he was elected in 1983

Harold Washington was Chicago's first black mayor. He died 20 years ago. My favorite radio show This American Life did a program about him ten years ago, and then they updated it for the 20 year anniversary. It's a great hour.

There is something - I was going to say refreshing but I think uplifting is really the word - about blunt, down to earth black leaders.

In the radio show you get to hear Washington debate opponents during his first mayoral race. And maybe this is just me, but I know that if there was someone like that around now, someone both willing and able to call a spade a spade, I'd become a citizen right away just so that I could vote for them.