Chick Chat: The View Makes Me Question the African-American Community

With all this talk of racism I feel like I"m going to be attacked by at least some one for the things I am about to discuss/say. Yet, I have to admit that I don't care, they are my thoughts on a matter that should be open to discussion. By keeping race, racism in this don't ask, don't tell, lock down, taboo container we are only hurting and perpetuatin the issue.

On YouTube there is a video of Sherri Shepherd on The View discussing the election of Barack Obama. She get's very emotional and starts to talk about her son. Here is the basic idea of what she said...."I sat by my sons bed, and we've always been, people of color, we've always had these limitation on us....to look at my son and say, no limitation on you, its an extraordinary day for me to be able to tell my son..."

What Sherri said, I feel like I've heard the same thing from many others in the African-American community. I totally respect and can appreciate the historic nature of this election but I am just sincerely confused about this whole situation. I had a few questions come to mind...

Why is it that so much of this "we can do anything now" attitude is just now coming to light in the Africa American community?
Why is this election the "turning point" for black advancement?
Why hasn't the black community been able to rally this "success IS possible regardless of color" attitude before?

I just don't understand why the African American community wasn't able to do these thing before. To me it seems like they have held onto these prejudices as almost a safety blanket and perpetuated that to each generation, instead of trying to eradicate this "woe is me" attitude.

I'm Hispanic, there had obviously never been a Hispanic president, but I still feel that I can accomplish anything. When I was going to college in Pennsylvania, at a predominantly Anglo school, I didn't find myself ever thinking, "Oh, I don't think I'll do this because I'm different from them." I never look at things and say, oh I'm a different color or ethnicity and people will look/judge/accept me differently so I'm not going to do it.

I'm sincerely curious and confused about this continuous self perpetuated glass ceiling. I do understand that there is a degree of difficulty for the black community that doesn't exist for others. But in the past 40, almost 50 years of equality, why hasn't one generation stood up and taken that basic idea of "We are not going to be defined by the color of our skin", and added to that, "we are not going to rely on that defiance as an explanation, good or bad, for our status. My failure or success' aren't based on the color of my skin but on me, my work ethic and my persistence."

Is this the generation that will come to that realization?
Did it really take a half white black man getting all the way to the White House to get an entire community to realize that the American Dream is possible?
How many black communities are plagued with teenage pregnancy, single parent households, abuse, poverty, drug and alcohol problems, both selling and using?

There was a point in history where the black man was completley judged on the color of his skin. But is that really the case anymore? When will the African American community see that the girl getting pregnant, the woman raising her child by herself, the man emotionally or physically hurting a woman, the welfare checks instead of paycheck, the buying and selling of illegal substances, is not the "white man" fault anymore...when will they accept responsibility for their community instead of using these things as an crutch??

I am in no way trying to antagonize any group or be labeled a racist in any measure. I'm just trying to understand the logic, reasoning behind this generationally perpetuated glass ceiling.

Around 1:20 Sherri's portion begins: