Living in the Midst of History - American Pride

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." - Martin Luther King Jr.

The aforementioned quote was spoken during his renowned "I have a dream..." speech. Well, Dr. King, is it safe to say that at least this part of your dream has actually come true, merely 45 years later? Three of your children are still living today, and have worked as civil rights activists throughout their adult lives. Just like you, Dr. King. We've been witnessing the effects of your efforts for decades, but last night we witnessed an event many of us never thought we'd see during our lifetimes.

Last evening, Illinois senator Barack Obama, was elected as the next president of United States of America. It still amazes me that I can write those words. It still amazes me to listen to his words. Senator Obama is an African-American, technically, he is biracial. And I point that out because the cynics look to anything as minuscule as that to downplay the huge significance of this accomplishment. Either way, he is a man of color. A man of color living in a country still filled with people that have difficulty looking past the color of one's skin. Unfortunately for those people, this man is unique, a once in a generation figure. Whether he succeeds as President of the United States is yet to be seen, but the way in which he brought a country together with his contagious aspirations for hope will put a smile on my face for years to come.

Obama was able to gain votes and the eventual electoral in states previous Democrats, white candidates, were unable to achieve. Florida and Ohio, the two states that have haunted the Democratic candidates in the past two elections, Obama won. He dipped his toes into the South, to achieve the votes from Virginia and is currently leading in North Carolina. He is the first Democratic candidate to win Indiana since 1964. This election was about more than Democrats vs. Republicans. It was about more than Liberals vs. Conservatives. And this was a consistent message put forth by Barack Obama. This election was about regaining American pride. This election was about realizing the hole this country has dug itself into, and pointing towards the best man or woman to pick us up out of that hole. Barack Obama was that man.

Four years ago, many of us witnessed Obama for the first time. It was one of those speeches where if you were walking past the television at the time, or had your attention focused elsewhere, before long, you found yourself only concentrating on him. There is no question, that Obama is a great orator. But, his words are not just those, words, they are not empty. Everything that comes out of his mouth you get the feeling that he truly believes. When he speaks, he makes YOU believe, he makes YOU have hope. When he announced his candidacy for President, he was placed towards the bottom of a pool of Democratic candidates such as Hillary Clinton and John Edwards. But he began to speak, spread his message, put together a campaign like no other seen before, using the Internet as significant tool. And following the Iowa caucus, the nation was fully aware of Barack Obama.

From there, he took off, and soon enough even Senator Clinton had to acknowledge that the nation (at least the Democrats at that point) was beginning to put its faith behind Senator Obama and not her. A nation, at a loss for hope and American pride, with the desire to once again be looked as a beacon and an example for other nations throughout the world found its leader in Obama. Obama turned this election into the most important of our generation. He awakened new groups of voters, sending people flocking from their homes to poll sites, that would result in him achieving more votes than any Democratic candidate before him, and the highest percentage of the popular vote by a Democrat since LBJ in 1964.

Last night, a nation haunted by a past of discrimination, prejudice, and near-sightedness, was able to put it all to the side. Last night, we witnessed an event like those we would read in our history textbooks throughout our years in school. Our children and grandchildren will read a chapter about this time in history, and we will be able to tell them about it. We will tell them where we were, what we saw, and how we felt. We can only join in now, grab on to this aura of hope as if it were an outreached hand in the midst of chaos. We can only hope that President Elect Obama succeeds during his time as President and comes through on his promises and returns dignity to this nation. But until then, it is most important to appreciate the significance of what just occurred, appreciate its rarity and what seemed impossible as recently as a year or two ago. As thousands of people flooded Chicago, Pennsylvania Avenue, and Times Square, a sense of American Pride was restored. The sentiment that living in this country, and being a citizen here, absolutely anything could be achieved and absolutely anyone of any background could achieve it. That "American Dream" that became more of a rhetoric than a reality in the recent past was redefined. So I ask you, even if you supported John McCain, are a Republican, or the country's most extreme conservative, appreciate this for what it is. The ability of a people to break barriers and truly unite behind a man not based on the color of his skin, but as Dr. King dreamt, the content of his character.

I wish you would have been here to see this with us. But, that wasn't your dream was it? It was for your children, and for us, to be here to confirm the strength of your efforts and those of others alongside you. So here we are, when a nation got behind a man of color, realizing that the physical description of a man will never tell us who he truly is or what he is capable of. We have instilled our faith in him, and have voted him into the most powerful position in the entire country. Here we are, when the Obama creed of "Yes we can," is no longer a suggestion, but a fact, a truth, and an achievement. "Yes we did."

So Dr. King, just checking in, may our dreams only get greater from here on out.

(By the way, I put together a song prior to the election, "Hope" featuring Obama, I encourage you to check it out.)