Greatness Undenied

Not that long ago there was a man, a real man, not a whiner, a blamer or a 'woe is me' but one to whom others could look for inspiration.  His name was Booker T. Washington (1856 - 1915).  He spoke of the kind of person you could be, not what others said you were.  He could never have imagined the likes of an Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Barrack Obama, or even a Jimmy Carter, all of which are folks who view man as a weakling in need of a government's helping hand.  

Those men would have had no place in his world for they should never have risen to positions of prominence.  His view of the qualities that promote success were of a much different kind.  This he wrote a mere 35 years after the end of slavery:

"When a Negro girl learns to cook, to wash dishes, to sew, to write a book, or a Negro boy learns to groom horses, or to grow sweet potatoes, or to produce butter, or to build a house, or to be able to practice medicine, as well or better than someone else, they will be rewarded regardless of race or color. In the long run, the world is going to have the best, and any difference in race, religion or previous history will not long keep the world from what it wants. ... The (future of my race hinges on whether) it can make itself of such indispensable value that the people .. . where we reside will feel that our presence is necessary to the happiness and well-being of the community. No man who continues to add something to the material, intellectual and moral well-being of the place in which he lives is long left without proper reward. This is a great human law which cannot be permanently nullified."

Now such a man stands in our midst as living proof of those sage words.  His name is Herman Cain.  The following quote taken from a recent article in Investors.com captures the essence of this fresh new phenomena on the political scene named Herman Cain. 

"Cain represents a hard-working, up-from-the-bootstraps, financially successful, plain-spoken Republican Southern black man who believes America in 2011 and America in 1960 are different worlds. Worse for the grievance crowd, Cain calls out the Democratic Party for fostering a victicrat mentality and creating a sense of entitlement.

Cain's straight talk makes him stand out in debates. He is now close to cracking the top tier of candidates. Clearly, lots of people have begun to listen. What if blacks start listening?"

A man such as this can not long be denied his proper place of honor.  It may not come as a nominee for his party but in whatever form is awarded his due recognition, it will come with the special dignity he has brought to to the American conscience.