My country elected Barack Obama.
Not Black America, not Young America....but America voted for Barack Obama.
Over the years people remember where they were or what they were doing when certain events happened: The MLK assasination, 9-11 and now the announcement of president elect Barack Obama.
I was working. Getting a soundbite from a democratic supreme court justice nominee who had just given me his concession speech. We were in a loud crowded restaurant. I was the only black person there--still non uncommon in many settings in Mississippi.
Anyway, as I was getting ready to walk out the door, the supreme court justice nominee's wife started yelling, "Oh my God, Oh My God!" She pointed at the screen and it read 'Barack Obama, President-Elect'
My eyes filled up with tears. People were cheeing, people were crying. I ran out to my car, sat inside and just thanked God.
Barack Obama has God's hand. To be able to inspire a people across party lines. He is truly an inspriration.
I got back to my conservative station. Where I witnessed a few eye-rolls, and shaking heads. But I wasn't surprised. I live in Mississippi, conservative Mississippi at that!
I edited my soundbite and quickly left...you know why: I was determined not to let anyone steal my moment.
I cried with family and friends. My great, great-grandmother participated in shut-ins. She lived in a segregated America. She died at 96, when I was 13 years old. But I know she is smiling and saying, "I told you so." She was a woman of hope.
My grandmother who is still alive, prosperous and very successful, recently told me stories of how she and her black friends had to dig in the trash of the white schools and get their old textbooks.
They would do this is the summers so that her friends could play school. Not knowing it would keep her ahead of her class and comparable to her white counterparts.
It's those stories that inspire me to work hard. I work hard for what I believe. And I believe in President Barack Obama.
To see tears from others who have pushed through America's boundaries: Oprah, Jesse Jackson, Spike Lee, Maya Angelou. All these people were moved to tears to say, "finally, finally, America gets it."
Change is good.
This morning Maya Angelous said it best, "It is overwhelming that my country has finally grown up,".
God bless you President Barack Obama. And God bless America.
