for his safety and skepticism that you can be sure, but this country has finally come to the realization that there is nothing inferior about black leadership, and the sports world with the success of the black athlete set the tone for this truth. The recent accomplishments of men like Tony Dungy, and Doc Rivers, showed us all that if given a fair opportunity and the resources needed we can get the job done, and the same will hold true for President Obama.

Tony Price is a collegiate athletics administrator and head basketball coach with over 20 years experience as an athlete and instructor. His unique perspective on sports and society are also featured on his blog, “The Darker Shade of Sports,” www.darkershadeofsports.com.

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I’m not going to stop watching nor do I want everyone who engaged in the political process for the first time to become apathetic. What I need, what we all need is balance. The world is upside down when I only check the scores on football Sunday’s because every TV and picture in picture was tuned into live news or a political talk show. When I have no clue how being replaced by Brady Quinn has effected Derek Anderson, because I’m watching Anderson Cooper, I need a life adjustment.

I’m watching a lot of TiVo. I have so much catching up to do. I can begin by deleting “Lipstick Jungle” and “My Own Worst Enemy.” Both have been cancelled. It’s a shame for “Jungle” because it had a great cast and a very solid first season. This season it seemed as unfocused, cluttered and erratic as John McCain. (Sorry, that was my last cheap shot) My guess is canceling the show was a close call. Given the talent in front and behind the camera, I’m sure there was an argument to let them find their way out of the slump. That’s why the show got moved to Fridays. However, because of all the talent, I’m also sure it was expensive to produce. In a slumping economy, high costs and low ratings are mating calls for the hook. I must confess, “Enemy” didn’t seem that appealing to me and I didn’t get a chance to see it. Now that it’s been cancelled I just deleted it. I feel bad that I didn’t watch it, but I would feel worse if I did and liked it.

I was hooked on the NBC show, “The Black Donnelly’s”. It got the ax in midseason and just left me hanging. They didn’t even put the finished episodes on the internet. It got good reviews, but didn’t get ratings. I was surprised a cable channel didn’t pick it up, because it was that good. No need to risk that with “Enemy.” Bottom line, NEXT!

“Fringe” is good, but not great. Through the first three episodes I’m undecided on this one. I liked “The Mentalist” but I’ve only seen one so far. It’s different, quirky and funny. I’ll get caught up and have a verdict on this one by next week.

I’m watching more and more of “The National Geographic Channel” and “The History Channel” for two reasons. One, there is such a wide variety of subjects on each channel. One minute I’m watching repairs to power lines and the next I’m watching the “History of the Joke” hosted by Lewis Black. I have Tivo’d documentaries on civil rights, an Afghan girl and crocodiles. The series “Underground Cities” is really interesting. I find myself watching things I would never have thought I’d find interesting and then I can’t stop watching. I always learn something new.

The second reason is HDTV. If you don’t have digital television, keep in mind the transfer to all digital broadcasts is coming in a little over three months from now, February 17, 2009. For those who do have HDTV, the pictures on “The National Geographic Channel HD” are simply stunning. Picture quality from analog to digital is clear. Picture quality between HD channels is more subtle. It may just be my cable provider and I’m a bit of a “tech head.” But there’s only one word I need to describe what I see on NGTV…wow!

It’s a shame all the new technology is so expensive. Going to buy a television is like buying a new car. They have finance departments, extended warranties, options and “closers!” Once you get over the sticker shock and stop cursing, the product itself is amazing and worth the investment.

Let me get my remote!

Darryl Bell is an actor and Chicago native, best known for his role in classic TV series “A Different World” and Spike Lee’s “School Daze.” His unique television commentary is exclusive to Urban Thought Collective.

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Lincoln once said, “Victory has many fathers.” Had he not been so justifiably fixated on the slavery issue, I’m sure he would’ve been concerned with equal rights for women and would’ve added “and mothers.” The following is my shout out to the 10 men and women (not counting the man himself) that just helped to make the world a better place.

1 ) Michelle Obama – She is the reason for the season as it were. She put the “we” in “Yes, we can.” I’ve confessed this before, but it bears repeating. If I had been married to Barack and he’d stepped to me talking about he wanted to run for president, I’d have knocked the black off that fool and we’d be a sorrier country for it.

