Wednesday, November 5, 2008

The Day History Was Made

People will ask: where were you when it happened?

I was in my living room when CNN projected he was the winner. The room was in a state of suspended disbelief: was it true? Had he really been elected? I didn't want to believe it so soon; I didn't want to be disappointed. And then, the camera went to John McCain's concession speech, and I knew it was over.

The jumping and screaming and yelling didn't happen until later last night, when I went outside to see a HUGE group of people just smiling and cheering and screaming and running through the streets. People in their cars rode around blasting "My President Is Black" and hanging out their windows.

But the realization of it all, the history that we had just made didn't hit until this morning when I watched the news and suddenly tears came to my eyes, tears that are starting to come back even now. We have a black president. Just sit for a moment and let that sink in.

We have come SO far from the days when black people couldn't go to school or drink from the same water fountains as whites and couldn't vote to having a black man in office. I'm sure there are so many older people who lived through the civil rights movement who were just crying their eyes out to see this (I know Jesse Jackson cried).

A black man from the south side of Chicago is now going to be the President of the United States.

If that's not progress, I don't know what is.

Congratulations to our new President, Barack Obama!!!!

3 comments:

Raft3r said...

congratulations to the american people

SweetHunniTeah said...

Blah! :(
love you bff!

you shoulda wrote about our expeditions!

ßrigida ∫chmidt © Copyright said...

I want you to know that my husband was so happy to have a black President in the US. And he cried too, and guess what? He is WHITE.

His great grandfather who is in the second Wisconsin Regiment of the Iron Brigade during the Great Civil War lost many friends. Their dream of black equality has now, after a hundred and forty three years, been fulfilled..

His family thought it's long been overdue that we have a black president. God Bless Barrack Obama!