Message from 

Ettie Rutherford,

Ontario Provincial Representative, Congress of Black Women of Canada

The Election of President Barack Obama

History was made on November 4, 2008 when Barack Obama, a Black man, was elected as President of the United States of America.

The whole world waited, while some Blacks collectively held their breath, afraid that the dream would elude us and that once again we would be left in despair and bewilderment. Today as we grasp the enormity of the situation, as we grasp the historic significance of Barack Obama’s election, and as we grasp the fact that much more will be expected of Blacks all over the world , we need to ask ourselves some hard questions and  reflect on how this will all play out in the lives of Black women.

 Will our men strive to emulate Barack’s strong reflection of family values? Will we more forcefully emphasize to our young women the need to respect their bodies? Will we strive to teach the boys and girls in our families about the urgent need for a good education, and about our history of oppression, while helping them to realize the treacherous road that we as Blacks have always had to navigate? Will we as members of the Congress strive to assist and support Black sisters so that the task of raising future citizens like Barack and Michelle will be a little bit easier?

Although rejoicing is good, Barack’s victory would be in vain if Blacks around the world, and we specifically, continued with “business as usual”, because while we in Canada may not have experienced as much abuse as Blacks in the United States, our lives have not always had a silver lining. We should never forget the sacrifices and suffering of our fore mothers and fore fathers  just a few generations ago, because  even here in this country all of our Black families have paid our dues, as we assumed multifaceted roles as immigrants, ill-treated wives and girlfriends, neglected children, demonized men, single parents as well as victims of racism and sexism.

Although  our resilience stands as a symbol of our strength and our strong belief in God, let us not forget that in spite of Obama’s achievement, the media and the “Powers-that –be” will still be reluctant to change the way they view us collectively.

 So, as we in the Congress join in celebrating this unprecedented milestone in history let us strive to support each other, lift as we climb, and be  reminded that  as community builders we must keep saying that since We have a Dream , The Possibilities are Endless, because YES WE CAN

Let us continue to pray, not only for President Obama and his family, but also for each other.

In Sisterhood!

 

God Bless!