2 ) George W. Bush – His incompetence is what made this all possible. His audacity of arrogance led us into two unjustifiable wars, mounting national debt, Guantanamo Bay, water boarding, “Mission Accomplished,” Katrina, Katrina, Katrina. His screw ups were so big, so reprehensible that even the most racist, ignorant slug could admit that NO ONE could do worse, even a nig…I mean colo…I mean neg, I mean, whatever the hell those people are calling themselves these days (you know damn well, that’s how the conversation went down in certain white folks homes).

3 ) David, David, and to a lesser extent David – All three are blessed with the audacity of vision. David Plouffe, Obama’s campaign manager got us Iowa and thus the primaries. David Axelrod, Obama’s chief strategist got us Ohio and thus the general election. It was Plouffe who realized if Hillary didn’t go down early, she wasn’t going down at all. It was Axelrod who put together a political team for the ages, one that never panicked or bickered, or wavered on its message. And finally, it was David Geffen who shortly after hearing Obama speak at the 2004 DNC, called him up and not only suggested he run for president but pledged his support. He was the first of the Hollywood elite to side against the Clinton machine opening the door for others and their fists full of dollars to follow.

4 ) John McCain – I hate to kick a man when he’s down, but come on! The guy had no plan, no vision, no clue. Maybe he can’t tell one va jay jay from another, but the rest of us can. Maybe he doesn’t know when the economy is anything but strong but the rest of us do. His audacity of ignorance is only matched by his audacity of disrespect.

5 ) Sarah Palin- Ever heard a cancer survivor say they are grateful for the disease because it was the wakeup call they needed? You betcha! Palin’s ineptitude, her utter contempt for anyone outside her comfort zone, her inability to string two coherent sentences together went a long way in forcing America to see that a smart black dude who may or may not be a Muslim, a socialist, an uppity elitist snob trumps a dumb white broad who may or may not be the dumbest, whitest broad ever, every time.

6 ) Oprah – She came out early and she came out strong, going on the road during the primaries when her presence was most needed, most effective, and most costly to her. A large portion of her fan base backed the broad in the pantsuits and their white suburban audacity of entitlement propelled many of them to declare that Oprah owed THEM and not the junior senator from the state she calls home. The uproar continued with Palin’s nomination, her white working class viewers and their audacity of entitlement called for a boycott when Oprah opted not to put the woman who it turns out wasn’t granting interviews anyway on her show. But the black woman with the funny name stood steadfast and firm, ignored the misplaced belly aching and is credited with helping to deliver one million votes to the black man with the funny sounding name.

7 ) The men and women of Iowa – They got this party started. The Hawkeye state with its 91% white population, home of Herbert Hoover, John Wayne, Johnny Carson, three of the whitest dudes to ever live, saw past the black skin, the unusual upbringing, the persnickety appetite and voted with their conscious. They had the audacity to believe the rest of America would wise up and follow.

8 ) The ladies and gentleman of Ohio – They delivered the knock out punch. No Republican has ever won the White House without winning Ohio and this election was no different. So thanks to the Buckeye State, home of Oberlin College, our nation’s first interracial and co-educational institution. Ohio was the first to enact laws protecting working women in 1852 and to elect a black public official in 1854. Seven U.S. presidents hail from here, not to mention, Halle Berry, LeBron James, Steven Speilberg, Neil Armstrong, Toni Morrison, Gloria Steinem, Jesse Owens, Branch Ricky, Ruby Dee, Paul Newman, Kathleen Battle, Erma Bombeck and Paul Laurence Dunbar.

9 ) Colin Powell – His support came late, yet right on time. Any earlier and Limbaugh might’ve actually got some people to ride on his “Powell is only endorsing him because he’s black” train. Powell got burned before, speaking out too soon, so this time he waited til all the facts were in; until after the economy collapsed, after Palin’s disastrous Katie Couric interview, after Obama proved more than presidential in all three debates. No one has quantified how many votes Powell’s endorsement brought to the table, but I know one for sure he delivered. My dad. It’s been a long held family secret that my dad is a Republican (one of the fiscally conservative, but socially liberal kind, but a Republican nonetheless), but on Tuesday, he followed Powell’s lead and put his country first and embraced change.

