Last night, America shed a legacy of shame that has permeated the country’s conscious-ness for more than 200 years. We now find ourselves on a forward trajectory of pride and hope, and that is because Americans have proven once again that ultimately, we will rise to fight against that which is wrong and enact the change that we know is right.
The election of Barack Obama as the nation’s 44th President – 44 years after passage of the Civil Rights Act – is a powerful symbol of this change. But to be clear, what Americans have really risen up against is years of failed and fraudulent governance that has soiled the fibers of this great country, and rendered it crippled in the world landscape.
Still – what millions of Americans will remember when they think back to that historic moment on November 4, 2008 when Barack Obama was named the next President of the United States – is that it was then that the consciousness of this country was permanently shifted. And it wasn’t shifted just on the west coast and in New England – it was shifted nationwide in a demonstrative vote for change that this country has never seen before. While his 349 (and counting) electoral votes still number fewer than Bill Clinton’s decisive 379 in his 1996 victory, the overwhelming message they cast – that the American people are both for a new regime and against an old regime – is unprecedented.
I told my friend Kerry this morning, when she asked about my feelings on the election, that her young children – just coming of an age when they can recognize who the President is and what that means – have an opportunity we never had. They will see the most powerful leader in this world as a non-white man, influencing their global view in ways we can’t even imagine.
Is racism dead in America? Of course it’s not – because crazy zealots will always exist in the subculture. But let’s take this opportunity, as people of all colors, to stop using racism as a crutch to hold up a negative status quo. Let’s take this opportunity to move forward.
It’s a new day.
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1 comment:
Like what Douglas Wilder said with regard to Obama being elected to the White House, (I'm paraphrasing) Now there's no excuse - any child can know that they *can* be whatever they want to be when they grow up, because we've shown in our actions that even the highest recognition is available for those who work hard enough.
It's about time.
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