Like most of America, I watched our president address the nation last night. The State of the Union Address is something I have always watched. Because I am a relatively young headmaster, I’ve only watched Bush the Father, Clinton, Bush the Son, and now Obama. Last night’s address was painful to watch. It wasn’t painful because of anything President Obama said; I think he said all he can say, given the fact that America isn’t a dictatorship. Why the address was painful is because it made it clear to me that we are in the midst of our own modern Civil War. Traditionally, the State of the Union Address is somewhat of a pep-rally. Some of the elected officials in the room might have disagreed with the president’s policies, but you wouldn’t have known that from watching the State of the Union Address. I don’t recall Republicans getting up and walking out before Clinton exited the room. The Democrats at least clapped for George W. Bush.  But now, we see defiant, still hands, and “gentlemen” refusing to stand, while sporting sarcastic smirks. Even when the cameras are focused on said individuals, and they know it, these individuals are so bold as to mouth their discontent while their president is speaking. This leads us to presume these individuals are confident that their anti-Obama sentiments are shared by many. Or maybe they recognize there is likely no consequence. Perhaps our president will defeat a struggling economy, an expensive war, and a broken healthcare system. But what I fear he cannot defeat is his skin color.

Last year at this time, “our” community was abuzz with inspiration; and with good reason. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of history? Then Senator Obama commanded an almost “rock star” presence, and it paid off at the polls. But two days ago, in a critical Atlanta Mayoral race, the city only managed 33% voter turnout. People just don’t seem to be excited enough to vote for anything but the president. But in reality, it’s your local election that means the most. The things the president does will eventually affect everyone. But the things that affect our everyday lives- local taxes, cost of living, laws, schools, safety- are controlled by local government; the people we probably wouldn’t recognize on sight. How do we get our community more excited about local elections? It’s not sexy to vote for your commissioner, and no rappers will endorse candidates for the school board. But if we don’t get more involved, we’ll have no one to blame but ourselves.

As much as I despise the term “C.P. Time”, its assumption does have some merit. Why is it that some of us feel that being on time is optional? Even more curious: Why would one consistently be late? Is this the result of the adoption of a disorderly lifestyle, or is it simply an indication of a lack of concern for others? Whichever the reason, being late is a big deal. It’s a big deal because our community has been stamped with the “we are always late” stereotype, which we continually support. If you can be somewhere at 6:05, you very well could’ve been there at 6. So what’s the problem? The problem is that we not only expect it, but worse; we accept it. No more! It’s the “little things” like tucking in a shirt, saying “Yes Sir”, and being on time that often make the difference. As parents, we have to set the example for our children. Otherwise, we are creating a generation of young people with no respect for order; and none of us wants that.

All of us knew that our President would face challenges unlike any before him, as he is different from any before him (at least under the current Constitution, but that’s for another time). But I must say that this is just ridiculous. Since when is it okay to keep public school students from watching a message sent from the President of The United States of America?  That is who he is, by the way. And since when is it so important to hear what the former Vice President has to say? He’s made more comments since Obama’s presidency than he did when he was running the country for George W. Bush. The answer to these questions can be found in a question. Since when is the President black?

It’s a new school year, and all our students are bright-eyed and ready to go, filled with lofty goals and high expectations. It’s no different than the way most people start a new year. We look back over what we’ve done, regretting the things we haven’t. Reflection results in the inevitabe conclusion that we will change the things that have caused our perceived failures. But at the end of the day, all we often change is our ideas. True change requires change of action. In other words: You can’t expect a different result without doing something different. So the question we pose to our students is: What are you going to do differently? Are you going to spend less time on Myspace? Are you going to limit your cell phone usage on school nights? Are you going to go to bed early enough, so that you can be as alert as you need to be in class the next day? If you want a different result, change what you do.

The Presidential victory for Barack Obama is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most significant events in American History.  But I knew that as soon as he was elected, some disillusioned individuals would suggest that race relations are somehow “fixed” now that the president is black. Is it really, now? Ask those black children who weren’t allowed to swim how much better it is. And what about a black Harvard professor being harassed and discriminated against IN HIS OWN HOME? America is no different today than it was before anyone had ever heard of Barack Obama. That is why it is critical that as black educators we prepare our students to compete in a world in which their DNA will inevitably present an obstacle. They need to understand that although they must never use their ethnicity as an excuse, they do need to accept that it will be a factor. That is, unless you think America has changed.

There is no such thing as an overnight success. It only seems that way because you didn’t see that person when they were building their dream. It takes time to become a success. Just because you just found out about a great talent, doesn’t mean they haven’t been perfecting their craft for years. If you want to be great, you have to work hard when no one is watching. That way, when somebody finally is, there will be something worth talking about.

In America, there are black sports, and there are white sports- or so society deems. Football, basketball, track: black sports. Swimming, hockey, golf: white. But there’s one more sterotypically, but also statistically white sport that I’ve yet to mention: soccer. My twin girls, Tyler and Kennedy are a part of the South Dekalb YMCA Jaguar Soccer Club. Four of our teams qualified for the district championships this weekend: the 10 and under boys and girls, and the 12 and under boys and girls( our team). All but the 10 and under girls won the district championship today! All four teams qualified for the state championships in Columbus next weekend! My intitial point: we are a black program, and every single team we played was predominantly white. Our teams battle racial discrimination that is sometimes so obvious that even the parents of the opposing teams blush with guilt. We are trailblazers, in a sense. Like our new President, The SDY Jaguars are an example of content over color. Warriors: never allow the world to put you in a box. Do what you want to do, and excel. That’s what the SDY Jaguars do, and so do Warriors.

WFL

People are always talking about how bad kids have gotten these days; and I will admit that their claims are often valid. But when I look at my Warriors, I don’t see that. I see kids; and with kids comes immaturity and mistakes. Warriors aren’t perfect. But Warriors aren’t “in the streets”. Warriors aren’t doing drugs or selling drugs. Warriors aren’t in gangs.  What I see is a group of young individuals armed with talent, confidence, respect, and work ethic. Now this took and continues to take work. There’s a reason Warriors are unique. For those of you already in the family, you know what that is. To all my Warriors: I am proud of you.

Warriors 4 Life.