THE MOVEMENT

Obama's victory was the triumph of a movement that began with the Freedom Riders. But we have heard nothing much from that movement since Kent State. How is that the culmination comes now?

There were three reasons why the movement disintegrated: 1) the assassinations of the '60's; 2) the ascension of Nixon; and 3) the failure of blacks to produce a new inspirational leader. Kent State effectively ended the participation of whites in what was then considered radical politics and movements. The blacks were not able to carry the movement on by themselves.

However, individual blacks took advantage of the accomplishments of the movement - because though no one was talking about it, white barriers to the admission of blacks to white ranks were down. Colin Powell, Condoleeza Rice, etc. took advantage of that. And so did Obama.

But neither Rice nor Powell had the guts to run for office. What Obama did was put himself out there as a candidate who was no different from many educated whites, and happened to be black. It was whites who picked up on him and his inspiration, which had little to do with his being black. So in a strange sort of way his movement revived at least the spirit of the '60's counterculture, which had been invisible since Kent State. And in the reverse of the '60's, that counterculture led to a revival of the civil rights movement, rather than the other way around. Whites did not really think of Obama as black - not until yesterday, when history reawoke.

And now Obama is considering Bobby Kennedy Jr for head of the EPA (a brilliant choice if he makes it) and Caroline Kennedy for UN Ambassador (another brilliant choice). And all I can think is: why did we let them bury that light for forty years? I'd feel like a kid again, except I'm not a kid, and there've been so many wasted years.