President Elect Barack Obama, the Arts, and the Changing Face of America

Lindsay Live | Nov 05, 2008 | 1

Last night, November 4, 2008, was something I will never forget as long as I live. I was home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, glued to my go-to news channel, CNN. It was 7pm and the first polls were about to close. The points started to come in. Barack Obama had 3 electoral points, John McCain had 8. It was still so early, but my initial reaction was of fear and anxiety. What if the Bradley Effect happened? What if the young people didn't turn up at the polls? What if Sarah Palin becomes VP and is just a heartbeat away from the most powerful job in the free world?

You can probably guess that I am a Democrat. And you'd be correct. Initially, I was a Hillary Clinton supporter - I believed she had the resume, the experience and the guts to be an amazing Commander in Chief. And I loved her stance on the arts, art funding, and arts education. After all, Chelsea was a dancer herself and now serves on the board of School of American Ballet. I rallied for Senator Clinton and happily voted for her in the primaries. When she lost, I was devastated. But I knew what I had to do. I had to support Senator (now President Elect!) Barack Obama.

You may remember a blog entry I posted months ago before the Primaries: "Dance and Politics? How the 2008 Presidential Election May Affect YOU!" In this this entry, I remained purely objective and reported the facts about where each of the front runners stood on the arts and arts funding. As dancers, this topic is of paramount importance to us and our livelihoods.

My analysis yielded clear results. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are ardent supporters of the arts whereas Senator John McCain is not. In fact, McCain has voted numerous times to cut arts funding and he has even supported art censorship (i.e. Helms Amendment in 1999).

Our country is at a huge cross roads right now, and the last thing we need is a leader who wants to put up walls and close doors. The whole point of art is to create dialogue, to challenge, to think. To push the boundaries and to move forward. Art helps bring people together to find common ground. The arts, particularly the performing arts, help people communicate ideas and connect with each other on a higher level of human understanding. And above all, as we saw after September 11, the arts have the power to heal.

That's why last night was so historic - we picked a president who not only supports the arts, but more importantly is a friend and an ally to the arts community. Obama's two adorable daughters take dance lessons. Obama supports funding for the NEA, which has been such an important organization for the arts in America. He supports getting healthcare to artists and their families. I could go on and on and on about why Barack Obama is the best choice for dancers and artists of all kinds.

We have finally entered a new era in this country and we'll dance our way to a new way of thinking. I have faith that we'll be able to show our superiority through our values and ideals instead of through the power of our guns and ammunition. With Barack Obama in charge, we'll once again value science, research, education, diplomacy, and the arts. The days of gun-toting war hawk leadership are over. We are finally showing the world we are the progressive place we claim to be, and I am finally proud to call myself American.

No doubt there are more important issues at stake than the arts - two wars, the economy, global warming, energy independence, etc. But the arts are a powerful way to change, inspire, challenge and unite. If we become a society that values artistic achievement as much as our military prowess, the good vs. evil "with us or against us" mentality of the past 8 years will dissipate. And most importantly, our reputation in the world will be restored.

Furthermore, last night proves that in America ANYTHING is possible. When I was in high school, I remember looking at my history text book with confusion and frustration. Why were all 43 presidents the same gender, race, and religion? Isn't this America, the melting pot? Now, only 54 years since the historic decision of Brown v. Board of Education, we have a black president elect. The country that systematically denied black people rights for decades and decades has finally elected a black person as its leader. As I thought about how the text books will be forever changed, I realized I had tears streaming down my face. Our 44th president is Barack Obama!

When the news channels declared that he had won, everyone in New York City began to celebrate. We opened our windows and shouted out into the streets. Cab drivers honked their horns. I could hear fire works going off in the distance. The promise of hope and change lingered in the air. What a memorable night!

Congratulations to Mr. Obama and his family. You earned it. Now, let's get to work restoring this country... see you in January!

Print Email Link

• Share
  • add to facebook
  • add to del.icio.us
  • add to digg
  • add to yahoo
  • related at technorati

Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap, Modern, Broadway, Ballroom, Teacher, Enthusiast, Parent, Retailer, Studio, Competitions & Conventions, Performance, Summer Study, Arts Funding, Barack Obama, Politics, Pop Culture (all tags)