WHAT SCARES EVERYDAY BLACK PEOPLE ABOUT BARACK OBAMA

It's about two weeks after the inauguration of this nation's first Black president and I am struck by the feelings that I am having. Pride, yes. Hope, double yes. Excited expectation, for sure. But there are other feelings that I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge. These feelings are somewhat embarrassing for me to admit. How can I worry about the ramifications of the election of this nation's first African-American president? The enormity of this feat is unparalleled in itself considering less than half a century ago, African-Americans were not even trusted with the privilege of voting. We were second-class citizens in every sense of the word. Many whites are even amazed that the country as a whole has come far enough to put aside those racist views long enough to see past color and actually elect the best man for the job. So what kind of pessimistic, "glass half-empty", self-absorbed person over-analyzes such a historic event? Why not just revel in the historic proportions of the moment? Because I worry that Barack is setting a precedent that many African-Americans cannot live up to unless some drastic changes are made in this country's education system.

Truth be told, Barack Obama is an extraordinary person, race notwithstanding. The man has lived an amazing life. He's managed to do in just 47 short years what most White men have not been able to do in 60 years. As the child of an African father and a white mother from the Bible belt, life for him can't have been easy. Growing up in Indonesia and Hawaii and spending much of his childhood in the largely white state of Kansas with his white grandparents, I'm sure gave Barack a unique self-image. He admits to spending much of his life feeling like a fish out of water. Never truly accepted in any environment. Most would have given in to self-destructive feelings and behaviors or would have had a difficult time maintaining any sort of healthy self-image. But somehow he was able to see past his circumstances and turn those experiences into something positive. Why then does the phenomena that is Barack Obama scare the average African-American? Because we fear that so many cannot possibly live up to the expectation that this man has set. We worry that his success has set the bar so high that most of us could not possibly reach it, let alone surpass all that he has done. Not unless some drastic changes are made. No longer can we fall back on the tired, age-old excuse about "the Man" keeping us down. Because it's official now. We actually can accomplish anything that we set our minds to, regardless of the existence of racism. So what makes Barack different from your average, everyday African-American who is afraid of what his election means? In a word, education. His father was not around and he spent most of his life either with his white mother or his maternal grandparents. And although they came from meager means, they always exposed Barack to the best education they could find for him. He had the benefit of understanding from an early age that education was paramount. Regardless of anyone's circumstances, black or white, education is that one constant that has the power to change anyone's destiny.

I was raised in a household where my mother was abused on a regular basis by my father. We lived in some of the worst areas of Philadelphia and in so many different houses that I lost count after probably the fifth or sixth move. My father, a house painter and former Marine with an 8th grade education, never kept a job for very long. Later we discovered that he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, which probably explained his belief that everyone was out to get him. During my entire childhood, which my mother spent as a depressed and battered wife, she always made sure to stress to all of us the importance of an education. We moved at least 10 different times while I was growing up. But each time my mother had us bused up to "the white neighborhoods" for school. We would get on a bus at 6:15 am and ride from the projects of Philadelphia, past the crackhouses and bars, up to the Northeast where a quality public education awaited. I graduated from high school with an A average and eventually went on to graduate from college with a Bachelor's degree in Management after I was married and had children. Because I had the benefit of a mother who herself graduated from high school and understood the importance of an education, I was armed with the means to do better in life than my parents. My childhood was not ideal, but I would never trade those experiences. They helped to shape who I became. If not for the quality education my mother made sure we got, my siblings and I could have become just as hopeless as our surroundings.

It is society's responsibility to ensure that everyone, especially those in the most difficult and hopeless situations, understands that the only way out is through education. That is what Barack's story teaches. From the battered woman in the projects with four children and an abusive husband, to the young girl with the crackhead parents and no one who cares enough to check her homework at night, to the white kid in a trailer home on cinderblocks with no hope for the future. It has to be a priority to expose every child to the value and transcendental nature of an education. It is now Barack Obama's responsibility to make sure that everyone has a fair shot at receiving a quality education. He has the responsibility to make sure that ALL schools are equipped with the means to reach those children who do not have the benefit of an intelligent, socially responsible family structure that values education. He has the responsibility to improve the educational system so that would-be students actually do have a snowball's chance in hell of receiving a quality college education so that they can improve their lot in life.

It is important to note that although the playing field has not been level for each of us, this does not diminish our pride in his accomplishments. But we must recognize the fact that everyone will not share the same experiences, nor are we all exposed to the same positive influences. Requiring a quality education for all young people must be a priority if our nation will ever produce more Barack Obama's. When those of us most at-risk succeed, we all succeed. Barack is proof of that.