Obama's own small-town values

I am posting an Op-Ed I wrote that appears in today's Chicago Tribune.


Speakers are the Republican National Convention talked a lot about small-town values. They told America that a man from Chicago could not relate to the homegrown ethics of ordinary people. I know better. Barack Obama was my state senator. Right in the middle of that Senate district is my beloved small town, Hyde Park. There is no small town that knows more about sacrifice, honesty, hard work, community and patriotism.


We know about terrorism. In Hyde Park, I was embraced by dozens of neighbors on Sept. 11, 2001. We stood at Lake Michigan and turned our eyes toward our precious Chicago skyline. We kept vigil over our city, wondering if we would be targeted next.


We know how to be neighborly. Hyde Park is where a homeless man caught me when I stumbled while walking home in the snow eight months pregnant. He carried my bags 10 blocks. He wasn't rich but he was righteous. Hyde Park is where we make room for one another to set up tents and barbecue in the parks on warm summer days. We parade down 53rd Street on Independence Day and together we listen to blues and jazz. We celebrate America with the flair and flavor of the best patriots.


We know about the energy crisis. In Hyde Park we walk to work, take Metra or catch the No. 6 bus downtown. We are city people, but share our trees with monk parakeets and feed the pigeons in the park.


We know about the power of faith. In Hyde Park we brave the bitter winds to gather in Rockefeller Chapel on Thanksgiving morning. We are welcomed by African drums; we are blessed by rabbis, priests and preachers; then we are sent home to our holiday feasts by the small of burning sage offered by Indian tribal leaders.


We know about caring for our young people. In Hyde Park I watched a young woman turn down corporate job offers so that she could take over as principal of a failing public high school. With the help of parents, the commitment of students, and her own powerful determination, she is making Kenwood Academy one of the best schools in the city.

We know about diversity. Blacks and whites share a chess game in the park. Jews and Muslims work together to feed the hungry. Immigrants and citizens share the lakefront for a jog.


We know how to look beyond the outside of a person. I learned that the old man who sits st the Starbucks worked for the late Mayor Harold Washington; the young students buying compact discs escaped genocide in her home country; the homeless man seeking handouts is a skilled carpenter; and the skinny guy who represented us in the General Assembly had the chops to be president.


Hyde Park is not perfect. We struggle over affordable housing and business development. We worry about the relationship between the University of Chicago and the community. We worry that young people have a place to play and seniors have a place to rest. We worry about the snow in winter and the heat in summer. We are not perfect, but we struggle together.


This is what Barack Obama learned when he served Hyde Park. He learned that love of country means tolerating difference. He learned that everyone has something to contribute to the debate. He learned that democracy is messy because we have to find a way to work together across our differences. Hyde Park is a small town. We know each other. We smile at each other's children. We greet each other's pets. We pray for each other.


The people of rural America do not have a monopoly on these principles. And they are not the only Americans who count. Obama spent nearly a decade representing one of the best "small towns" in America.


Melissa Harris-Lacewell is a professor of politics and African American studies at Princeton University She lived in Hyde Park and taught at the University of Chicago from 1999-2006. She misses it every day.
http://princetonprofs.blogspot.com/2008/09/obamas-own-small-town-values.html