by Dee Dee
The evening of November 4th is as fresh in my mind today as it was that incredible Tuesday night. The night Barack Hussein Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States. It was unbelievable. When it was announced that he won the election, I threw my hands in the air and cried. I watched as the news anchors stumbled over their words – not even believing what they were saying themselves. I watched as a crowd of over 200,000 people in Chicago went absolutely crazy.
I thought about my parents. They could never conceive the idea of our country being led by a black man, a Negro. And truthfully, I never thought I would live to see it happen. I cried for my parents and for all of the martyrs who died fighting for justice and equality. I thought about all of the oppression, adversity, and hardships African-Americans have been through – slavery, the Civil Rights movement, Jim Crow, lack of voting rights, poverty, racial and economic discrimination, and so much more. None of it, however, will have been in vain when on January 20th 2009, Barack Obama, having broken so many barriers, will take the oath of office and become the most powerful leader in the free world.
The man himself is exciting. He is tall, good-looking, well-spoken, Harvard educated, yet street smart. He is patient, kind, and humble, down to earth, funny, and passionate about serving others. But most of all, he cares about people. He is a different kind of politician; a different kind of leader, and it is definitely time for a change.
Obama won the popular vote in addition to a landslide electoral victory. The excitement kept me up way past 1:00am election night. People were text-messaging me like crazy. I think the entire world was text-messaging. I remember receiving one from my daughter. All it said was “OMG!!!!!!”. I knew she was ecstatic. It was a phenomenal moment, and truly something to shout about. I think I said about a thousand “Thank you Lord’s” back-to-back. Even though I stayed up late, I had an unusual amount of energy the next morning. I jumped out of bed, and immediately began to pray and thank God. “We have actually elected a black president”, I said to myself.
Although Obama’s achievement was unbelievable to many, “Yes We Can” was his mantra throughout the campaign, and he has shown all of us – black, white, Hispanic, Asian, or other, that we absolutely can succeed if we have the discipline and determination not to give up. Yes we can live in a single parent home and become successful. Yes we can get the best education if we want to succeed. Yes we can care about our community and those who live in it. Yes we can treat people with respect. Yes we can set our sights beyond our circumstances and achieve our dreams.
Thank you, Barack Obama for never giving up on your dream. Thank you for being an example of success for children everywhere, especially little black children, who grow up without fathers and wonder what their future holds. Thank you for loving your beautiful wife, Michelle and your adorable daughters Malia and Sasha, and for showing black men how to love their families. And finally, thank you for Keepin’ it Really Real!
