Shock and Awe

I am behooved to write the following, the morning after history was made.
 
While I’m still awakening to the fact that Barack Obama won last night, I cannot hide the absolute pride and amazement I feel.
 
No matter what your opinion of the results, this country will never again be the same.
 
As a black woman, (I’m not now and shall never be african american) who had no personal reason to be proud of or speak positively of this country, I am feeling pride today.
 
Pride that, for once, color was looked past and a person’s qualifications and demeanor were the most important factor in a very critical decision.  To me, the choice was clear after John Edwards dropped from the race for president.  Even though he cheated on his wife, I hope he has a place in President Obama’s administration because he’s got some of the answers this country and world needs to move forward.  After all, Bill did a lot for this country while he was having his fun. 
 
I became an American last night.  I cried because I thought about my father who fought for this country and was betrayed by it.  I thought about my family on the whole and was, for the first time, hopeful that we can continue to be proud people of colour without it seeming odd.  I thought about all the people, of all colours, who have been killed and/or marginalized in this country.  This is the first time that I felt that there was actual progress in the Civil Rights movement.  My sister Margot and I agree that black people have been worse off because of the Civil Rights movement.  Before this, blacks had their own businesses and took care of themselves as a community — because they had no choice.  There were so many different businesses and opportunities made because none were coming from the outside.  Ever since Civil Rights, blacks have been paralyzed, looking for someone to save them.  My father told me a long time ago that no one’s coming to save anybody.  If you’re going to get saved, you’d better get off your butt and do it yourself.
 
To have the opportunity to just be a person with color as a minor factor is amazingly unbelievable.  I don’t know how much will change with President Obama’s leadership.  The fact that he’s President is so crazy that I’m waiting for Rod Serling to come and offer me a cigarette and coffee before he shows the “Night Gallery” portrait.  This is beyond “The Twilight Zone”. 
 
This is a significant event for the world.  This is the beginning of looking past petty, insignificant differences that don’t matter.  This is the time to remember that we’re all human beings and we have more alike than we may wish to confess.
 
Again, I don’t care for whom you voted last night.  I do care that the people in this country have resoundingly sought a change and a break from the past.
 
This event also places black people on notice:  Get your act together. Your excuses are gone.  You can’t say that “the man” is holding you back and keeping you down.  I’m sure that Bill Cosby feels vindicated and is laughing at all the black folks who took issue with his telling people to “close their legs, raise your kids, and get an education”.  Marley asked last night if we had to “throw away our race cards”.  I said “yes, we f–king do”, and it’s about damned time.
 
The fact that my daughter and my niece Aminah voted for the first time ever in this election means a lot.  The fact that these young women are our future and got to participate in what may be the most important election of this new century is amazing.  I hope that they can feel a sense of pride in having cast their votes at this time.

I am grateful that I was here and not an old woman watching this.  I’d believed that it would be during Connor’s adulthood that this might happen.  I figured that I’d be at home with his family, playing with my great grandchildren while we watched such a momentous occasion.  I told him last night “we have a brown president, baby!”
 
Now that this chapter has begun, may we all participate in this new beginning.  May the Divine continue to hear our prayers and open our hearts to touching this world in a positive way.
 
Blessed Be.