Remarks by Ambassador Wills at launch of "Mwa Kreol"

Port Louis, October 29, 2010:

It gives me great pleasure to be amongst you this morning. You know, I was out of country when I received your invitation but when my staff informed me that I was invited as chief guest for this event, I said “Yes” without any hesitation.

“Mwa Kreol” (“Creole Month” or as a pun “I the Creole”), I also interpret it as, “I, Mary Jo Wills, member of one of the minority groups in the United States of America.”   It is an issue which lies at the core of the history of Mauritius and the United States as well.  And it is with immense pleasure that the U.S. Government granted US$3500.00 to the Truth & Justice Commission last month to run tests on skeletons and other samples discovered at Le Morne cemetery.  I look forward to the results of these tests!

On November 4, 2008, I was surprised when my country, in an historic shift, elected the first African-American president, Illinois Senator Barack Obama.  The United States has changed greatly in my lifetime.  Like most political leaders every where our new president is highly educated – he went to a preparatory school, Columbia University and Harvard Law School – and like all successful politicians he has been both lucky and masterful in running political campaigns.  But a generation ago I think every American commentator would have agreed that even a well-educated, lucky and masterful black man had no chance at all of winning the Presidency.

But even 40 years ago, some believed in the possibility of nearly cataclysmic change in America.  Did you know that Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy in 1968 said that “Things are moving so fast in race relations a Negro could be president in 40 years?”  He even predicted the exact year.

The election of Barack Obama as President sent out a message of hope across the world.  We have not reached a “race-less society” as some experts talked about, but President Obama’s election proves, I think, that Americans have reached a point where race is no longer the decisive factor in how ordinary people see each other.  To put it another way, race alone no longer excludes anyone from the American dream or even becoming President of the United States. 

Of course, African Americans and others have been achieving that dream for quite a while before Barack Obama’s election.  In recent years, two distinguished African Americans have served as Secretaries of State.   President Obama appointed Sonia Sotomayor to be the first Latino woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme court.   My own family’s experience reflects the historic opportunities for minorities transforming both America and indeed our entire world.  While my own parents had no hope of going to college, and their career choices were severely limited not only by skill, but by the artificial construct of race, possibilities have dramatically improved for my own generation.

One of my sisters has a law degree and I have two Master’s degrees and am working on my PhD.   Fairness and equal opportunity is happening in Mauritius also, but minorities and defenders of the Open Society must do their part to ensure that our children are educated, skilled and prepared to both find and undertake each and every opportunity. 

Before ending, I wish to share a personal anecdote with you. 

For a long time I didn’t believe that an Obama victory was possible.  Then one day my sister said “did you see that white voter on CNN?  He dressed and sounded like someone from a small town, but he said he was going to vote for Barack, because he didn’t want to vote for Hilary Clinton!”  At some point around that time, I started to believe the dream of an African-American President was possible.

It is possible because as Americans we believe in four key values: democracy, liberty, opportunity and hope.  I trust that Mauritius is also founded on these principles. So remember, Yes We CAN!

I thank you for your attention.