Change We Will Believe In

Hey guys,

I have to say that I come tonight with a heavy heart because the tide has certainly turned in the world. As we all know, Nov. 4th was Election Day for the United States. It was revolutionary... It was historic... We had an African American & a Roman Catholic competing against a former Prisoner of War & a female Vice Presidential pick. Tonight America made history. Tonight we took giant steps towards the future, in electing Senator Barack Obama the first African American President of the United States of America.

As I sit here tonight, I can't help but shed a tear. I am crying for too many reasons... I don't even know that I can get all of them down here... But I'll damn sure try.

First, I remember what it was to be a little black boy hearing stories of Martin Luther King and of the oppression African Americans have faced in this country. I think of the graphic images of Emmitt Till... Of Rosa Parks and her ordeals... Of MLKand his struggles while pursuing the mission of influencing change and uniting people... Of the videos of people being viciously harrassed, attacked damn near to death (if not there already) because of the color of their skin... I could go on and on.

I remember hearing from my teachers, "You can be anything you want to be when you grow up. Maybe even the President of the United States." I also remember not believing it  because there was no example for me to follow.

You see, growing up where I grew up, there weren't too many images of people aspiring to do things with their lives. Where I grew up in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, there wasn't a lot of success around for me to see as an example of what success could do for me, for my life. And my story is not unique, as I'm sure a lot of people of color can read this and express similar sentiments. But I always remembered those images because it is those images that make me understand that what has happened tonight is bigger than me.

If it had not been for those people who received the beatings, who endured the persecution, who persevered through the injustice, I don't know where I would be. I'm sad because I wish that they were here to see the glorious day that has come, where America has come to accept African Americans, so much that they have entrusted the role of being the leader of the free world to a Black man.

I wish that my mom were here... That my grandmothers & grandfathers were here... That my aunt were here... Because this is bigger than me. Had it not been for my parents and their parents and their parents... Man I need a moment!

I am for the first time in my life excited to say that I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN. I am proud of the opportunities that have been provided for me by my ancestors. I am elated to dream of a future that will come for me, as I don't know what's in store but I do have faith that our new leader, our current President-Elect Obama, will lead us down the path of new beginnings.

I can't go on... But I will end by saying this. For everyone who reads this, I want to hear from you. What does our new President-Elect Obama's victory mean for you?

I'll be back with more later guys, after I compose myself...

-C.