Guest Post: Michelle of White Trash Mom on Oprah, Obama, and Race

MOMocrats welcome Guest Contributor Michelle Lamar, author of newly released book, The White Trash Mom's Handbook, a humorous look at parenting, on what the election has meant to her.

All I Need to Know I Learned from Oprah and My 10-Year-Old

Oprah and my 10-year-old daughter made me cry yesterday.

My younger daughter chose Oprah as the subject for her class essay. Her assignment was to write an essay about a person that changed the world.   Most of the other kids picked people like George Washington or Betsy Ross.  My daughter picked Oprah as one of the people that changed the world.

I thought her subject for her essay was awesome.  I was proud of my daughter for having her own opinion and picking someone who is making a difference in today's world.

Oprah and my daughter made me cry yesterday. As I  read Kate’s essay, it hit me that my daughter doesn't view Oprah Winfrey as a black woman or even a woman.  She views Oprah Winfrey as a person that changed the world!

I cried tears of joy because I realized that MAYBE the world was changing...for the good.  Kate believes Oprah changed the world because she is a person of character and strong convictions. I remembered Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his speech about his dream:

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

I know we aren't there yet.  But MAYBE we are a little closer to Dr. King's dream?  Obama could be President because he's a good person, chosen to be the best person for the job.  Could it be that his race is not an issue?    Pinch me because I think I am dreaming and I don’t want to wake up from this dream.

Michelle Lamar is the author of the new parenting book from St. Martin’s Press titled “The White Trash Mom Handbook”.  Author Michelle Lamar began writing a blog under the persona "White Trash Mom" in 2005 to help other parents cope with some of the crazy expectations of modern parenting. The message of the blog AND the book is that being perfect is just a myth that makes modern moms feel lousy.

Comments

[Michelle Lamar]

Thanks Momocrats for the guest post! You guys rock and I am putting out the good word about raising money to go to the Democratic convention. Keep up the good work!

[abbyjess]

Let's hope so.

[Gunfighter]

While race remins an issue in American politics, perhaps it isn't as great an issue as it has been in years past.

Things HAVE changed. Things will continue to change. My children will grow to adulthood knowing that there is no reason that someone who looks like them cannot become President (not that I would want either of them to venture into the sewer of politics).

[JayMonster]

I fear that this is not quite as far along as you believe. Your daughter has such convictions and is wise in this way because you taught her well.

There are an equal (if not greater) number of people that (even if it is not overtly) teach their children to keep racism (and sexism for that matter) alive and well.

Yes, things have gotten better than in the past, but it is still a long road ahead. When Barack Obama becomes President, it is going to be a big deal that he is "the first black President" and will be noted that way for some time even after he leaves office.

When someday, history books change, and a paragraph doesn't include the phrase "first black President" next to his name (and it is relegated to an asterisk or footnote) we will know we have arrived at that dream world. But that is not (unfortunately) going to happen as quickly as we would like.

[PunditMom]

Thanks for sharing that! I love to hear how our children view things in the world, especially when we think there are no new ways to see things!

[Karen Putz]

Kudos to you for leading the way for your daughter! I'd like to hope that the color of our skin or our gender, etc. are not the reasons we choose our leaders. We need to stick to the issues that count.