Where were you on November 4, 2008 at 11:57 pm EST?
How often do we get to make history? Almost never! Anyone who voted for Barack Obama today fashioned this watershed moment. “We the people” now includes all American men. Congratulations Senator Obama! Thank you for demonstrating once and for all that the content of a person’s character and not the colour of one’s skin is what should determine a man’s worthiness to be the President of The United States of America.
While I have never understood, apparently since childhood according to my schoolteachers, measuring a man by his degree of deposition of skin pigmentation, I have never failed to grasp how important skin colour and the bizarre concept of race is to so many people, too many people.
I am someone who has celebrated every unjust barrier that has been broken down, no matter how small. I find the breaking down of such barriers electrifying. The thrill and significance of the wall torn down this evening cannot be underestimated. Even if it did not mean all the things that it means for America, and offer the hope that it does after the damage done to America in the last eight years, and only meant one thing, that little black boys and girls in American can now say without thinking, “one day I will be President of the United States of America”, then it would still be astonishing.
This election was about many things: one of which was a competition between hope and fear. Hope won. That is something to celebrate after eight years of being led by fear. Rosa Louise McCauley Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. are smiling this evening. And so is Mrs. Madelyn Dunham. She is watching over her grandson tonight and feeling pride in the boy she helped raise to be President. The timing of her passing was destined. She brought him as far as she could. She voted for him and she passed on when she knew he would be okay.
While the statistics of exit polls, shown on the main television networks, made it clear that there still remains a part of the US population that let Senator Obama’s skin colour influence their vote, unspeakably huge progress was made today.
President-Elect Obama has accomplished things already, including demonstrating that a political campaign for the Presidency of The United States of America, and therefore all other political campaigns, can be run and won without sacrificing one’s dignity or integrity. His raising the bar for the standards of behaviour among politicians is a welcome change. Lets us hope, however naive it may seem, that the Karl Roves of the world are destined for the dustbin of campaign history and that humanity can progress not regress.
Simply by winning the Presidency, after carrying out his campaign in the manner he chose to, President-Elect Obama has already applied a small bandaid on the large wound created by the Bush Administration.
Four years ago, I felt a sadness I cannot describe when President George W. Bush was elected to a second term of office. I felt like I was watching the decline of the American empire. Did people not understand the further damage the Bush Administration was capable of doing?
Hope was quiet these past eight years; at times it seemed barely audible. Fear was in charge.
Tonight my faith was restored when hope won out over fear. There is an opportunity for change, if we have the courage to embrace it with all of our hands, together as one people.
And while the popular vote indicates that America remains tonight a divided country, I have faith that President–Elect Obama’s integrity of character, sober and calm strength of spirit, uniting, organizing and conciliatory nature and great passion for America tenders the opportunity of profound and noble change.
As he has said, “Yes we can!”
God bless the new first family of America: Barack, Michelle, Malia and Sasha Obama.
Bring on the progress!
Sage Spencer
Next Blogum: December 2008
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