10 ) God – One could argue that he should be number one but since he is both the alpha and omega it shouldn’t really matter. Every speech that every candidate has made throughout this election process ended with sometimes a perfunctory, sometimes a heartfelt, “God Bless America,” and you know what, He did.

Tamara T. Gregory is a writer/producer/traveler. Happily single (yes, there really is such a thing), she is an expert on the dating game. Her debut novel, Passport Diaries, is an LA Times bestseller and is soon to become a Hollywood motion picture. The book is available at www.passportdiaries.com. Gregory’s X…WHY blog is exclusive to Urban Thought Collective.

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November 4th, 2008 at 8 pm Eastern Standard Time Sen. Barack Obama took the lead in the Electoral College and never looked back. With a “righteous wind at his back” Sen. Obama won The Presidency of the United States in a landslide victory and made history. There were tears and cheers!

WE DID IT! Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, men, women, young and old. In other words, AMERICA DID IT!

I was born in Chicago. My sister, niece and nephew were in Grant Park and saw President Elect Obama live. My nephew kept ocalling me on his cell phone for updates on the status of swing states, as I watched on television and the internet. He’s 16 years old. When I was 16, there was no internet, or cell phones and cable television was in its infancy. My 89 year old Grandmother cast her ballot this morning and told me about the first time she voted for President. It was for our 32nd President, Franklin D. Roosevelt. Then she told me her mother, my Great Grandmother, didn’t vote for the first time until we moved her from Fort Smith Arkansas to Chicago, when she was in her 90’s. During the early 1900’s in Fort Smith Arkansas, my Great Grandparents were subjected to a pole tax they couldn’t afford, and were precluded from voting. My Great Grandmother, who was 100 when she passed away, told me many stories. She never told me that. I cried while I screamed at the television because the sacrifices made by our ancestors made this day possible.

This isn’t the end. This is an opportunity for America to continue to become a more perfect union.

That’s why I need somebody to stop me. Stop me from celebrating too much. Stop me from using a victory so sweeping in its mandate to bludgeon those who opposed it. I don’t mean fair minded people with whom I simply disagree. There are lots of Republicans I can find common ground with on most issues. I’m talking about “the base”, also known as the lowest common denominator. The ones who were shouting “kill him”. The ones who knew Sen. Obama was a Christian and sent e-mails saying he was a Muslim and suggested all Muslims are terrorists. The ones who tried to say “the Bradley effect” was real. The ones who said he lost Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida in the primary, he couldn’t win the general election. The ones who kept saying Hilary voters wouldn’t vote for him. The ones who ran television ads in the final days with the “Change We Can Believe In” slogan altered to say “Hate We Can Believe in” and “Rage We Can Believe In” using Rev. Wright clips. The ones who kept saying he was close to Bill Ayers. The ones who called him a socialist and didn’t even know what it truly means to be a socialist. I want to gloat on all of “them” and all of their other low down, hateful, dishonest tactics.

I want to stand up on my high horse and tell them we have turned the page on “their” America. It’s ours now! You want to see what America really looks like? It was on display in Grant Park and Times Square. We have become a true melting pot that’s getting younger and smarter.

But I can’t.

If we want to change the world it can’t be just a slogan. It must be the new era of civility and cooperation. It must be The United States of America.

I was stopped by President Elect Barack Obama!!

WE DID IT!!

Let me get my remote!

Darryl Bell is an actor and Chicago native, best known for his role in classic TV series “A Different World” and Spike Lee’s “School Daze.” His unique television commentary is exclusive to Urban Thought Collective.

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We’re actually here.

It actually happened. In our lifetime!

I don’t have a whole lot to say right now. The historic nature of Barack Obama being elected President of the United States is simply too big, and my thoughts and emotions are too overwhelming, for me to try to sum up this mighty moment. So, I’m going to call on someone more articulate than myself. 109 years ago James Weldon Johnson put pen to paper and expressed the depth and breadth of our collective experience — our joy, our pain, our faith, our perseverance. Those words, written in 1899, and introduced to the world by former slaves at a celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday in 1900, articulate perfectly the magnitude of the moment on which we stand today.

