The picture that you see is a poster that I made. I made this poster to honor my husband and son. I prefer to place my gaze on the two of them. Yet, without a doubt the gaze has been placed upon a man who used to be an unknown Chicago professor turned politician. Today, the world reference him solely by his surname--Obama. Along with the "Obama gaze" comes fields of power that functions as a way to construct and in some cases deconstruct President Obama as a human being. Therefore, "The Obama Effect" as catchy as it might sound is merely an idea that cannot be seen as something that is real unless the question of the power of "the effect" is being directed towards Sasha or Malia. As historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson wrote in his book ,The Mis-Education of the Negro (1933), "You cannot have a thing and dispose of it at the same time." In other words, President Obama should not have to bear the burden (even if he is willing) to be a role model for the world-at-large. Although our president has accomplished so much and has made so many people proud, he is only H-U-M-A-N. As an African American, I think it is important that we honor President Obama's existence by continuing the creation of our own effects. By doing this, we allow him the space to make mistakes and to be the best that he can be. At the same time people of the African Diaspora can continue to work to reclaim a legacy of greatness, however tedious and trying the process may be.