CSMONITOR: With Obama's victory, Europe's minorities sense new possibilities : Robert Marquand
With Obama's victory, Europe's minorities sense new possibilities : Robert Marquand
The election of Barack Obama may have revolutionized the world's view of America. But for Africans and Arabs in Europe, he is much more – a liberator figure whose success and social mobility will help them one day crack open the closed doors of European politics. In Paris's black neighborhoods, in the barber shops, the African boutiques, the crowded bus stops, the groceries, President-elect Obama's election is felt deeply and personally – creating a sense that it is time to push for more. "Obama has restored belief in the American dream," says Pap Ndiaye, who is with the School for the Advanced Study of the Social Sciences in Paris. "But his election also has a direct social effect in France, because the black youth think it is possible there [in the US] but not here.
Note EU-Digest: Very true. In some countries like the Netherlands this is already happening. Click on this link to read the story.
Labels: Barack Obama, EU, France, The Netherlands
