But, just being the first black presidential candidate is not enough.

All of this fanfare and joy is nothing if we don’t seize this moment to turn the tide in a tangible way. If Obama makes it to the White House, let it not be a presidency of simple symbolism. Let it be bold and painful and hard as nails every day. Let it be about truth telling, policy changing and righting a ship that has gone more off course than the Titanic. I love the campaign slogan, “Change we can believe in.” I want to believe it. I want to believe that he can hold on to that message and make it real for all of us.

But it will hurt. He can’t just be another guy telling these crowds in these cities what they want to hear. You tell Iowa farmers you won’t touch their corn subsidies and workers in Pennsylvania that you won’t take their coal jobs away. You tell Detroit you’ll bring back the auto industry. You tell all the forgotten towns on every stop that you speak to their issues and their fears and their hopes. It isn’t always possible.

As my favorite (and deeply missed) television series “The West Wing” had one of the characters opine, “You campaign in poetry and govern in prose.” So, you make promises that you may never be able to deliver on. But the charge to keep is that no matter what, there will be no cowering or fear of retribution when you make the hard, cold decisions that are for our own good. You can’t stall the process just because some folks don’t like it, rail against it, defile you for it. Didn’t your folks always tell you that sometimes you have to do something you don’t want to do for the overall good? It may make you momentarily unpopular, but who cares? Its gut check time.

Obama left his church because of the Reverend Wright controversy, which was just one in what will be a long line of compromises. White people (and black folks too) will make accusations that he could spend his whole presidency fighting. There has to be a strong, unwavering, tunnel vision focus on what has to be done.

He must be willing to face a level of scrutiny that none of us has ever seen. This will trump the domestic terrorism of the early part of this century. This will trump the death threats and the racist fear mongering that America has perfected. The Klan’s most heinous acts ain’t nothing compared to what we are about to see. In our own ways, let’s help him brace for it. Because just getting this far isn’t enough.

See, White America is stuck on a skewed image of what this country is. They have conveniently forgotten this is a country of immigrants. They have forgotten their ancestors came here from all over the world. Now, somehow white is right and all other spectrums are just part of the melting pot. I don’t want to melt. I want you to see my color. I want you to see my history and know it and respect it. I’ll do the same for yours.

But there is a lot to do, and if Obama gets bogged down in defending his pastor, defending his wife, defending his heritage and so on, he’s not doing the work of getting crack out of the streets and kids in school and men to be dads and economics to make some kind of sense again.

Every major “change” in history is preceded by a movement of people that are ready to move forward. A people that are tired, hungry, and fed up with corrupt political systems, disenfranchisement and always being on the fringes of equality and progress. After these eight long years of dictatorship, “we the people” actually does mean all of us. We are all less safe, prosperous and stable because of this regime. Everyone is losing homes and jobs. We all have to make deep sacrifices. Change isn’t easy. But, Obama will have to tell us unequivocally what is real, what will make things better. He will have to be more than a leader.

I know. He is just a man. How can we expect him to be our messiah? We have to, because just getting there is not enough.

Ellene Miles has worked as an entertainment publicist for more than 6 years. Her collections of rants are featured exclusively on UTC for the good of the people.

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But there are two bright spots this summer. First is a new series on NBC called “Fear Itself.” I enjoyed the pilot episode a lot. It’s a thirteen-episode horror anthology that has many well know horror directors like John Landis (“An American Werewolf in London,” “Thriller”) and Darren Bousman (“Saw II, III & IV”) at the helm for at least one episode. It stars many talented actors from current hit television shows and film. I have to admit being a sucker for these kinds of series. Some of my favorites included “The Twilight Zone,” “Fright Night,” “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” and the famous “Trilogy of Terror.” I can remember during the commercial breaks the hand that came up from underground as the voiceover groaned “chilllller!” If you couldn’t get to the movies on a Friday or Saturday night, these series made being at home ok. If you had friends over or just a brother or sister who was scared out of their minds, it was pure entertainment. There have been a few that tried and failed, but “Fear Itself” is off to a good start and worth a shot.

My second choice is “So You Think You Can Dance.” It isn’t new, but it’s joyful and heartbreaking to watch. I feel like Robert De Niro’s character in “Analyze This” that found himself tearing up every five minutes and wondering, “What’s wrong with me?” I can’t help that I am attracted to success stories. Watching people set a goal, work hard and get what they want is compelling. “SYTYCD” appeals to me on three important levels. One, I’m an artist and love to watch fellow artists in other disciplines. Two, it’s about young people pursuing their dreams. Three, it’s not contrived or gimmicky. Cue music. DANCE! Period. You got it or you don’t. And let there be no doubts, some of these kids are not just good, but some are jaw-dropping great!