Lift ev’ry voice and sing,
‘Til earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the list’ning skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.

Yes! Let us sing and shout in a celebration that literally moves heaven and Earth on this unprecedented day! And as we celebrate, let us draw power from the pain of our past and inspiration from the present. Let us re-consecrate ourselves to the struggle for justice and equality.

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on ’til victory is won.

We must march on! For today represents not an ending but a new beginning, a continuation of our journey. So, as we begin and continue, let us keep close in our hearts and clear in our minds the memory of those who came before us. Those who suffered and sacrificed so much in order that we, their children, might inherit a better world. They endured the horror of the middle passage, the dehumanizing nightmare of slavery, the degradation of and Jim Crow, the barbarity of lynching and immeasurable humiliation, denial, exclusion, oppression and deprivation. Yet, as a people, they never gave up. They pressed on, for our sake if not their own.

Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the chastening rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?

To the millions who died in the unspeakable horror of the middle passage. To our ancestral mothers, sisters and daughters degraded by the vile lust of slave masters and thugs. To our fathers, brothers and sons who were lynched by the thousands. To those who were murdered because they demanded freedom and human dignity.

Listen! Can you hear them? Countless voices, silenced on Earth, yet thundering across eternity and crying out in unison the words Dr. King spoke on the night before he died: “I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the Promised Land

We have come over a way that with tears has been watered,
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
‘Til now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.

The last verse of “Life Ev’ry Voice and Sing” is a challenge to us, the present generation. Formatted as a prayer, these closing lines remind us that faith in a higher power strengthened us, comforted us, unified us and got us over. God, whatever you perceive God to be, has always wanted our people to overcome and as each generation inherited the fruits of our forebears’ sacrifice, God reminds us that it is our duty to build upon the freedom and opportunities that they secured for us.

God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who has by Thy might
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.

We must remember where we came from and work together to make life better for all of our people. We cannot allow class divisions or individual interests to turn us away from one another. We cannot allow new access to material wealth to make us forget those of our brethren who are struggling in the underclass. Nor can we allow the pursuit of pleasure to distract us from education, critical thinking, self-discipline and hard work. We must not give in to the world’s socially, culturally and spiritually-destructive belief that life is about money, cars, clothes, bling and social status.

Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,
Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;
Shadowed beneath Thy hand,
May we forever stand,
True to our God,
True to our native land.

So, let’s celebrate today! Lift EVERY voice and sing! And tomorrow, let’s harness all of our newly kindled optimism and energy to continue the work that was begun so long ago by those on whose shoulders we stand.

Thanks for listening. I’m Cameron Turner and that’s my two cents.

THINK! IT AIN’T ILLEGAL…YET!

Cameron Turner is a Los Angeles-area native whose editorials, entertainment news features and audio documentaries have appeared on national radio networks, online and in print for over 20 years.

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According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, thirty-five percent of eligible voters in the state of Georgia have voted early as of November 1 – THIRTY FIVE PERCENT. This is a staggering statistic as a largely African-American state with a history of lukewarm voter turnout faced early voting lines lasting up to five hours and beyond just to exercise one of our American civic duties. Yet brave these lines Georgians did, lest they face the communal policing of its own; I haven’t seen such peer pressure to do the right thing since the days of the “ABC Afterschool Special.”

Sure, the drive to vote in the black community has been spurred on by the first of what I hope are a series of once-in-my-lifetime presidential candidates like the biracial Barack Obama. Whether he wins or loses the race for the White House – and according to every relevant poll, projection, and spiritual affirmation on record, he WILL win – Senator Obama’s (gasp!) “community organizing” has birthed a generation of new and first-time voters that truly believe that every vote counts. It’s gotten so bad that my friends deride me for having voted California absentee ballot: “Barack’s got Cali on lock! They need your vote HERE!” Umm, given the court-challenged systematic voter roll purges, tens of thousands of discarded new voter registrations, and other nefarious election shenanigans around here, I think I’m good.

