No, I certainly wouldn’t have been happier with children saying they wanted to be a “drug dealer, rapper,” or any such thing. I may be white, but believe it or not, I feel very close to the struggles that the African American community has gone through in this country. When I was a young child, my family moved to a small town in Mississippi. My first grade class at that time was segregated, and this was in the early 1990s. Up until that time, I’d been living in Washington, DC, going to a kindergarten class that literally could have passed for a children’s United Nations. I played on the playground with kids of all colors and ethnic backgrounds without giving a second thought to the color of their skin or how they looked. It was just second nature that people were different and that not only was that okay, but it made life beautiful.
Then I found myself thrust into an environment where bigotry ruled everything, where there was a huge aisle between me and those who looked differently than I did; I couldn’t even play on the same playground as the other children. It upset me so much that I couldn’t bear to go to school. That first week at school, I’d come home crying every day because I was so confused and upset at the anger I’d seen in my teachers, the sadness I’d seen in the African American childrens’ eyes, and I didn’t understand it.
I tried to fight the system; I played on the other playground, I signed up to perform an African dance with four other African American girls for the talent show, I made some great friends. But every time I tried, I was punished. I was paddled, I was denied trips to the bathroom, I was denied recess, any African American kids I’d talk to or played with would get paddled too. That African dance we worked so hard on, it was canceled at the last minute. I became so devastated that I just couldn’t stand to go to school because it was just eating me up in side.

I know that’s only a tiny, miniscule glimpse into the prejudice that all African Americans must face in their lifetimes, but I have never forgotten the hatred and bigotry I saw during those years in Mississippi. It changed me forever, and I’m grateful for that change.

So please, believe me when I say, I’m thrilled that we have come so far as a nation that an African American man can be a front-runner in the race for the White House. I think that’s remarkable, and although I wasn’t sure if I could expect it any time soon, I always held out hope. I think it’s wonderful!
But my excitement over this development in our long national search for equality cannot cloud my judgment of the man himself. I cannot let his color stand in the way of my ability to judge his own aptitude for the job he seeks. After all, isn’t the search for equality based in the hope that all people will be seen equally, that we can see beyond their outer color and perceive who they are as people? That’s what I’ve tried to do with Obama, and honestly, the man himself scares me. He scares me not because his skin is dark, but because of who he is, what he has said, and the kind of behavior he inspires in others.

That brings me to this video. Let me say clearly and absolutely, if these boys had been white, if they had been dressed in fatigues and combat boots, referring to themselves as a “drill team”, and saying that their only inspiration to succeed were McCain, then spouting off his policies in a militant fashion, I would be just as concerned, I would say everything I said about this video, and I would demand the same justice. Because this isn’t about race, this is about a clear violation of the law.

I think it’s great when kids have a desire to learn about politics, but when that education takes place in a public school, taught by a public school teacher, it must be done equally and in a secular manner, free from any expression of bias or opinion. It must be equal in time and devotion to each candidate, to each side of the debate, allowing the children to come to their own decision.
We know now for a fact that this was not the case. It has been confirmed by the director herself that there was no such program to teach these children of McCain’s policies and platforms. Nothing. The fact that taxes were spent to give these children such a one-sided education, it’s not only unethical, it’s illegal. That greatly disturbs me.

As to the possibility of this being a junior fraternity, no one – not the school, not the director, not the teacher involved – has said anything about these children being members of a junior fraternity. When I was first notified of this possibility by another reader, I did my research – I tried desperately to find an African American fraternity by the name of Alpha Omega. I found an Alpha Phi Alpha, I found an Omega Psi Psi, I found an Alpha Omega Nu. I did not find a single Alpha Omega. So without any evidence to support the suggestion that this was a junior fraternity drill team, I cannot accept that explanation. While yes, that would make it slightly less concerning, it certainly doesn’t mean it isn’t illegal.

As for the aspect of brainwashing, I’m sorry, I still stand by the concern. Am I convinced that they were? No, but I’m concerned that they may have been indoctrinated. After all, they weren’t told fairly of both sides of this debate and allowed to come to their own conclusion. In other words, they were fed one-sided facts and compelled into an opinion – that’s indoctrination.
Am I still concerned that they’re attributing their will to succeed to a politician? Yes. Because that didn’t make any mention of them being inspired because Barack Obama happens to be half-African. If this was really about race, couldn’t they find a better role-model? Someone who has done something beyond just being a politician? What about Martin Luther King, Jr? What about Jesse Owens? Tiger Woods? Or one of my personal inspirations, Medgar Evers?

Or what about inspired by the fact that they live in a wonderful country, a country full of people honestly striving to be caring, tolerant, and truly equal; a country full of opportunities for everyone who dares to dedicate themselves? What about the fact that they are privileged to go to a well-funded school? What about the fact that they can achieve their dreams if they are willing to work hard and dedicate themselves to their own futures? Can’t they be inspired by that?

This kind of hero-worship of Obama honestly concerns me. He is not a god, he is not the messiah, he’s not some “child of hope” like so many people make him out to be. He is a politician running for office. If we were really beyond racism, if we were really equal, all of us could see that without attaching anything else to him. He is a politician, a man, running for office, just like the other people who are running alongside him. According to the law, when children are educated in public schools about these candidates, it must be done in a fair, balanced, unbiased, and secular manner. That was not done in this situation and that is why I am so greatly concerned and offended by this situation. And that is why I posted it here. I’m sorry if you’re offended by that, but there’s nothing more I can say.