It’s not often that we get an opportunity to celebrate a moment in history—a women’s right to vote and man’s first step on the moon. But a couple of days ago, change occurred in America. Whether or not your personal favorite candidate won the 2008 Presidential Election, Barack Hussein Obama by sixty-five million Americans is our nations 44th President Elect. Not bad for a black man raised by single women once on welfare. As predicted by the late great Sam Cook in 1964 in the lyrics of his song, “A Change Gonna Come”, if you’ve have not heard this song; I highly recommend you do so. Because, ‘change’ is here and emotions ran high with this worldwide announcement of the United States electing the first Black President. For some individuals came tears of joy, some fell to their knees in thanksgiving, some speechless and for some people they became fearful of the future sending “them into mourning” as quoted by Family Activist James Dobson.
But for one individual when asked what he experience having the first African-American elected for the highest seat in U.S. history he stated, “As I walked on campus today, for the first in my entire life I felt that people looked at me differently”. Imagine, enduring a lifetime of being made to feel like a second class citizen, being made to feel not quite equal to others. This was a thirty-five year old black man holding back tears from a silent emotion never before having had the chance to share this hidden sentiment. The sentiment unknown to others is that many African-Americans continently endue a sense of racial differential as far back as slavery that has unfortunately been carried into 2008.
Martin Luther King’s dream came true November 4th, 2008. People of all races, creeds and colors voted for a man because his values, intelligence, dedication and love for the American Dream was chosen to lead change. Not since the horrific tragedy of “9-11” has United States come together in emotional solidarity in “The Audacity as Hope” coined in the title of the book written by Barack Obama. After being called a nigger, a Chicago thug, a terrorist, a Muslim and a man not ready to command has been chosen by the people and for the people of American. All races of people have experienced ethic harassment that we’ve had to overcome, I know I have. Once being told that I’d never be accepted in the business world because after all, “you’re black and you’re woman”. Something that I’ll always remember—however, perhaps it’s what has helped me fight for women’s issue still today?
It has to be said, racism its subliminal messages have existed for far too long! We must learn to celebrate victory and come together as one nation, under God. Remember that freedom is never free, the cost of freedom is begins in the value of a persons life. Countless individuals have died for a cause to unite a nation that we call a United States of America that includes a diverse melting pot of survivors of battle into a ‘new world’. We are America. We are one nation. We are a place where we embrace hope of the human spirit.
Take a moment to reflect on the words of a portion hope as described in Dr. King declaration of hope…
“This is our hope. This is the faith that I will go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. And this will be the day; this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning, "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!" And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true…
…And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last." http://www.freemaninstitute.com/Dream.htm
Mans division and discourse kills and stills hopes, faith and dreams. As both parties elected there candidates: one Democrat and one Republican our civil liberties were allowed to be activated. As a nation, each of us were given a right to vote our hearts, our conscious and our convictions—either candidate confirmed to be up for the task via their credentials and near impeccable public service throughout their lifetime. However, one of the biggest misconceptions is that individuals makes kings and kingdoms; a verse in the bible confirms, “He changes times and seasons; He sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning”. Daniel 2:21