Still, such an outward, community and region-wide investment in representative democracy and the American electoral system is indicative of a mood normally associated with those newly democratic Third World countries or the ’60s. To paraphrase our Future First Lady, for the first time in our lives, we feel truly proud to be Americans. And it only took the possibility of a President who looks like us – fancy that.

Man at the post office: “I’d like a book of stamps. And have you voted?”

Woman sits at a bar: “I’d like a rum and coke. Oh – have you voted?”

Homeless man on the corner of Ashby & Abernathy: “Could you spare a little change. Have you voted yet???”

By the time you read this, it will be Election Day
I don’t care if you’re voting for Crankpa and the MILF who can see Russia from her deck chair or the guy who can’t bowl and Scranton’s finest. I have only one question for you…

Nice! Good answer.

UTC’s resident film critic Edwardo Jackson is the author of the novels EVER AFTER and NEVA HAFTA, (Villard/Random House), a writer for The 213 Magazine, and an LA-based screenwriter. Visit his website at www.edwardojackson.com where his new novel I DO? is available NOW.

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A Barack Obama victory will perhaps signal that those inalienable rights scripted into the Constitution weren’t just meaningless words. It could mean that these States will finally become United, that hope is more than a campaign catch phrase and that character trumps color—especially in the midst of a failing economy.

On Nov. 5 we’ll hold those truths to be self-evident if America becomes a country that all of us with red blood, yellow urine and ivory teeth can be proud of.

A John McCain victory, however, might just be a precursor to something far less idyllic. A very dear friend of mine said recently that she was concerned about the outcome of the Obama-McCain race because Republicans tend to fight dirty. “They will eat their young,” she said.

I hate to generalize, but figuratively we have seen some evidence of that.

In the last few weeks McCain, driven by fear and loathing, has been hurling rapid fire dirt balls that have fallen way short of the plate.

Jeremiah Wright. Wasn’t exactly wrong.

Aunt Zeituni. One among millions of illegal aliens.

Obama is a socialist. That didn’t really connect because many Americans think socialist and socialite are the same thing.

Obama is an elitist. So, he should be ashamed of his Ivy League degrees and his command of the language?

Obama is a cocky. Don’t hate a brother because he looks good in his suits!

Obama doesn’t have enough experience. Hmm, has there been one U.S. President who has had prior experience being a U.S. President? Seems to me the key is to just surround yourself with smart people, host a few state dinners so you can get chummy with the international set and every January you interrupt regular programming to tell folks that all is swell—or not.

Desperate men—particularly those with entitlement issues—tend to do desperate things in the ninth inning when they’re swinging at a 0-2 pitch with two outs and the bases empty.

Throughout it all Obama has taken the high road and that’s one of the reasons why I voted for him. He’s smart. A lesser man would have swung at a bad pitch and become Barry Bonds; an angry black man whose stellar achievements are now barely acknowledged. By holding back, Obama—win or lose—has secured his place in history.

He is the Man regardless of what happens on Tuesday. He ran the good race.

Conversely, McCain will be remembered as a man who made a plethora of wrong moves long before he ran for President. Swapping one injured Barbie for a newer model with more flexible parts and a bigger bank account speaks volumes about his true character.

That’s why I would never vote for him.

And then there was the whole Sarah Palin debacle. Even if he really believed that the moose-killing hockey mom was ready, it was still a bonehead move. It was an indication that McCain, a man that graduated near the bottom of his Naval Academy class, truly underestimates the intelligence of a nation he wants to lead. Americans have suffered through eight years of gimmicks.

Enough already.

Yet, it can’t be easy to go down in history as the first white man to lose a presidential election to the first black man to occupy the White House. And at 72, it’s unlikely that McCain will get another shot.

I feel his pain.

But it’s time for change.

In previous elections the winning candidate has usually been the lesser of two evils—depending upon which party you support. I don’t think that’s the case this time. As someone who has been around long enough to have played tag with the sons and daughters of Jim Crow, I truly believe that Obama is the Chosen One. His steps have been divinely ordered to lead us from Hell to Hallelujah.

Let’s pray that he can.

But don’t get it twisted. Obama, as cool and eloquent as he is isn’t the Second Coming. At this point in time the “untested” freshman senator from Illinois simply represents our second chance to get it right.

