Change is for real

Had it not been for the candidacy of Barack Obama, this book cover might have offended me. "Cute," I'd have thought. "But don't play head-games with African American children." But images like this are no longer far fetched. How far have we come?

For a second, let's pretend we don't know he's an African American. Let's pretend we don't know about his incredible oratory and organizational skills. For a second, let's pretend we only know his name: Barack Hussein Obama.

Do you know what that says to little Black kids with ghetto-french names you can't pronounce, like Jaekwon, LeMarcus, Quanaisha, Ri'Sharrd, Treveone, TyJon, and Yaneisha?

Means you can be Black, have a funny name, and still run for President of the greatest country in the world. Change might've began as a clever political slogan. But change has certainly come.

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In other news: If anyone knows how to contact this illustrator, have him contact me. Or better yet, have him contact his family. It's very important he do so.