Words not Meeting their Requirements

Admittedly, I was largely reticent to even begin writing about last night, 4-November’s events. While I could talk or write about it endlessly, I’ll try and keep my words to a minimum. I don’t think I have the time or concision to keep my thoughts on yesterday’s events well enough edited to keep my audience reading.

I’m sitting down today refreshed; refreshed, because my confidence in this country is still in tact. A friend and I emailed yesterday, and we were both nervous about the day’s events. Of course, we had hope, but the consequences of the contrary were too frightful to rest easily.

I digress. I was going to keep this somewhat concise; largely, because I didn’t think I could put together something worthy of our new direction.

First, as McCain had mentioned in his gracious concession speech, what an historic achievement for this country and our integrity for equal protection and equal rights, for all people. I watched young women and men in Spellman College, in Atlanta, dancing and tearful at their hopes and dreams finally coming to reality. In addition, to all of that, to see Oprah and Jesse Jackson in Grant Park, also with tears of joy and solace in their eyes, was simply majestic. Quite clearly, I cannot begin to imagine what the election of an African-American President must feel like to a race of people who have dealt with oppression, in some fashion, since our continent was settled; nevertheless, I have to imagine it was quite reconciling, a final triumph over Jim Crowe.

Secondly, as I was watching the shots from Spellman and Chicago’s Grant Park, I saw a camera shot of young white men and women, jumping around and dancing; also, as though they were in a frat house. I suppose that goes back to something I wrote about some time ago; quite simply, Obama is meta-racial—some refer to it as post-racial, but since I called it “meta-racial” I am sticking with it for consistency’s sake.

Of course, speaking to what a diverse group of young men and women were dancing about, all at the same time as a largely African-American group were dancing down in Atlanta, it was not only change in the face of the races of those that hold the White House. No, right now, our country has finally decided to overwhelmingly depart from the politics of this administration and the politics of the boomer generation’s “liberal vs. conservative.”

When Obama spoke last night, he gracefully mentioned those who will immaturely mock the efforts to progress this country, moving it back from these horrible eight years of Republican Rule. We have so much work to do, and it is going to be difficult; however, we are in the process of correcting things, only to make them better for us and our children. Even having to get up from a comfortable night of sleep this morning, I was comforted by the fact that I can now look at the outcome of this election with satisfaction about its outcome. It’s been time for too long now, and we can rejoice that someone intelligent and right headed is heading back to the White House.