The joy that came over me after finding out that we would not have another crusty old white guy in the White House was indescribable. Americans have elected their first black president- something that we should be proud of, as the days of segregation were only 40 years ago. Bob Herbert of the New York Times points out that "Voters said no to incompetence and divisiveness and elbowed their way past the blight of racism that has been such a barrier to progress for so long." We have come a long way America, and we should be proud.
The next day after the election, I left my MSN messenger account logged in as usual, as I set out for my busy day. When I returned, I had received messages from friends all across the world: Spain, Portugal, England, and Mexico. Every single one included the same subject (although appearing in 3 different languages!): Congratulations Obama- I am so excited he will be leading your country!!! When I received these mimicked messages, the magnitude of the election really set in- this was the election of our lifetime. We have placed a huge amount of trust in a relatively inexperienced man- but he is carrying the hopes and dreams of literally billions on his shoulders.
I must admit that I did not know if the rascist biggots would trump those with more open minds in this country. But I was pleasantly surprised/relieved when I knew by 8:30 PST that Obama was our President-elect. The unfortunate truth is that minorities in the U.S. have continually been marginalized in society. They have been blatantly denied opportunities in the past and continue to endure some of the same harships today. However, having a black man has our next president is truly a momentous achievement for not only the entire world, but more specifically to all of the minorities that no longer believe in the American Dream. Imagine how little Kenyan boys and girls have reacted upon finding out that a man connected to their own bloodline is now going to be the next president of one of the most powerful countries in the world! It is a great moment and a great inspiration to us all.
Although I am cautious to make any decision regarding Obama's abilities, I am quick to relay my pride in the American people. Way to go! Way to not be scared for something different- perhaps his policies won't be so different- we don't know yet. But he is definitely not the cookie-cutter prototype for the Commander-in-Chief, and for this, I must commend you all. It is more the fact that a majority of us have moved past the awful prejuidces that were so common in not-so-distant history that I must congratulate you all!
Barack- it's your time to shine...
1 comment:
It’s true we have come a long way from the days of segregation, though racism still exists in the world, and I question whether if Obama was 100% black if he would have won the nomination. I am thrilled to have a minority in Office someone different than the white hegemony that runs the white house. However, we must admit some people still cringe at the thought of a black president in office. I don’t know what it would be like to be these people with so much hatred in their blood. I cannot believe as a child I believed world peace was attainable, some people like the KKK choose to live their lives feeling animosity towards other races instead of trying to find commonalities between them and other races.
Well, at least Obama has won and this is a step America has taken in the right direction. So far we know that we have one former KKK member who has changed and backed Obama 100%, that man is Robert Byrd.
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