I think he’s got this.

And I think that what we all need to grasp is that this campaign, despite all the nasty and negative elements, has exposed the truth about who we are and where we are as a nation. And that’s a good thing because truth is light. Sadly we are racist and ignorant, intolerant and fearful. Thankfully we are also smart and discerning, complex and kind.

We are Americans who are on the dawn of a new beginning.

Get ready.

Miki Turner is an award-winning journalist and producer. Her writings have been featured in Essence, Ebony, Upscale and MSNBC.com. Her periodic dispatches from the world of entertainment, politics and society can be read here at www.urbanthoughtcollective.com.

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I was six years old on July 20, 1969 when the Apollo 11 astronauts became the first human beings to walk on the Moon. To this day I feel honored to have been able to witness that historic and very exciting event. Now, as our nation stands on the brink of an equally monumental moment – the probable election of the first black President of the United States – I find myself reflecting on the spirit of that first

When Neil Armstrong planted the first terrestrial footprint on the lunar surface, he declared it to be “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” That theme of universal brotherhood was reinforced by the inscription on a plaque the astronauts left on the moon: “We came in peace for all mankind.”

Barack Obama’s message of peace, hope and unity has inspired people of every race, gender, ethnicity and socio-economic group across the U.S. and around the world. Unlike Republican candidates John McCain and Sarah Palin, who seem to think that only white folks from small towns are “real Americans,” Barack Obama knows that this great nation to belongs to all of us and that diversity – of races, cultures, beliefs and ideas — is key to our greatness.

Obama’s election will be a “giant leap for mankind” because it will mean that a majority of Americans want to make a dramatic turn away the racial prejudice which has defined our nation and fostered oppression and division since the time of the 13 colonies. Of course, racism won’t vanish after election day, but an Obama victory will signal an unprecedented shift in the right direction.

Barack Obama is a man of the people. All of the people. That is why he is the right man for this moment in history. He comes in peace for all humankind.

BLAME McCAIN

John McCain has no connection to the evil-hearted neo-Nazis who were just busted by the ATF for plotting to murder Barack Obama and about a hundred other black people. But McCain does have a connection to the racial hatred that’s been directed at Obama throughout this campaign and which has intensified in recent weeks.

John McCain has no problem talking tough about Middle East terrorists, Washington liberals or Vladimir Putin. But he has been a milquetoast with supporters at his rallies who’ve repeatedly called Sen. Obama a “terrorist” and shouted “kill him.” Sure, McCain took the microphone out of that lady’s hand when she said Obama scares her because “he’s an Arab.” But he’s never really denounced the irrational, racist attitude that underpins the beliefs of people like her.

McCain didn’t blast the New Yorker magazine cover that caricatured Barack and Michelle Obama as jihadists. Nor did he speak out against the racist artwork and slogans on the “Obama waffle mix” boxes that were sold at a conservative family values conference.

I’ve also noticed that the Republican nominee is always real stingy about giving personal props to his Democratic opponent. On countless occasions we’ve heard Obama laud McCain for his patriotism and decades of service to our nation as a U.S. Senator, a Navy officer and as a POW in Vietnam. But McCain has never praised Obama as a patriotic American who has dedicated his life to serving our nation as a grassroots organizer, Illinois State Senator and U.S. Senator. The best McCain can come up with is to say that Obama is a “decent family man” who is “impressive in many ways.” Once again, this gives silent justification to the right wing extremists who doubt Obama’s loyalty to the United States.

On top of all of McCain’s subtle race-bating we’ve had to endure the blatant attacks by his running mate, Sarah Palin who’s been making a direct appeal to white racism by telling the people in small, predominately white towns that they are the “real Americans.” She first implied this in her acceptance speech at the Republican convention and it has been a theme with her ever since.

So, while John McCain is not responsible for the racists who’ve been plotting to murder Barack Obama (Good Morning America reports that there have been a record 500 death threats, more than with any previous Presidential candidate) the Republican candidate is responsible for cultivating the climate in which those plots have flourished.

CHRISTIAN CONTRADICTIONS

Christians who support Proposition 8, the California ballot initiative to ban gay marriage are doing so because the Bible classifies homosexuality as a sin. But a lot the Bible’s basic, moral laws are not codified into our civic laws.

