History
Tonight was completely amazing. I don't believe that I can even comprehend the history that was made tonight.
Yesterday I attended a McCain rally dressed in my Obama wear. I was told that if I wanted to have a black president then I should go to Africa. I was called a drug addict. I was told to get a job. My sign was ripped from my hand twice. I was assaulted. I was hated. And I felt apprehensive about today's outcome.
Now, I know that I will remember the last two days for the rest of my entire life.
Where I was, who told me first, the emotions I felt.
I started out at school in our community room watching the first results come in. Free pizza and excitement was in the air. A fellow student announced, "Hey ya'll. In about five minutes Barack Obama is going to become the next president of the United States. You might want to pay attention." We answered in cheers. It started with Pennsylvania, then Ohio, then I began to realize that no matter how many states McCain got he couldn't hit that all important number of 270. Yet, I couldn't let myself believe it just yet. We are all still programed to not believe until we see. The news networks hadn't told us yet. Being offered a ride home I reluctantly left my college's gathering to go watch the news at a friends. When I arrived there were too many people for the number of seats. We talked and waited, flipping the channels back and forth between the news and Colbert and Stewart. While watching Stewart and Colbert I hear, "Ladies and gentlemen it's just been announced that Obama is the next president of the United States." A huge roar of cheer erupted from the TV. My friends questioned what was going on and I answered what I had heard. We immediately switched to the "real news network." And there it was written across the screen. We all went silent. This couldn't be true. Collectively we all began to smile and laugh. We then remind ourselves that this was just projected as it had been for quite some time. We all recalled the fiasco that was the Gore/Bush election night. Then a two of my friends walked in asking if it was true. All of us were reluctant to say. We all agreed that we would have to hear McCain concede before we excepted it. We all got on our phones. Then Shelby said, "My friend says McCain is conceding on NBC." Immediately we switch the channel again. And then I lost my breathe. McCain's face appeared at a podium and he was admitting defeat. I called my mom. She was breathless. She had just left her party deciding that she couldn't stay up all night waiting for the results. I called my brother. We burst into tears. I then anxiously awaited the speech from our newest president elect. When he spoke, my friends and I were silent, taking it all in. All of us cried as his beautiful words reached our ears. We smiled when he spoke of the history we had made, and nodded when he said there was still a long road ahead of us. We began contemplating all the changes that were now in the works, and all the worries that we now had, but it is too soon for all of that. We believe that YES, WE CAN because YES, WE DID!!!
As my friends and I left for our own homes I prayed for the first time in a long time. I prayed for Obama, his family, our country, the world, for myself, for hope, and for the future. I also expressed my gratitude.
One day my grandchildren will be sitting in class with their history books and it will say, "On November 4th, 2008 Barack Obama won the presidential election."
On that day it will still give me chills as it still does today.
Yesterday I attended a McCain rally dressed in my Obama wear. I was told that if I wanted to have a black president then I should go to Africa. I was called a drug addict. I was told to get a job. My sign was ripped from my hand twice. I was assaulted. I was hated. And I felt apprehensive about today's outcome.
Now, I know that I will remember the last two days for the rest of my entire life.
Where I was, who told me first, the emotions I felt.
I started out at school in our community room watching the first results come in. Free pizza and excitement was in the air. A fellow student announced, "Hey ya'll. In about five minutes Barack Obama is going to become the next president of the United States. You might want to pay attention." We answered in cheers. It started with Pennsylvania, then Ohio, then I began to realize that no matter how many states McCain got he couldn't hit that all important number of 270. Yet, I couldn't let myself believe it just yet. We are all still programed to not believe until we see. The news networks hadn't told us yet. Being offered a ride home I reluctantly left my college's gathering to go watch the news at a friends. When I arrived there were too many people for the number of seats. We talked and waited, flipping the channels back and forth between the news and Colbert and Stewart. While watching Stewart and Colbert I hear, "Ladies and gentlemen it's just been announced that Obama is the next president of the United States." A huge roar of cheer erupted from the TV. My friends questioned what was going on and I answered what I had heard. We immediately switched to the "real news network." And there it was written across the screen. We all went silent. This couldn't be true. Collectively we all began to smile and laugh. We then remind ourselves that this was just projected as it had been for quite some time. We all recalled the fiasco that was the Gore/Bush election night. Then a two of my friends walked in asking if it was true. All of us were reluctant to say. We all agreed that we would have to hear McCain concede before we excepted it. We all got on our phones. Then Shelby said, "My friend says McCain is conceding on NBC." Immediately we switch the channel again. And then I lost my breathe. McCain's face appeared at a podium and he was admitting defeat. I called my mom. She was breathless. She had just left her party deciding that she couldn't stay up all night waiting for the results. I called my brother. We burst into tears. I then anxiously awaited the speech from our newest president elect. When he spoke, my friends and I were silent, taking it all in. All of us cried as his beautiful words reached our ears. We smiled when he spoke of the history we had made, and nodded when he said there was still a long road ahead of us. We began contemplating all the changes that were now in the works, and all the worries that we now had, but it is too soon for all of that. We believe that YES, WE CAN because YES, WE DID!!!
As my friends and I left for our own homes I prayed for the first time in a long time. I prayed for Obama, his family, our country, the world, for myself, for hope, and for the future. I also expressed my gratitude.
One day my grandchildren will be sitting in class with their history books and it will say, "On November 4th, 2008 Barack Obama won the presidential election."
On that day it will still give me chills as it still does today.