An Emotional President Obama Tours Former Slave Port with Family

Why shouldn't Obama commit $$ for healthcare over there? You live in America, you have PLENTY of privileges! Just because one year, things are "tough" you're running around crying instead of making the most of what you got and working harder. Just because Obama commits this little amount of money over there doesn't mean you're going to stop getting your starbucks. People around the world live for decades in the economic situation you might be experiencing in the last few months. Get off the computer, go get a job and feed your family and stop looking for where to lay blame!

"Obama's Afican father came to America as a free man, got a free US education, married a 17-year old American woman, had a child by her, then deserted her and the child to return to Africa."

Techinically he didn't marry her, since he was already married to someone else at the time. But we can pretend.

Posted by: paul | Jul 12, 2009 2:27:20 PM
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While I disagree with much of Mr. Obama's political career and his current agenda, he was able to break the cycle with what appears to be a strong sense of family.

Danita, I understand the process and you expressed it admirably. You did not however, address this statement.

"existing ignorances are simply replaced by others"

None of us know what prejudices await us and future generations. Each generation has its own to deal with. 9/11 proved that Middle Easterners who were accepted here in the U.S. became targets of prejudice and retribution. What events will trigger the next generation of prejudices?

I believe that one positive aspect of the social immigration you mention is (if you allow me this phrase) the mixing of ethnicities. It has been mentioned by others on this blog. As younger generations grow, rejecting the prejudices of their parents and grandparents, they mingle socially and relationally.

But greed, evil, sin whatever you wish to call it will always be a stumbling block that can IMO never be eradicated.

"Obama's Afican father came to America as a free man, got a free US education, married a 17-year old American woman, had a child by her, then deserted her and the child to return to Africa."

Techinically he didn't marry her, since he was already married to someone else at the time. But we can pretend.

Obama's Afican father came to America as a free man, got a free US education, married a 17-year old American woman, had a child by her, then deserted her and the child to return to Africa.

I did not vote for President Obama. But i do not diminish or undermine the relevance of this incredible moment in history.

Timmy . ..

I'm talking about a local neighborhood here in America where the past generation attempted to pass along their ignorances to the kids. Protestants weren't supposed to marry Catholics, Catholics were alleged to believe Protestants went to hell, President John F. Kennedy was 'dangerous' because he was Catholic - all this nonsense. John Kennedy was hated by the bigots in the United States simply for being Catholic.

What happened was very simple. All us kids Catholic and Protestant played together and liked each other. We found out it was all a bunch of malarkey. Same as if you get to hang out with people of any other culture. You may not immediately understand their mannerisms or their accents, but through interacting you will find out they have beautiful children just like you, they simply want a good life for themselves and their family.

As we've discussed before, their are extremists in every religion and culture - and to be avoided whenever possible - you will find extremist pentacosts, extremist mulsims, extremist jews - MOST THINK THEY'RE THE CHOSEN ONES.

These people have little desire to accommodate and learn about others, cling to their beliefs with an iron fist, and mostly feel SUPERIOR and have a desire to fight and destroy the other. The other is evil to them. Sad.

Again, all of this is brainwashing and can easily be undone over a generation or two.

This is the great hope, and what was expressed on this trip to the slave castle in Ghana. A few short generations ago Africans were removed from their homelands and enslaved in America.

Today a descendant of those American slaves is the first lady in the White House. This is a great victory for those on the side of freedom, liberty and equality.

This shows how we evolve and learn as a species, how we shed prejudices and nonsense and move forward into a brighter and less bigoted future.

My children are moving far beyond me - it's brilliant.

At one time where I was raised, Catholics and Protestant were TAUGHT to be enemies of each other and fought with each other. That idiocy is now long gone now. Posted by: danita | Jul 12, 2009 1:36:56 AM
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Scanning through the Wiki page on these, it seems more like a political resolution was the reason it is gone and not that they cleansed themselves of ignorance.

"A feature of Northern Irish politics since the Agreement has been the eclipse in electoral terms of the relatively moderate parties, such as the Social Democratic and Labour Party and Ulster Unionist Party, by more extreme parties—Sinn Féin and the DUP. Similarly, although political violence is greatly reduced, sectarian animosity has not disappeared. Residential areas are more segregated between Catholic nationalists and Protestant unionists than ever.

Because of this, progress towards restoring the power-sharing institutions has been slow and tortuous. Though the "peace process" is slow-going, movements have formed which give those affected by the Troubles a voice in their communities. In particular, the Corrymeela Community in Ballycastle teaches the prejudice-reduction model, which has been adopted by the Ulster Project International to improve relations between Protestant and Catholic families across the country."

Perhaps you can shed more light on it. Admittedly, I am simply scanning for info.

The days of those particular prejudices have almost completely faded. Ignorance can be overcome, and it continues to be.
Posted by: danita | Jul 12, 2009 1:36:56 AM
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Migration and immigration tend to increase social intelligence. Yes. I agree with this but only with those who are open to it. Otherwise, existing ignorances are simply replaced by others. As the ignorances of European immigrants during the early 1900s have faded, they have simply been replaced by others. Ignorances about negroes, jews, asian, middle easteners, indians, whites, men, women, children. Ignorance is never eradicated but is influenced by the immigration patterns of the planet.

