Because I'm black?

"We all know who you are voting for, it's written all on your face."

Really?

Why? Because I'm black?

This is a comment that I hear too often, forcing me to defend myself, so here is what I have to say about it.

Stop saying it.

This phrase is very offensive to me because it suggests that, as a black person, I am not capable of logically voting for the best candidate for president but rather, that I am a shallow person who would vote Satan into office as long as he was black.

Stop with the generalizations.

It is important to realize that there are a lot of blacks like myself who are following the campaign trails and watching the debates just like every other American. They are doing this in order to decide on who they think will be the best person for the job.

Now, for those who pose that question to me, I have one for you:

"Are you not voting for Obama because he's black?"

It is true that many blacks are voting for Obama but their reasons are not just because of the color of his skin.

According to the New York Times, 90 percent of blacks have always voted democratic and regardless of who or what color the candidate was. So why are people acting like we are completely going against our beliefs when we vote for Obama?

Let me point out another ignorant question I've heard: "Would all the black people vote for Condoleezza Rice if she ran for President?"

I don't know. But I do know that it wouldn't be her skin color that decides it.

I wish this election could be based on straight facts and what the candidates will offer for the people, but we can't be oblivious to the fact that race is going to be a major determinate in this year's election.

Just look at the recent events. We've just had two skinheads in Tennessee plot to assassinate Obama and an old woman at a McCain rally who was scared because she wrongfully thought that Obama was Arab and did not want an Arab man to be her president.

This election is too important for individuals to choose a leader based on irrelevant issues like race. We as citizens must make sure that when we go to the polls we are voting with a consciousness that whoever gets elected into office will correctly determine the course that America takes from here on out.

There have been some extremists who suggest that if you don't vote for Obama than you are racist, but that is absurd. All I'm asking is that before you go in haste to the polls, take a moment to decide who you believe is the best candidate for the American people. '

If you are black and you honestly think McCain is a better fit for this country, forget what people will say and vote for him. If you don't associate yourself with "Arabs" but think you can make an exception with Obama because his policies will benefit America, then go for it.

In 1988, a black man by the name of Reverend Jesse Jackson ran for president and was turned away because it was said that America was not ready for a black person in office. Twenty years later, if Obama is not meant for the White House, let it be his policies that keep him out, not his race.