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William B. Harvey is the vice president and chief officer for diversity and equity at the University of Virginia. Read more »
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Most of us have been on road trips with a young child in the back seat asking, "Are we there yet?" As parents who have traveled a few highways and byways, we might explain with graduated measures of patience (or irritability depending on how many times it has been asked) that the trip is not over just yet, but that every mile that we travel gets us closer to being "there."
With the election of Barack Hussein Obama as its 44th president, and with his young family calling The White House home, our nation took a huge, accelerated surge forward. This historic action understandably brings a feeling of pride and accomplishment to most Americans. And, perhaps most importantly, it shows all children that anything is possible.
A two-time graduate of Ivy League universities, best-selling author, extraordinary speaker, member of the United States Senate - often called the nation's most exclusive club - President Obama has repeatedly demonstrated skills and successes that are realized by only a minute fraction of the population. The First Lady, Michelle Obama, is a very talented and accomplished professional in her own right. Together, they are simply known as "mom" and "dad" to two school-aged kids who like pizza and mac and cheese just as many other kids do.
With the elevation of the first family to what some would call "rock star" status, children will continually be exposed to images of them on television, in newspapers, on the internet as well as in other forms of media. So, how do we use this phenomenon as an ongoing learning experience for our children?
First, the new first family provides other families of color with real-life role models as examples for their children, far outside the fields of sports and entertainment which many young people have regarded as the paths to success. The Obamas are the realization of the fictional Cosby family of TV fame, which showed successful African American parents raising energetic, spunky children. Now, millions of boys and girls will recognize that they have the capacity to become politicians, lawyers, doctors, engineers, teachers, architects or anything else that they choose. This new sense of optimism will undoubtedly be combined with a healthy dose of self-esteem; a necessary component of living one's dream.
Parents who live in predominantly white neighborhoods, can use the election to open their children's eyes to our richly diverse world. It's a prime opportunity to discuss the many different races, ethnicities, cultures and religions that exist. We may look different. We might not share the same beliefs. But at the end of the day, we are all people. And every one of us, big and small, has a right to achieve our dreams.
We should also acknowledge America's shortcomings as well as its strengths; that barriers and obstacles still exist which prevent some children from realizing their full potential. We must inspire the younger generation to be more vigilant and decisive than their elders have been in making the American dream a reality for all. We all stand to benefit from this endeavor.
The trek that Barack Obama took to his place in history was likely filled with some bumps along the way. The trek that African American pioneers took well before Obama was indeed treacherous and with great sacrifice. Because of them all, in this moment, we are picking up speed on our journey toward a country that offers opportunity for children everywhere. And it feels like we might just get there after all.
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