I remember Paul Mooney remarking how he used to say the N word 50 times in the morning while brushing his teeth. That reminds me of what I am going through with Obama. I say Barak Obama out loud like I'm singing a rap song. It's like a Buddist chant. The magnitude didn't hit me right away. On election day, I didn't cry like Jesse Jackson. I was not jumping for joy in the streets. I didn't get religion around the whole thing like some folks did. Don't get me wrong, I was juiced, awed, and deeply moved, I just didn't express it quite as dynamically as some of my fellow black people. Besides, Elijah was calling from his bed (while we watched the speech in Grant Park on the internet) like, "Now will somebody read me a story?"
It really didn't "hit" me that a black man is about to be president until I got this weeks Jet and there it was. The first family and the headline "Yes We Did!" Then the full effect washed over me.
I know you are tired of hearing about the guy but I am forced to think about him for 2 reasons: Keisha and Jerome (not their real names), 2 students of mine. They started calling me Obama a few weeks ago. Now they call me Obama everytime they see me, and it's a small school. Keisha told me that I look like Obama and Kafi looks like Michelle. I stopped her before she said my sons look like Sasha and Malia. and Jerome calls me Obama and shakes my hand... everytime. This is a kid who barely said hi before the election Tuesday. But not all the students think that. "Mr. payne don't look like no damn Obama!" I laugh. It reminds me of a humbling experience last year when a student said "Mr. Payne, you look like Denzel Washington!" Another female student quickly exclaimed very loudly and annoyed "The hell he do!" She was personally offended.
I have been told before that I look like Obama. Kafi opposes such claims reassuring me that I am more hansome but since this guy is now the president of the free world, I am applying for a job. I want to be his decoy. You may say that's a dangerous job but I worked night time hyphy dance battles and video shoots in east oakland where fights broke out in the streets and guns were flashed. This was my JOB. I think riding in a bulletproof motorcade is a cakewalk. But alas, it could not happen. They wouldn't let TWO brothas in the white house would they?
It really didn't "hit" me that a black man is about to be president until I got this weeks Jet and there it was. The first family and the headline "Yes We Did!" Then the full effect washed over me.
I know you are tired of hearing about the guy but I am forced to think about him for 2 reasons: Keisha and Jerome (not their real names), 2 students of mine. They started calling me Obama a few weeks ago. Now they call me Obama everytime they see me, and it's a small school. Keisha told me that I look like Obama and Kafi looks like Michelle. I stopped her before she said my sons look like Sasha and Malia. and Jerome calls me Obama and shakes my hand... everytime. This is a kid who barely said hi before the election Tuesday. But not all the students think that. "Mr. payne don't look like no damn Obama!" I laugh. It reminds me of a humbling experience last year when a student said "Mr. Payne, you look like Denzel Washington!" Another female student quickly exclaimed very loudly and annoyed "The hell he do!" She was personally offended.
I have been told before that I look like Obama. Kafi opposes such claims reassuring me that I am more hansome but since this guy is now the president of the free world, I am applying for a job. I want to be his decoy. You may say that's a dangerous job but I worked night time hyphy dance battles and video shoots in east oakland where fights broke out in the streets and guns were flashed. This was my JOB. I think riding in a bulletproof motorcade is a cakewalk. But alas, it could not happen. They wouldn't let TWO brothas in the white house would they?
