exultation
Disclaimer: I don’t claim to be any kind of political expert. I don’t even know most of what Obama stands for. However, I do know that he is change - if solely for the fact that he is a black man. This post is a reflection of my emotional reaction to the election of this man of color, the new president of the United States of America.
I felt so proud to be an American last night.
Throughout the election campaigns I have admired Obama because he is a black man, because he is the Democratic Party’s candidate, and because he is an effective public speaker. But I never truly believed he would make it all the way to the White House. I didn’t think America was ready or willing to elect a black president.
I’m overjoyed that I was wrong.
Last night, I went to watch Spring Awakening at the Ahmanson Theatre. The show started at 8 PM so before the lights dimmed, my sister, Sapphire, and I texted people to ask who was winning the presidential race. We should have known that people throughout the theatre were doing the same. When the lights came back up for intermission an hour later, we scrambled to check our phones. You can imagine how excited we were to see the glowing messages on our cell phone faces: OBAMA WON!
After checking her phone, the woman sitting right next to us started whooping. As we all laughed and smiled at each other, sharing a brief sense of intimacy over our rejoicing, we looked down out at the theatre (we were sitting at the top back) - we saw people everywhere looking at their phones, doing little happy dances, letting out little shouts of elation. Then, all of a sudden a collective cheer went up from all corners of the theatre. Pride and glory were so present at the moment.
I was surprised by my excitement. My cynicism, coming from experiences as a minority citizen who has experienced racism even here in LA, had discouraged me from hoping.
But when I saw that text message, something in me wanted to leap in the air and celebrate.
Part of the greatness was seeing it for the first time in print: President Barack Obama. It hit me that, from now on, the history books will print his name, such an ethnic name. His name will appear in lists including George Washington. John Adams. Abraham Lincoln. Franklin D. Roosevelt. John F. Kennedy. Not only were those men big personalities, but their names are so Anglo European.
Hearing “President Obama” gave me hope that America is ready for change. America went to the polls and voted for a new (in every sense of the word) leader.
When I got home from the show, I watched his acceptance speech online. I received such a weird sense of satisfaction thinking that this black man, so well spoken, is our new president. I even got a little teary-eyed. It was one of those surreal moments that I know I’ll remember forever. My grandma talks about historical events she saw covered on TV - I feel like this was one of those epic moments, in the ranks of JFK’s assassination and the landing on the moon.
As I saw Obama standing on that stage amidst thousands of people and flashing lights, I felt the shadow of a desire to be black so that I could feel even more connected to and proud of this new president - more than I already was. I was in such a celebratory mood.
I have always been so very proud of and awestruck by the peaceful transfer of power that occurs every 4 to 8 years. Though America has many flaws, it really is a great country.
Last night, not only did I feel proud, but I also felt patriotic. Obama’s election showed me, as nothing else could, that perhaps America really is ready for change - ready to get out of this war, ready to reverse the financial crisis, ready to reform the educational system.
It seemed fitting that at a show about adolescence and pain, hardships and new beginnings, at a show called Spring Awakening, I received the news that Obama is the new president of the United States of America. America is a relatively young nation and has made plenty of mistakes, but we are always moving forward.
I’m so thrilled that a man named Barack Obama is president!