A NEEDED NEW BEGINNING

On Tuesday, the 4th of November 2008, I watched the election returns like so many million others. If you are in your 20’s or 30’s you are surely excited about the outcome announced at 9:00 PM Denver time. If you are in your 40’s or 50’s, you are surely amazed but I am 75 and I am now a believer. I am a believer in this country and what we can overcome. We have elected a Black Man as President of this United States and done it overwhelmingly.

I grew up in a city that was segregated and full of ‘bigoted’ people. Not all ‘mean’ people but just a way of life that everyone accepted. Blacks didn’t move up past 11th street and weren’t accepted in some of the business’s. This was in Rock Island, Illinois. We were moderates. The farther south you went, the worse it got. I have seen the slow, rather steady, progress through all these years for the rights of the minorities, just in my lifetime. I must say I never expected to see what has transpired this night. I watched Barack Obama speak at the 2004 Democratic Convention and honestly thought then that here was a black man who could possibly go far. I never thought, at the time, of the Presidency but he had a great presence on the podium. Two years ago, or so, when he declared his candidacy for President, I was truly glad but had real doubts that the country would vote for him in numbers. As the months went on I saw he showed a steadiness that grew confidence in a lot of people. I was one. Even in the face of everything they threw at him, he grew stronger and calmer and more confident and the people reacted much in the same way. It became a fact that he would win towards the waning months, despite the dirty politics. In fact, I think it made him stronger but he never lowered himself to those depths. For once, ‘swift-boating’ and dirty politicking never worked, as in the past. They tried.

Obama won and he won honorably and overwhelmingly. He accomplished what I thought could never be. He won as a person. Not as a black or a white but as a person that people wanted as their President. It was a very proud moment for me. I cannot wait for the day he moves into the White House. For many years, particularly the last 3 or 4, I could not listen to our present leader without being angry and disillusioned. But I will finally be able to watch and listen with anticipation of what will be going on. Obviously, I am confident in the future and our next President Barack Obama. However, he has a long tough road ahead of him with all the turmoil here and abroad.