In MY lifetime...written before the results were posted

Today is a big day!! I woke up with a nervous stomach and a heart that was beating so hard that it seemed as if it would beat right out of my chest. Last night I told Marcus that I wouldn't turn on the TV and he would have to call me to tell me what happened. Yeah, that didn't last... I've been glued to various news stations and election coverage all day.

Since I started this blog I've debated with myself about whether or not I would discuss this election. I decided I wouldn't. I mean you guys read to find out what's going on with my family, not to hear my views on politics. Also, I know that my political views differ greatly from many people that I love and care about. That said, I'm sure that they'd be about as excited to read about my love and adoration for Barack Obama as I'd be to hear about how they feel Sarah Palin is qualified to become Vice President. What I'm getting at is neither one of us would want to hear that mess (feel free to assign the term "mess" to whichever one of those notions is mess to you).

That was the plan... but today I received an interesting email and my response to that email prompted me to change my mind. The email came from someone I love and respect, someone I think is an awesome lady and a great mom and who not only cares about people, but devotes a huge part of her life working for an organization which cares for those who can not care for themselves. Her email had nothing to do with politics, but it ended with the following paragraph...

PS. I know you will read this, and I hope you're not upset with me for sharing...

She wrote...
"Well, today is the day Obama will likely win the election...in spite of the fact he has what seems to me, an overwhelming amount of negative factors. Like ----- (name deleted to protect the identity of the sender of this email), I am a very worried Republican. I guess ultimately the public will get what they vote for. I hope they are happy with the results....and I hope the country survives. I worry about all the Democratic power that will be behind his office too. Sigh. The American public are simply looking at the tax breaks they think they will get, and the refunds they think they are going to get. Not going to happen as they forget if a higher tax bracket business is taxed more, those businesses will just filter their added costs down through their product. The middle class worker is going to pay either way. This is not to even discuss Obama's controversial alliances. Wow!! It amazes me how stupid, self-centered, narrow focused, and short sighted people can be. Sigh."

End.

I was not the least bit upset or offended at this email. Like I said, the person who sent it to me is wonderful and as I read it I took it for what it was, an honest and candid opinion about a very important election.

As I responded to what the email was really about I was unsure what I would write in response to that last paragraph, if anything. I started out just letting her know, hey, btw, I'm an Obama supporter. But what poured out of me after that was something so honest and real, and unexpected, that I had to share it.

My response...
"The bottom of your email was interesting to me because I'm an Obama supporter :). I mean I love him! I wasn't offended by your email or anything so I don't want you to worry about that :), but I am always curious to see why people support one candidate over another.
I support Obama because I believe that he really wants to see this country go in a different direction. I don't think anyone can argue, no matter what your party affiliation, the fact that our county is worse off today than we were 8 years ago. Our economy is worse, unemployment rates are worse, international relations are worse and I think the average American has a less optimistic view of their own future as well as the future of the country as a whole. I've never liked politicians- Democrat or Republican- to me they all seem phony, they will say one thing to get elected and then do another to keep the people and interest groups who give them money, happy. They also, and of course this is my opinion, seem to be disconnected from the rest of the country, so if they made decisions based on party loyalty or a different kind of politics it's not like they would be affected.
With Obama though I feel that he feels that he has a stake in what happens to this country. That if the economy doesn't get turned around, if things in this country don't get turned around he too will be in big trouble. His family and people that he cares about will be in big trouble. I believe he's being sincere when he says that it's not about being a Democrat or a Republican but about being an American and that the leadership in both parties have a lot of changes that need to be made in order to be what their supporters not only expect of them, but also what they need of them. I think he cares about everyone in this county being successful, not just those who look like him and/or are in the same social class as him.
I could care less about the tax breaks. We're gonna get taxed one way or another. And regarding his questionable alliances, both candidates have questionable alliances and have made questionable decisions during their political careers. I think we are all guilty of pointing out one candidate's alliances while ignoring the other's depending on who we support.
Anyway that's part of why I'm supporting him... But there's more!
I know you're probably like "Oh Brother!" but you have to keep reading.

I'm excited about his presidency!! I'm more excited for it than I have been for anything in my entire life!! I know you won't be able to relate to this and may not even understand why it would be a big deal to me but I'll share anyway :).

Black people in this country never want to articulate this or say it out loud, but there are things that we know (or I guess now, knew) for a fact could never be accomplished. As a person, that's a hard pill to swallow- the notion that no matter what you do, no matter how hard you work there are just some doors that will never be opened to you. As a parent it's even harder. I used to tell my mom all the time that I would be the First Black Female President of the United States and she loved to hear me say it and she would smile and encourage me but (I know) she didn't believe it. It's not easy to look at your children and tell them that they can be anything when our reality has been that they can't. I mean my parents were born in the 40's, they remember WHITE ONLY water fountains and grown Black men being called "boy"... And the fact that a Black man could possibly be President of the United States!... The same country that enslaved and lynched us, the country that didn't even count us as complete human beings (remember the 3/5ths rule in the Constitution?), the country that systematically disenfranchised and intimidated us with it's Separate but Equal and Jim Crow legislation, and unfair voter registration practices, respectively... the fact that THIS country is on the verge of electing a Black man as President provides so much hope for so many people that's it's... immeasurable. I'm crying just typing this email. This, to me, feels like we too can be a part of the American Dream, which truthfully many Black people don't feel a part of. This means that my future son will, when he's little, be able to look at his life and his future with no limits... And if he says to me, "Mom, I want to be President one day" I can look at him and tell him that he can and know that I'm not lying to him. For people who have never had that- it's beyond, I mean beyyyoooonnndd huge. It's just, it's really hard to explain how important it is for me, for us. "

End.


So that's it. That's how I feel.
It's hard to live in a place that doesn't want you there. America is the greatest country on this Earth but it hasn't always been. And although things are SO, SO, SO much better for people of color than they used to be there is a part of us that feels that we are still not a part of the "American Dream". Obama's Election means to me that the American Dream is for us! More importantly, it means that America is not just reluctantly including us in that Dream but that America wants us as a part of that Dream... the symbolism in that is something that ALL Americans should be proud of.

By the way her response to my response was that, while she's not necessarily in line with Obama's politics, she does recognize what it means that a Black man can be elected to lead our nation and that's she's proud of what that says in terms of how far our country has come.

Of course this whole thing- my support of him in this election, his presidency- isn't about Barack Obama being a Black man but this part of my blog, of my journey, is. Some of you who read this won't understand or even like what I'm saying and that's okay, but that doesn't lessen it's importance.

UPDATE!!
Okay so, I'm finishing this blog and Marcus calls me, and while we were talking CNN projected Barack Obama as the President Elect. Just right now!! Like a minute ago! So here come the tears... again. This sense of pride and joy and renewed hope and faith in our country that has come over me is unreal and indescribable and I'm not sure how to effectively explain it to someone who doesn't already feel it.
This is a good day for my family- my parents and my children...
It is a good day for my ancestors...
It is a good day for my country...

PS. Negative comments are NOT welcome on this post!!... Or on any for that matter considering all of my posts are about my family :).
That means NO negative comments about my views, OR the views expressed in the email that prompted this post. You may disagree... but you will be respectful!