Utopia is not coming no matter how much you wish it would. Ignorance, prejudice, hatred, etc. are all rooted in sin. Sin will not be erased in our world until Christ returns. In the meantime, the only thing holding it back are the system of laws and punishment and the power of the Holy Spirit. You can read about it in the New Testament.

I don't think any race is free of past ignorances and abuse. The great thing about this is the celebration of the way we emancipate ourselves from ignorance generation by generation.

A descendant of American slaves is now the first lady of the United States.

Amazing and inspiring.

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Yes, Timmy each succeeding generation adopts slightly different values than the proceeding. At one time where I was raised, Catholics and Protestant were TAUGHT to be enemies of each other and fought with each other. That idiocy is now long gone now.

Migration and immigration tend to increase social intelligence. Even Italians were first called names by bigots when the arrived in America, as were people from Poland, Germany and so on. Ignorance was rampant. The days of those particular prejudices have almost completely faded.

We now have a descendant of American slaves as the first lady of the United States.

That is amazing and inspiring.

Ignorance can be overcome, and it continues to be.

The ignorances of the past are cleansed and abandoned by each succeeding generation. Posted by: danita | Jul 11, 2009 2:27:57 PM
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This just isn't true. History is full of civilizations that do not follow this pattern. If this were true, civilizations would not have disappeared. They would just continue to get better and better as each generation was "cleansed" and abandoned the ignorance of the previous generation.

He isn't the global leader. He is a politician.

He is President of the United States. It is our country that has given him the platform, and our country that makes him special. It is our interests he must serve. It is our work that gives the government the money for him to promise.

Posted by: MayBee | Jul 11, 2009 1:45:33 PM
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"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

Just in case anyone has forgotten his job description.

African-Americans and Native-Americans owned slaves.

Eyes, you missed Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, Persians, Mayans, Aztecs,...a host of others.

Slavery has existed since the dawn of civilization. Most slavery throughout history has been debt slavery, where people use their bodies (or the bodies of family members) as collateral on a loan, fail to repay it, and become a slave to the individual who loaned them the money. Thus most slavery throughout human history has not had a racial component-- people were enslaved by members of their own ethnic group, and race did not distinguish master from slave. Is that better or worse? It is equally morally repugnant to us today.

That is not to excuse the slave trade that brought Michelle Obama's ancestors to America. That was a terrible institution and the eradication of slavery around the world, a movement that continues to this day because slavery still exists today, is a great step forward. As Kene wrote, knowing history means never forgetting the lessons of the past.

(interesting side-light-- the market for African slaves in the middle east and north africa predated the development of the Middle Passage across the Atlantic, and continued after the trade had ended in the west.)

I found it moving that the Obamas visited this museum and thought that on this subject,the president spoke quite movingly. When he isn't speaking on political matters, he can indeed be quite eloquent.

I am not going to debate the slavery issues and the wrongs of the past. But I'll I do know is that if Obama doesn't start paying attention to what's going on in the homefront and these two wars that are draining our country every American citizen is going to be economic slaves to the government. Also, I find it completely irresponsible to go over there to Africa and committ $63 billion to them for health care and services when we got so many here that have no health care. I say Mr. Obama needs to cancel these overseas "celebrity" ventures and start cleaning up his own house in which he was elected to do. After all he isn't the President of the World, he's the President of the United States!

"Africans were the only ones ever to experience slavery. Not the Indians, Irish, British, Romans, Greeks, Celts, Slavs, Jews, Egyptians, Macedonians, Babylonians, Sumerians, Gauls, Spanish, Franks, Norse, Poles ... did I miss any?" Posted by: Eyes Open | Jul 11, 2009 9:02:43 PM

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I don't think any race is free of past ignorances and abuse. The great thing about this is the celebration of the way we emancipate ourselves from ignorance generation by generation.

A descendant of American slaves is now the first lady of the United States.

Amazing and inspiring.

Africans were the only ones ever to experience slavery. Not the Indians, Irish, British, Romans, Greeks, Celts, Slavs, Jews, Egyptians, Macedonians, Babylonians, Sumerians, Gauls, Spanish, Franks, Norse, Poles ... did I miss any?

I have nothing against teaching about the horrors of the early African slave trade, as long as we remember that the people involved in this atrocity are long gone. Our greater focus should be on the inhumanity that is occurring today.

"It's entirely possible that Barack Obama's ancestors were responsible for selling Michelle Obama's ancestors into slavery.

How awkward."

Why would that be awkward? The Irish killed the Irish for decades out of ignorance, religious brainwashing and political domination by the British.

This type of stuff has been going on all over the planet.

The point is we evolve past it generation by generation.

A descendant of American slaves is now the first lady in the White House. This is an extraordinary accomplishment on the part of America and all the peoples involved.

It's entirely possible that Barack Obama's ancestors were responsible for selling Michelle Obama's ancestors into slavery.

How awkward.