The Ten Commandments make it clear that believers are not to do any work of any kind on the Sabbath. But state and federal laws do not prohibit people from going to work on Sunday (or Saturday, if you’re Jewish or Seventh Day Adventist). Jesus invalidated the teachings of Moses and outlawed divorce in three of the four Gospels: once in Luke (chapter 16, verse18) once in Mark (chapter 10, verses 1-12) and twice in Matthew (chapter 5, verse 3 and chapter 19, verses 6-10). But divorce is legal in America.

Today, most Christians and most churches consider divorce and working on the Sabbath to be permissible, even though the Bible prohibits them outright. This underscores the fact that many religious people (myself included) pick and choose our morality – actually modifying sacred principals to fit our lives rather than modifying our lives to conform to sacred principals.

So, we really shouldn’t be discussing morals and scripture with regard to Prop. 8. The real issue here is the state constitution which Prop. 8 would change to take equal rights away to a specific group of Californians. In other words, Prop. 8 would build discrimination into state law.

It will also set a frightening precedent. If a majority of California voters can outlaw gay marriage (which is currently legal) then what is to stop some future majority from outlawing inter-racial marriage or inter-religious marriage? This is not far-fetched at all. The same arguments about “tradition” and “morality” being voiced by Prop. 8 advocates were used to justify Jim Crow, anti-Jewish restrictions and the denial of rights to women.

Thanks for listening. I’m Cameron Turner and that’s my two cents.

THINK! IT AIN’T ILLEGAL…YET!

Cameron Turner is a Los Angeles-area native whose editorials, entertainment news features and audio documentaries have appeared on national radio networks, online and in print for over 20 years.

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I am so encouraged by the four-part TVOne series “Murder in Black and White” hosted by Al Sharpton, that takes a look into four notorious and racially motivated murders of the deep south.

Most especially moving to me, in lieu of the national push for voter registration for this coming election 2008, was the episode that examined the case surrounding the cold blooded murder of voter registration activist Lamar “Ditney” Smith, in 1955.

A 63-year-old black farmer, World War II veteran and organizer of black voter registration, Smith was shot to death in broad daylight on the lawn of the Lincoln County courthouse in Brookhaven, Mississippi, where he drove a couple so they could turn in their absentee ballots for a county election. There were a number of witnesses to this murder, but of course none of them came forward. His murder was one of several racially motivated attacks in Mississippi during 1955.

To all my peeps who happen to read this blog, and have not registered to vote, to you who may be feeling apathetic about the political process, or the dis-interested one who doesn’t care about whom our next President will be, please be reminded our rights today were paid for in blood in the past. To all my sistahs and my brothas who feel you just don’t have the time or don’t want to make the effort or time to register to vote, please be reminded our rights today were paid for in blood in the past.

I know we’ve heard this over and over again, that someone died so we could vote; but sometimes we need to be reminded of the sacrifices made so we don’t forget how we got this far! This is the intimation in the text when God instructed the older generation from Israel’s nation…to teach the children the laws of God and the story of their Exodus (coming out of slavery in Eqypt) and into liberation with God. This command was given so their children and generations to follow would know and understand how they got this far and into the Promise Land.

To date, McCain, Palin and the entire Republican party are currently scratching their heads in fear and disbelief and asking themselves “How did we get to the place in America where a black man has a probable and highly likely opportunity to be President of the USA in 2008?” Because someone like Lamar Smith died for the cause. Because someone like Lamar Smith and countless others stood up and voiced We Shall Be Counted and encouraged others to register to vote and cast their ballot.

Therefore, let us be reminded of the price paid for our rights today and the awesome responsibility before us. What we make happen this day will be in the history books of tomorrow!

Najuma Smith is a preacher, world traveler, writer, and proud parent. She currently serves as the full-time Sr. Pastor of St. James AME Church in Los Angeles. Unapologetically saved and full of purpose, she enjoys sharing words of encouragement with anyone who will listen, bringing a fresh look at life in light of the Word of God. Her collection of motivations and observations are exclusive to Urban Thought Collective. Visit her at www.myspace.com/revjuju.

