Obama and King

Prejudice and discrimination have always been hot topics in American politics and society. Although much progress has been made through the last couple of decades, I believe there are still many more bridges to be crossed and steps to be taken in order to have a country that treats every person, regardless of sex, race, religion or ethnicity, equal. Recently, Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama gave “A more perfect Union” speech which addressed his thoughts on America’s racial and prejudicial state. This speech has been regarded as one of the top speeches to be given in the last couple of decades and will go down in history, along with his status so far in the Presidential elections, as a monumental moment in US History. His progress so far is a milestone that Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed of in a brighter America, and this is quite evident in his ”Letter from Birmingham Jail” which addressed the issues that African Americans faced in their day to day lifes dealing with segregation and oppression. These two works, by two of the most influential African American men in America, both past and present, have documented the times and ideals of their age.

Obama’s speech and Dr. King’s letter have many similarities as well as some stark differences in style and content. As far as style and technique are concerned, the biggest difference has to do with the audience being addressed. In Obama’s speech, he is speaking to the American people, as a fellow American, and is noting the strides taken towards the end of inequality and “racial superiority” between white people and black. Barack also points out that there is still much more work to be done, however while giving this speech he is addressing a much more accepting audience than Dr. King did in his letter. If Obama gave a similar speech back in the 50’s, he would have never been given the time of day and hardly any members of the American public would have paid attention other than to ridicule it. Dr. King paved the way through letters and speeches like the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” which was only addressed to clergy men, and Dr. King was begging for their attention. King was pleading for the Clergy men to understand his message and to act according to their faith to see not the color of a person’s skin but rather the goodness that is in their soul. He pointed out the oppression that black people have faced through out their lives and tried to emphasis how they were people too, and they were no less loved by God than any other white male or female, but they were being treated as if they were diseased beings forced to do every thing separate from the white man.

Time has changed and with time has come acceptance. With the 45 years that have passed since MLK wrote his “Letter” there is still some segregation in the US, as Obama pointed out, and there are still racist thoughts and minds through out America that, in some ways, continue to restrict African American people from achieving as much success in the work place, but the differences between Dr. King’s time and Obama’s time are remarkable. There are still African Americans who feel that the ‘white man’ continues to hold them down, people such as Obama’s former reverend, Reverend Wright, who preach about the continued oppression and the anger of their people. But Obama effectively points out how nothing is going to change over night, but in no other country can a man have an African father, white mother, been raised by white grandparents, and have cousins of different ethnicities and colors over three continents and be accepted as a candidate for presidency. Although he has had to work through barriers placed upon him due to his race, he has overcome all that has come in his way and continues to amaze and be regarded as an important figure in history. These two works by these two remarkable men are examples of the changing of the times and how nothing is achieved through just laying back and watching the world around you. Like Mahatma Gandhi said, “You must be the change you want to see in the world”. These two men truly exemplify this saying.