Had it been possible, the late civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., would have leapt from his grave to see the day when an African-American in the person of Senator Barack Obama was elected as the 44th President of the United States on Tuesday this week, November 4, 2008. Indeed, he might even acknowledge that we had “reached the mountain top” – a summit he strove for throughout his entire life.

President-Elect Barack Obama - Photo courtesy www.barackobama.com

This great change in the American political landscape is seen as part of the embodiment and fulfillment of Dr. King’s famous I have a dream speech, delivered in August 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. Before he could see any real progress in the advancement of the cause he was promoting, however, he was gunned down in Memphis, Tennessee, in April 1968, but his vision lived on waiting for the right time of accomplishment though beset by many obstacles.

Obama won the US Presidential Election by a stunning performance exceeding the required 270 Electoral College Votes by gaining 349 compared with Senator McCain’s 173 and obtaining 52% of the popular vote compared with his rival’s 46% up to the time of writing, with 97% of the precincts reporting.

The purpose of this front page editorial is not to become involved unnecessarily in American politics. It is rather to dwell on some of the lessons to be learnt from Obama’s previous low esteem and uncertain state of life as a youngster and his eventual climb up the steps of the ladder to success, leadership and world fame by lifting up himself with his own bootstraps. He is a shinning example to young men and women in Anguilla and the world over of what one can accomplish and reach the mountain top through sheer will and a determination to battle against all odds in charting a personal course in a difficult and unfair world.

From birth, Obama was an unfortunate, almost lonely and seemingly fatherless youth. His father, though a Harvard graduate, was in essence a myth only seeing his son once in life. Obama’s mother, a white woman, must have been at odds with herself in a society then largely racially intolerant. No wonder he was raised in Hawaii by his grandmother who brought him up in a loving and caring way and instilled in him certain values, virtues and disciplines for which he is now so proud and grateful. How different, dutiful and responsible she has been compared with many defaulting parents and guardians across the world today. It was a cruel experience for Obama and for her that she died just one day before seeing him sweep the polls to become the President-elect of the United States.

For Obama, it was his own responsibility and ambition that, instead of taking a backstage in life and bowing to the difficult circumstances which surrounded his boyhood days, that he rose from the sidelines, brushed away his fears and misfortunes and studied law at Harvard University. He admitted during the election campaign of having experimented with drugs, but fully overcame that potentially destructive evil and moved forward.

In time, he entered the political arena after working to promote social justice and other causes for persons in need of that assistance and eventually became the Democratic elected Senator in Illinois. It is from that vantage point, though still largely unknown, that he entered the presidential race, defeating in the primaries his fellow Democratic Party Senator, Hillary Clinton, in a hard-fought and sometimes bitter campaign then gaining her support and that of her husband as he moved on to compete for the presidency. It was an uphill battle against Republican Senator John McCain. He has had to endure charges of inexperience on every hand, sneers about the company he kept in earlier life and fight against the lingering racial elements in the American society.

It was his will to succeed and to remain calm, dignified and statesmanlike during the difficult campaign, his well-articulated and convincing policies and programmes, his plans for economic and financial recovery in the United States and how he would handle various domestic and international issues, which led to his election. There is a daunting task ahead of him not just to be President for all the people of the United States and Commander-in-Chief, but to fulfill, however long it takes, during his four-year presidency, as many of his election promises as possible. In his favour will be the wide-ranging popular support of the people he has received in every state and the acclaim he has earned throughout the world as an emerging leader and international figure. The fact that he has promised to reach out and share the running of the country with all who are willing to work with him, even Republicans, holds out much hope for a successful presidency.

The lessons to learn from Obama’s life and achievements so far are enlightening to all aspiring people everywhere. His coming ascension to the highest office in the nation, tells a story of hope for the downtrodden, the underdogs, the unprivileged, the despised and the fatherless. Like him, all of us must throw off our inhibitions, fears and sense of mediocrity, tell ourselves “yes we can” and go forward. Like him, our families and others around us everywhere will look at us with admiration and hope as we, by our example, inspire and motivate them to achieve also. It will be our mountain top in life.

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