There is a flip side. Desire doesn’t always match talent. Where many of the dancers have the heart and training, they’re just not ready or simply not good enough to make the cut. To see that kind of pain and anguish is extremely tough. These are kids who gave up their jobs, defied their parents, are homeless or spent their last dollar in an all or nothing shot and come up short. They open themselves up, become totally vulnerable and get rejected…again. Not the kind of pain I’d wish on anyone.

The direction is a little sketchy for me. I could do without all of the quick cuts and reaction shots of the judges during the performances. I want to see what they see. It’s hard to agree or disagree with their opinion when all you can see is one of ten dancers on the stage or a fraction of the performance. However, the judges are very fair most of the time, and their criticism is usually constructive.

I will still make it to Six Flags, but I’ll have plenty to watch on Tivo.

Let me get my remote!

Darryl Bell is an actor and Chicago native, best known for his roles 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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So, let me state that my intention is to always be love, be light, peace and courage. I especially mean it now.

I think Sean Bell is a powerful spirit.

When I put aside the anger, the confusion and the fear surrounding his tragic death, and take a few steps back, I believe Sean Bell is a leader in his own right.

In the past, leaders made sacrifices to benefit the whole. They sacrificed autonomy, sleep, peace, (they used to sacrifice money), and safety. But Sean made the ultimate sacrifice – his life.

Sounds like Jesus, right? Exactly.

I believe Jesus was a walking example of who we are and what we are capable of doing on this earth. The same presence and power that dwelled in Jesus, dwells in me and you, and was also present in Sean Bell.

I think we get caught up in what society tells us constitutes a leader. “You gotta have an organization.” “You gotta have a bunch of people following you.” “You gotta know big words.” “You gotta have money.” “You gotta be co-signed by the other leaders.”

Jesus didn’t have any of that, yet He is one of the greatest leaders that ever walked the earth.

What He did have was awareness. That’s what we are all looking for. It’s just masked as the quest for purpose, happiness, success and prosperity. It’s all the same thing, and comes from the same Source.

Does this mean Sean Bell was aware of his fate? Well, in a way.

I believe his spirit, not the human, knew its fate. The spirit is never separated from God, and God knows all. I believe Sean Bell’s spirit chose its destiny so that we all can benefit from a progression that is taking place among humanity. I hope that we don’t get caught up in the death and miss out on its contribution to evolving each of us in our lives right now.

How many people would have protested against police brutality, or even participated in the march had Sean Bell not been so brutally murdered? What about the uproar over Genarlow Wilson or Jena 6?

Although people felt hopeless and angry and had no answers, they were provoked to do something – even if that meant walking the streets with a bunch of strangers who felt the same way.

We’re human and we get mighty complacent, especially when we aren’t motivated to move. Hardships and tragedies move us. It moves us to change jobs, to move to other cities, to work harder, to leave unhealthy relationships, to change our lives. This can become the catalyst to change the world.

It doesn’t mean you have to cut your perm out and wear natural hair, or get laser surgery to remove your tattoos, so you can start or join an organization and become an “activist.”

Just act where you are now.

Sean Bell was a loving son, friend, mate and father. Yet, right where he was in life, he became a “leader” who is leading people to advocate against police brutality.

Maybe police brutality isn’t your thing. What is? How can you move on it now?

You have a passion for something, something that others can benefit from, something you want to see flourish. It just takes your voice, and more importantly, your awareness of who you are. You matter. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be here.

Whatever it is you are thirsting for; there is already the awareness that there is more to life and to you than what you are experiencing now. We see it in the life and death of Sean Bell. Can you see it in yourself?

Don’t shrug off your significance to this world. You matter. I keep saying it because I had to say it to myself for months before I actually believed it.

Black folks don’t know they matter in this world. They don’t know that if they had not been born, the world wouldn’t be the same. We know that from a collective standpoint, but we can’t see our individual value.

Don’t get caught up in fixing the problem. Get swept away in the passion of creating a world where that problem doesn’t exist. There is a difference.

One is entrenched in madness, where the problem never goes away. It swallows you whole, and before you know it, your work keeps it alive. The other starts with a space where the problem doesn’t even exist. It could be your home. And by having friends over, they are attracted to that same tranquil existence.

After all, your home is your sanctuary. You become the teacher, the example and those who observe you learn how to create the same space. Suddenly, that new world in your home has expanded outside of your space and into the world.

I’m dreaming of that new world getting bigger and bigger with each one of us understanding our value.

Rather than saying “rest in peace,” I wish Sean Bell much love and light as he embarks on his new journey.

Envisioning you with much love, light and fulfillment. See you next week.

Yaminah Ahmad is editor-in-chief of The Atlanta Voice and contributing editor to Collective Voices, a newspaper published by the non-profit, SisterSong: Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective. She can be reached at missyaminah@gmail.com.

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