WOOT!
And now the real work begins. May we find the grace and hope, dignity and courage to fulfill the promise of this night.
I wish I had the words to express all I'm feeling now, all I felt when I cast my vote this morning. I supported Senator (now President-elect!) Obama for President because I was impressed with his proposals, his intelligence, and the way he conducted himself. I rejoice in his election because I truly believe he represents an opportunity for us to grow together as a people, to become more of the nation we have the potential to be. Yes, he is human, and therefore will fail in some ways. He will turn out to have weaknesses and faults we do not now know. And circumstances will keep him from doing all he'd like to do. But if the people of the nation stay as involved and active as they have been during this campaign, together we can do so much better than we have been doing. And I believe he is just the leader we need to inspire us to make the effort.
There is another reason I'm so affected by this election, one I don't talk about a lot. The fight to overcome racial prejudice has deep personal meaning for me. Growing up where I did and when I did, I saw so much injustice and encountered attitudes that were so incomprehensible to me, that a deep sense of outrage settled into my young soul, and is with me still. When I placed my ballot in the ballot box this morning, and realized I'd just voted for the man I hoped would become the first President of the United States who is Black, it was all I could do not to let out a whoop! I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. I've been doing a little of both ever since. I'm so grateful to have lived to see this day. We still have a long way to go in the struggle to overcome all forms of prejudice and injustice, but to have come this far in the space of one lifetime is a joy.
I wish I had the words to express all I'm feeling now, all I felt when I cast my vote this morning. I supported Senator (now President-elect!) Obama for President because I was impressed with his proposals, his intelligence, and the way he conducted himself. I rejoice in his election because I truly believe he represents an opportunity for us to grow together as a people, to become more of the nation we have the potential to be. Yes, he is human, and therefore will fail in some ways. He will turn out to have weaknesses and faults we do not now know. And circumstances will keep him from doing all he'd like to do. But if the people of the nation stay as involved and active as they have been during this campaign, together we can do so much better than we have been doing. And I believe he is just the leader we need to inspire us to make the effort.
There is another reason I'm so affected by this election, one I don't talk about a lot. The fight to overcome racial prejudice has deep personal meaning for me. Growing up where I did and when I did, I saw so much injustice and encountered attitudes that were so incomprehensible to me, that a deep sense of outrage settled into my young soul, and is with me still. When I placed my ballot in the ballot box this morning, and realized I'd just voted for the man I hoped would become the first President of the United States who is Black, it was all I could do not to let out a whoop! I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. I've been doing a little of both ever since. I'm so grateful to have lived to see this day. We still have a long way to go in the struggle to overcome all forms of prejudice and injustice, but to have come this far in the space of one lifetime is a joy.