I went to bed very late last night and woke up about an hour ago and laid in bed for a while as my mind slowly woke up.
And as I started to come out of my dream state, a grin spread over my face because I realized that last night, the U.S. had elected Barack Hussein Obama to be our next President of the United States.
It feels unreal. I have been reluctant to let myself imagine what this day would be like--what it would feel like, the next morning, to realize that it had actually happened--that the United States had chosen to elect its first African American, mixed-race president.
Last night, once the polls closed on the West Coast and CNN displayed its graphics declaring that Barack Obama had just been elected president, I wept. I sat on my friend's sofa and cried and cried, big gulping sobs because I had been holding in so much over the last few months.
And in the minutes and hours that followed, as we broke out the champagne, as we continued to follow the CNN maps that showed the electoral votes that Obama had gained, as we each reverentially imagined what this historic night meant, I felt something rising up in me that I don't often truly feel.
I felt pride that I was a citizen of the United States. I felt a huge surge of patriotism for my country. In the words of Michelle Obama, for the first time in my adult life, I felt very proud to be an American.
I know we have domestic and international problems of monumental proportions. I know that not everyone sees Barack Obama's election as the symbol of change that so many of his supporters do. And I know that as the 44th President of the United States Barack Obama won't cure everything that ails us, and his election does not signal the end of race problems in our country--and it certainly does NOT signal the end of racism in the United States.
But....
it gives me hope.
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9 comments:
Yeah! I had to pinch myself this morning that it wasn't all a dream yesterday. There's still the work to be done over the next 4 years...but I, too, am proud of the country for participating in the political process in such overwhelming numbers and choosing Obama to be President! A President for all of America.
~Jessica
Director/Producer, Anomaly
a documentary about people of mixed race
http://www.youtube.com/user/anomalyJCD
It's amazing isn't it?
It was an amazing night. I attended a party that was full of cheer at the announcement of our 44th President. I escaped the noise of the cheering crowd and went outside to telephone my father who lived through segregation to congratulate him on the election of a person of color to the lands highest office. Soon afterwards, I was joined outside by my mixed race girlfriend as we hugged and smiled from ear to ear. I'll never forget where I was and who I was with.
What an amazing day in American history! Dreams do come true! Did you all see how Oprah Winfrey revealed this week that she uses a vision board to visualize her goals and harness the power of intention? Oprah created a vision board, months ago, that emphasized Obama as president and the gown she intended to wear during his imagined inauguration.
For anybody who doesn’t know, a vision board is collage of image that symbolizes a desired outcome. By looking at these images daily and imagining these desired outcomes – like accomplishing a goal – your brain becomes more honed in to making this reality. Many top athletes, entrepreneurs, presidents, and philanthropists have used vision boards to help them accomplish their goals.
I know that on www.TheVisionBoardKit.com you can download a free chapter that includes the eight basic ingredients of a successful vision board.
It gives me hope that many minorities will see that it took a lot of white votes too. Maybe we can stop fighting over non-issues.
I tried to explain to my students what this MEANT, but I couldn't do it - because I was too emotional. I kept getting randomly choked up all day long - mixed with random bursts of giddiness.
The world DID change yesterday. It did.
Hi - It is indeed a great time in history! People of ALL races resoundingly voted the best candidate for the job!
I have passed a blogging award on to you, please visit my place to pick it up.
Thank you for writing a great blog. Shirl
Thanks so much for sharing the moment with me on this blog post! I am still tear up when I read articles about how amazing this moment is. I want to ALWAYS remember what this feels like.
And Shirlatude, thank you so much for bestowing an award to me! I went to your site and feel awed and embarassed that you want to recognize my humble blog. I promise to pass it forward very soon.
Oh and Hannah--I loved the song you wrote! Great job!
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