Excerpt from Jamaica Observer column published 23 Jan 2017
by Jean
Lowrie-Chin
Within
a few minutes last Friday, the United States of America, the most powerful
country in the world, said farewell to former President Barack Obama and
inaugurated their new President, Donald Trump.
According to the polls, Barack Obama is exiting with one of the highest
favourability ratings of recent Presidents while Donald Trump is entering the
White House with the lowest since polling on this began 45 years ago. One person
on social media quipped: “In a few minutes, the leadership of the world changed
hands, from Barack Obama … to Angela Merkel!”
Despite
the many negative and misguided pronouncements of President Trump particularly
his description of Civil Rights Hero Congressman John Lewis as “all talk and no
action”, President Obama assured the media in his final Press Conference at the
White House that “we’re going to be okay”.
For
those who found the Trump Inauguration traumatic, the late shows on Friday
evening brought comic relief. There was
Trevor Noah suggesting that the low attendance at the event was the result of
‘draining the swamp’ while Stephen Colbert suggested that Trump had ‘put
America back to work’ hence the turnout.
Both used the aerial views of attendance at the Obama and Trump
inaugurations, which showed that Trump had less than one-third of the turnout
that Obama did.
Bill
Maher had Steve Olbermann as a special guest, so you can imagine the witty
hammering that the incoming president received.
Maher’s guests ended on a serious note:
Americans should be vigilant and active to protect their freedom, and
the rights of the most vulnerable in their society.
Kudos,
therefore to the hundreds of thousands who marched in Washington DC, throughout
America and in cities across the world for the protection of women’s and human
rights. We should be particularly proud
of Senator Kamala Harris, whose father is Jamaican-born for her stirring call
to the marchers.
Thank you Barack and Michelle Obama
When
Barack Obama won the US Presidential elections in 2008, we draped ribbons with
Obama pins over portraits of our children.
For people of colour, the ascent of an African American to the White
House represented the realisation of Dr Martin Luther King’s dream and the
affirmation of Marcus Mosiah Garvey that when you have confidence, you have won
before you have even started.
Of
course, we were nervous, because with that cynical ‘birther’ movement initiated
by Donald Trump who just recently admitted that he was wrong, we wondered if
there would be not only digging, but ‘cooking’ of the facts around this
brilliant, exemplary couple. And so, we
breathed a sigh of relief when we saw Barack and Michelle Obama, step out of
the White House on Friday morning with their heads held high, their reputation
not only intact, but enhanced.
We
in Jamaica were at fever pitch when President Obama graced us with a visit in
2015. Below is an excerpt from my column of April 15, 2015
[President Obama] walked into the UWI Assembly Hall and hailed his
audience with “Greetings, massive! Wah gwaan, Jamaica? … I want to
thank the University of the West Indies for hosting us. Big up,
You-Wee! Thank you. I’ve been making myself at home here.”
As we awaited his arrival, all the talk was about his visit
to the Bob Marley Museum, his singing along to “Exodus” and “One Love”, his
reference to his collection of Marley albums… This President touched a special
chord when he referred to Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce: “I get a chance
to say hi to Usain Bolt and Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce. When you have the fastest
people on the planet, you’ve got to say hi to them, right? Because that’s
fast. There are a lot of people out there, and they’re the
fastest!”
We do
hope President (yes, he keeps his title) and Mrs Obama will visit us soon, so
they can feel the love we Jamaicans will always have for them. God speed, Obama family!
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