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However, somehow I’ve been naïve enough to find myself stunned by the latest rallying cry of the McCain camp: “Who is Barack Obama?”

Seriously?

I mean, he’s been vetted within an inch of his life. The only thing we don’t know is the frequency of his bathroom trips for heaven’s sake! Every since his electrifying keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention, info on Obama has been flowing like a stream. He’s also written books ALL ABOUT himself, from birth to present day. His beliefs, faith, family, upbringing, education, policies, taxes, debts and conduct, all laid bare for anyone to see. Oh, and he has been running for president for over two years. In the spotlight 23 of 24 hours a day. The fact that the GOP can fix their mouths to ask who is he is strikes a peculiar cord indeed.

Conversely, Sarah Palin has been on the stage for just a couple of months. She’s the unknown! She wasn’t even vetted when she was offered the damn VP spot for the love of Pete. Yet, someone asking her important questions is “tricky” and “gotcha journalism.” Give me a break.

So, this question of “who is Barack Obama” can only mean one thing. It has to be code for “what is this black guy really up to?” I actually heard a story recently about a freelance reporter just walking around asking general questions about Obama and McCain. Many of the non-black participants said they “felt like they knew” Sarah Palin, and that she was so much like “one of them.” Somehow, this plain white woman has instant appeal because she’s a mother with a knocked up teen daughter and a suspect past. Somehow, this woman who doesn’t know foreign policy from the return policy at The Gap is more experienced and able to step in to the role of second in command of the free world. No wonder the international community thinks America is two cards shy of a full deck. Sheesh.

But, this mystery surrounding African-Americans is just another age old misconception. This idea that we must be sneaky and not forthright is par for the course, a course that I believe Obama is handling well, if the polls are any indication.

Speaking of polls, I try not to put too much real heart and soul into them. I am solemnly reminded of the “Bradley Affect,” and it keeps me skeptical.

I was just a kid, but I remember the feeling when the first black mayor of Los Angeles, Tom Bradley, lost the election to be Governor of California. All throughout his historic campaign, those that were polled were emphatic that in fact, they would be voting for Mayor Bradley. There were even some (premature) celebrations in various LA communities. Come election night, good ole Tom lost by more than 60,000 votes! It was rough, and race was thrown around to explain the sudden turn of events.

See, when somebody sticks a mic or a pen in a white person’s face and asks if they are voting for Mr. Black Guy, and you’re clearly a member of his party, of course, they are going to say yes. Its old fashioned white guilt. But, when one is alone, in the (supposed) privacy of the voting booth, one can choose whomever they want. People vote their fears, their biases, their prejudices and misconceptions. They vote white because frankly, even though it hasn’t been working lately, it’s all they know. It makes them feel (gulp) safe.

When we say “the first black this” and “the first black that,” it’s a way of acknowledging the deep seated discrimination that this country was founded on. We immediately place on a pedestal those that somehow overcome the systemic racism that is a part of every fiber of our lives. This is the world that we know.

So, this is my ‘round the way girl way of saying PLEASE VOTE YA’LL. Show this country our power. Show our ancestors that their bloodshed, pain and loss were not in vain. Show them that we can come out in record numbers.

After all, we’re all Americans, right? We boast the most diverse landscape in the world. All religions, cultures, ethnicities and shades call this place home. As Maya Angelou says, we are more alike than we are unalike. We all want to be safe, healthy, happy and for our children to thrive in education and life. We want paved roads and a sound economy. It’s not about bashing each other’s head in with the ideological differences that do not matter at the end of the day. The divisiveness that is politics will most likely never end. But we can control a lot. We can choose to respect each other’s opinions. We can decide that disagreeing is not cause for riot or wishing each other harm. Republican or Democrat means nothing if we’re all standing in a bread line hoping for a slice of government cheese on our ten day old sandwich. We’ve got business to take care of people!

Let’s make sure that despite all efforts to the contrary, Obama does not meet the fate of Tom Bradley. This country deserves better.

Ellene V. Miles is the managing editor of www.urbanthoughtcollective.com and has worked as an entertainment publicist for many years. Her collection of rants is featured exclusively on UTC for the good of the people.

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