Am I Dreaming?

Today, as we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I have seen individuals get confused by comparing him to the life and presidency of Barack Obama.

President Elect Barack Obama has achieved what would have been considered an inconceivable position of power by many, just years ago when no one who he was. Yet today, in fact tomorrow, Barack Obama, who happens to be Black, will become the 44th President of the United States. As an African American woman, I, like many other Americans, felt “hopeful” for a post-racist society and am proud at the fact that a Black male was elected in office. However, personal beliefs and what some might deem “revolutionary” ideals, led me to not vote for him or any other candidate who did not represent me.  

Nevertheless, what concerns me the most is the parallel that many individuals have made with Obama and King. Am I dreaming? Is It that individuals see Barack Obama as a fruition of Dr. King’s Dream or do they see Obama as the continuation of King's legacy. Either way, both ideas can be argued since they both fall short of the “oasis of freedom and justice” that Dr. King proclaimed. My point is, Barack Obama is not to be compared to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They are both two very different individuals, politician versus prophet. One appeals to an insouciant White American society, while one fought for the inequality of African American people.

Michael Eric Dyson eloquently shares my thoughts:

"But if King and Obama mirror each other as twins of destiny, their divergent roles shatter easy assumptions of their common vocation. Prophets and politicians often collide as they orbit the same world with different social interests and moral purposes.

Prophets thunder difficult truths that shake the culture to its core. "I have not come to bring peace, but a sword," Jesus proclaimed of his duty to disturb the social order. That same duty fell to King as he angered millions of whites—and scared many blacks—in challenging the white supremacy that was the lifeblood of social inequality. Even though King lashed out at injustice in love, he was widely viewed as a pariah who undercut democracy and disturbed the racial peace. But King believed that any peace that rested on injustice was false and fleeting.

Politicians, on the other hand, often aim to quell social disturbance and keep the peace at nearly all costs. Their function is to preserve as much as possible the smooth operation of society and to make the machinery of governance effective. Politicians seek to unite disparate concerns in a manner that balances group interests and the greater good.

King and Obama—the prophet and politician—have much in common: the racial roots they share and mending the nation's tattered racial history. But King's voice rang as a trumpet against injustice by challenging society in civil disobedience and in breaking unjust laws. As president, Obama is the most powerful man in the world, sworn to uphold the laws of the land and bring prosperity to its citizens.

Barack Obama may be the realization of King’s dream, but he is not the extension of King's prophetic ministry. Neither should he be expected to carry that mantle. As the first president who is black, Obama has made millions of black hearts, including mine, swell with pride. But he is a politician, not a prophet, and should be judged as a political figure. It may be on King's shoulders that Obama has climbed to reach farther than any other black person before him, but it is King's vision and work that made his efforts possible. The prophetic and the political are both crucial elements of our success, and survival, as a people."

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What’s the reality?... “It is [still] obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.